Cándani
Surinamese writer (1965–2021)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saya Yasmine Amores (born Asha Radjkoemar; 8 March 1965 – 4 August 2021) was a Surinamese-Dutch poet, writer, and painter. She wrote under the pen name Cándani from 1982 to 2007. She then used the name Saya Yasmine Amores, which she legally adopted in 2013.
8 March 1965
- poet
- writer
- painter
Cándani | |
|---|---|
Cándani in 1992 | |
| Born | Asha Radjkoemar 8 March 1965 |
| Died | 4 August 2021 (aged 56) |
| Pen name | Saya Yasmine Amores |
| Occupation |
|
| Literary movement | Surinamese literature |
| Spouse |
Dennis van den Bosch
(m. 1999) |
Early life
Literary career
Cándani's first book was published in 1990. It was a poetry collection in Sarnami with Dutch translations entitled Ghunghru tut gail/De rinkelband is gebroken [The bangle is broken].[2]
Cándani's next collections were in Dutch, including Vanwaar je dacht te vertrekken sta je geplant (1993)[2] and Een zoetwaterlied (2000). She returned to Sarnami/Dutch bilingual poetry with Ghar ghar ke khel/Het spel van huisje huisje (2002). These collections are centered around memories of Indo-Surinamese rural life.[3]
She also wrote two novels, Oude onbekenden (2001) and Huis van as (2002), in which the search for the Indo-Surinamese identity is placed within the historical context of Hindustani migration to Suriname and re-migration to the Netherlands.[4][5]
Geef mij het land dat in jou woont (2004) is a collection of poems about the history of Suriname.[6]
Personal life and death
Cándani married Dennis van den Bosch in 1999, publishing a commemorative collection Zal ik terugkeren als je bruid [I will come as your bride].[7] She had one daughter from a prior relationship in Suriname.[8]
She was hospitalised in 2020 at the Antoni van Leeuwenhoekziekenhuis.[9] She died of cancer on 4 August 2021 in Amsterdam.[10]
Further reading
- Michel Szulc-Krzyzanowski (photography) & Michiel van Kempen (text), Woorden op de westenwind; Surinaamse schrijvers buiten hun land van herkomst. Amsterdam: In de Knipscheer, 1994, pp. 220–241.
- Michiel van Kempen, "De moeizame geboorte van een Sarnami dichteres - of niet?" In: Literatuur, 17 (2000), no. 4, July/August, pp. 211–216.
- Michiel van Kempen, Een geschiedenis van de Surinaamse literatuur. Breda: De Geus, 2003, Vol II, pp. 1170–1177.
