Wil Huygen
Willibrord Joseph Huygen (23 June 1922 – 14 January 2009) was a Dutch book author. He is best known for the picture books on gnomes, illustrated by Rien Poortvliet. Huygen was born in Amersfoort, the Netherlands.
Also recorded as Huygen, Wil · Willibrord Joseph Huygen
Wil Huygen
- Birth Name
- Willibrord Joseph Huygen
- Born
- 23 June 1922
- Birthplace
- Amersfoort, Netherlands
- Died
- 14 January 2009
- Place of death
- Bilthoven, Netherlands
- Occupation
- Writer
- Full name
- Wilibrord Joseph Huygen.
- Nationality
- Kingdom of the Netherlands.
- Known for
- Gnomes.
- Languages
- Dutch.
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q2230516 · wikipedia · Wil Huygen
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The documentary record
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Institutions cited
Bibliothèque nationale de France · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
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Biography
Biography
The seventh of ten children, his primary occupation was that of a physician. He was married and had five children. The first book in his picture book series is Gnomes (published in 1977, and originally known as Leven en werken van de Kabouter in Dutch). It was on top of the bestseller list of the New York Times for over a year (as a book on folklore, it was categorized as non-fiction). In the second book (De oproep der Kabouters) both Huygen and Poortvliet make appearances themselves in both the story and the illustrations as they get contacted by the gnomes because of the Gnomes book they have written together. The TV show, The World of David the Gnome, was based on their work. Huygen died on 14 January 2009 in Bilthoven. He was 86 years old.
Documentary record
Wil Huygen died on 14 January 2009; the place of death is Bilthoven, Netherlands, according to the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek and the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Key facts
Key facts
• Birth Name — Willibrord Joseph Huygen • Born — 23 June 1922 • Birthplace — Amersfoort, Netherlands • Died — 14 January 2009 • Place of death — Bilthoven, Netherlands • Occupation — Writer • Notable Works — Gnomes
Documentary record
Wil Huygen lived from 23 June 1922 to 14 January 2009 and was a physician, writer and children's author. Wil Huygen was born on 23 June 1922; the birthplace is Amersfoort, Netherlands, according to the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek and the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Book List
Book List
• Gnomes (1977) • The Pop-Up Book of Gnomes (1979) • The Gnome Book of Christmas Crafts (1980) • Gnome Games (1980, Designed by Larry Evans) • Secrets of the Gnomes (1981) • Gnomes and Their Families (1983) • Gnomes with Animals (1983) • The Book of the Sandman and the Alphabet of Sleep (1989) • Gnome Life (1999)
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Amersfoort.
Birth place
Bilthoven.
Death place
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Wil Huygen, revision 1371738932 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.O'Connor, John J. TV: Animated 'Gnomes' and Saturn Rendezvous. The New York Times. November 11, 1980.
- 2.Lingeman, Richard R. Snotgurgles Were Enemies. The New York Times. December 25, 1977.
- 3.Schuessler, Jennifer. Inside the List. The New York Times. March 11, 2011.
- 4.Adult New York Times Best Seller Lists for 1978. www.hawes.com.
- 5.Vlabinvbc.be. vlabin-vbc literair nieuws — Jeugdschrijver Wil Huygen overleden.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 24 August 2026.
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