A. M. de Jong

A. M. de Jong was the writer of the famous Dutch comic 'Bulletje en Boonestaak'. Born in a lower class family of thirteen children, de Jong was not sent to work in a factory, but to school to become a teacher. A fierce socialist, he devoted much of his free time to writing pieces on the many wrongs in the educational system. In 1916, he became a teacher in Amsterdam, where he started working for the socialist newspaper Het Volk, and became an editor of this paper in 1919.

In 1922, De Jong started the text-comic 'Bulletje en Boonestaak', together with his artist friend George van Raemdonck. This comic, about two rascals, lent itself perfectly for venting his ideas on colonialism, imperialism, capitalism and militarism in such a way, that it was still readable for old and young alike. Not everyone liked his controversial texts, and already in 1923 he had to stand up to worried pedagogues. Nevertheless, the series continued on as a great success until 1937.

De Jong continued his collaboration with George van Raemdonck on the comic 'Appelsnoet en Goudbaard', which appeared in Blue Band magazine between 1925 and 1927. He also wrote numerous articles, novels, children's books, translations, and radio plays. In 1943, during one of the infamous 'Silbertanne' actions, he was shot by two SS soldiers in his own home.