The 11th Lof der Zotheid pin goes to scientist and writer Rosanne Hertzberger. As a columnist, Hertzberger knows how to soften a sharp and vulnerable position with humour. According to the Erasmus Committee, which awards the prize annually, she is following in the footsteps of Erasmus.
Award
The award ceremony will take place on Thursday 28 October, Erasmus' birthday, in the Citizens' Hall of Rotterdam City Hall. The winner of the 10th Praise of Folly Pin, Dick Couvée, will also receive the prize. Last year the presentation was postponed because of Covid.
Erasmus Week
That week is also Erasmus Week, with activities inspired by the ideas of the famous Rotterdammer. The programme includes: an Erasmus walk, a lunch concert, a symposium on citizenship education, guest lectures by students of the Erasmian Gymnasium at Rotterdam primary schools, the presentation of the last book in the impressive series Letters of Erasmus in which his complete correspondence is published, the Human Library and the possibility to admire real books and letters from the private collection of Erasmus in the vault of the Rotterdam Library.
Reaction to prize
In conversation with Dr Sandra Langereis, author of the biography 'Erasmus: cross-thinker', published this year, she reacted on NPORadio1 in the programme Dr Kelder en co, to the fact that she is to receive the Lof der Zotheid pin. (Watch and listen to the fragment here - in Dutch).
About the prize
Every year on Erasmus' birthday, the Erasmus Committee awards the 'Praise of Folly Pin' to a person who, in the spirit of Erasmus, has dedicated himself or herself to society and championed tolerance, education and satire.
Since 2011 the following persons have received the award:
2011 Gyz la Rivière
2012 Arie van der Krogt
2013 Manuel Kneepkens
2014 Inez Weski
2015 Loes Luca
2016 Henk Oosterling
2017 Carrie Jansen
2018 Hugo Borst
2019 Fidan Ekiz
2020 Dick Couvée
About the Erasmus Committee
Erasmus is internationally renowned and his ideas are extremely topical. That is why Erasmus deserves a place in the cityscape and in the perception of all Rotterdammers, visitors and relations of the city. This is the aim of the Comité Erasmus, Icon of Rotterdam, established in 2010.
Erasmus University Rotterdam is one of the members of the committee.
- CV
Rosanne Hertzberger (1984) was born in Rotterdam. She studied Life Science & Technology at Delft University of Technology and Leiden University, gained her PhD at the University of Amsterdam, did a postdoc at Washington University School of Medicine and is now a researcher at VU University Amsterdam. She is a columnist for the NRC and De Correspondent and wrote two books.
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