Henna Goudzand Nahar (born December 28, 1953) is a Surinamese fiction writer and journalist. She has written under the pen names Amber and Amber Nahar.
Henna Goudzand Nahar was born in Paramaribo, Suriname, in 1935. [1] [2] She describes herself as being of African descent, with some Chinese, European, Jewish, and Indigenous ancestry. [2] Her father, a teacher, provided her with early exposure to Dutch and Surinamese literature, and she began writing at a young age. [2]
As a young woman, she worked as a Dutch teacher in her home city. [1] Then, in 1989, she moved to the Netherlands, where she continued teaching Dutch in Amsterdam until her retirement. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Goudzand Nahar has published stories in the Surinamese women's magazine Brasa, as well as in the publications Preludium (1988), De Gids (1990), and De Groene Amsterdammer (1992). [2] Her writing has also appeared in the anthologies Verhalen van Surinaamse schrijvers (1989), Hoor die tori! (1990), Sirito (1993), and Mama Sranan; 200 jaar Surinaamse verhaalkunst (1999). [5] Her debut novel, Hele dagen in de regen, was published in 2005, followed by Over het zoute water (2015) and De geur van bruine bonen (2020). [2]
She often writes under the pen name Amber or Amber Nahar. [5] Her work frequently deals with migration between Suriname and the Netherlands, and the legacy of slavery in her home country. [1] [2] [4]
Goudzand Nahar has also written children's literature, including the books Op zoek naar een vriend (1994), De Bonistraat (1996), Toch nog gelukkig (1996; with Baptista van Laerhoven), and De stem van Bever (2007; illustrated by Jeska Verstegen). She also worked on educational materials for Sesamstraat . [1] [2] In 2022, she won a Bronze Griffel for her 2021 story Op de rug van Bigi Kayman. [1] [6] Her most recent children's book, Suikerland (2023), tells the history of the Atlantic slave trade in Suriname. [1]
As a journalist, she has contributed criticism and opinion pieces to the Surinamese publications De Ware Tijd Literair and Oso. [5] Starting in 2009, she served as editor of the digital women's magazine Oer Digitaal Vrouwenblad. [1] [7]
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