AN ENGAGING INTERVIEW WITH KATINKA POLDERMAN

Your book is a sequel to The girl, the whale, the turtle, and the axolotl Why another part?

'The first part was received with great enthusiasm. I had a lot of fun coming up with sentences and the collaboration with Merel was also very pleasant. In short: we all wanted more!'

How did you come up with the idea for these new animals?

Part 1 had a summer theme, now we wanted something winter-related. In any case, you need animals that can withstand the cold, a flamingo in the North Pole obviously doesn't fit. And we wanted animals that don't look too much alike. So: a bouncy fox and a more thoughtful old walrus.

You are a comedian and a writer. Do these two influence each other when you write?

"I create all sorts of things: sentences, songs, stories, decision trees, columns. For every idea I have, there is a form to be found, which is nice. And the connecting factor is language. I do feel that with everything I create, I benefit a lot from the direct contact with the audience that I have as a comedian, that way I can feel whether a joke will work."

What do you hope readers will feel when they close your book?

Comfort, a feeling of recognition and the feeling that they have seen and read something beautiful. And I also hope that people become very happy from the book, and maybe have a new thought.

Which book is currently next to your bed in the hotel?

An island in the sea by Annika Thor. About two Viennese sisters who have to flee during the Second World War and end up on an island in Sweden. It is beautiful: on one hand lovely and full of small daily experiences, on the other hand there is always the sadness about the life left behind and the worries about each other and their parents, who stayed in Vienna. But I also like to read short stories, especially when I am busy: a bedtime story always works and it's okay if you don't get to it for a few days. The collection The truth about lying "from" Benedict Wells is fantastic.