'De Mensheid volgens Crocodile Charley' (2021).
Victor Meijer is a Dutch illustrator, stage writer, novelist and fine artist. As a visual artist, he had his breakthrough as the cover illustrator of the literary bestseller 'Het Geheime dagboek van Hendrik Groen' (2014), written under pseudonym by Peter de Smet (no relation to the comic creator). Many of Meijer's own books are coming-of-age stories of children trying to cope with reality by escaping into surreal fantasy worlds, from his 2013 novel 'Snoepreis' to his graphic novels 'De Jongen en de Dood' (2017), 'Hondsdol' (2019) and 'Penisnijd' (2021). A retro blend between the traditional children's book illustrators and experimental comic artists of the 1970s, Meijer's artwork is characterized by its effective compositions, moody hatching and imaginative sceneries that mix the human with the animal world.
Early life and career
Victor Emanuel Carmona Meijer was born in 1975 in Amsterdam as the son of a Dutch father and Spanish mother. When he was ten years old, his mother took him with her to her native Spain, running away from a troubled marriage on a journey without purpose or money. Back in the Netherlands, Meijer has lived in Alkmaar and Wijk bij Duurstede, before eventually settling in Amsterdam. His childhood experiences of being caught between two fighting parents, finding your own identity and fleeing into fantasy worlds have become recurring themes in his future work, both as a novelist and comic creator.
After a course in creative writing at 't Colofon in Amsterdam, Meijer studied at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague (1994-1996) with the ambition of becoming an illustrator. Graphically, he is strongly inspired by creators from the 1970s and 1980s, for instance the children's book illustrators Carl Hollander, Jan Wesseling and Jan Marinus Verburg. His work also reveals influences from the hatching technique of Peter van Straaten and the surrealism of Moebius. In October 1993, he had an illustration published in the first issue of the alternative comic magazine Incognito, but otherwise it took about 25 years before Meijer's actual debut in comics.
Portrait for the book cover of 'Het geheime dagboek van Hendrik Groen' (2014).
Writer
After his formal education, Victor Meijer tried to find his way as a children's book illustrator. The first book he illustrated, Hermine Landvreugd's 'Willem Is Een Weerwolf' (Ploegsma, 2000), received such scathing reviews that he instantly stopped drawing for twelve years. Instead, he turned to writing theater plays, poetry and novels. His poems appeared in Bunker Hill magazine, and under the name Carmona, he released an album with Dutch-language pop songs (2003). As a novelist, Meijer debuted with 'Miskend Talent' (De Harmonie, 2008), a novel about a young painter who thinks he is a genius, but he seems to be the only one. For his next novel, the critically praised 'Snoepreis' (Meulenhoff, 2013), Meijer took inspiration from his own childhood trip to Spain with his mother. The story is told from the perspective of a boy called Boris, who is taken with his mother to Spain, after his parents went through a terrible divorce. He finds refuge in the local candy treats and his own fantasy.
Writer's portraits
Meijer's return to visual arts happened by accident. In his late thirties, he suffered from writer's block. During a visit to his publisher Meulenhoff, he noticed they were in search of an illustrator for an upcoming diary book about an elderly man in an Amsterdam nursing home. He decided to have a try, and created the iconic cover illustration for 'Het Geheime Dagboek van Hendrik Groen' (2014), a powerful portrait of the book's alleged author, Hendrik Groen. Meijer's drawing of the protagonist was for many years the only visual reference to the book's writer. Even though the book was presented as a diary of the elderly protagonist, after several years it was revealed the actual writer was the unknown Peter de Smet. 'Het Geheime dagboek van Hendrik Groen' became one of the biggest Dutch literary bestsellers of the 21st century, with Meijer's drawing also appearing on international editions. The first novel inspired several sequels, as well as a TV series starring Kees Hulst and André van Duin.
Regaining confidence in his graphic talents, Meijer also created writer's portraits for books by Harry Mulisch and Henning Mankell. His detailed pen-and-ink portrait drawings and illustrations became regular features in Vrij Nederland magazine, and were used by the broadcasting corporation HUMAN/VPRO.
'Hondsdol' (2019).
Graphic novels
In 2017, Meijer released 'De Jongen en de Dood' (Meulenhoff, 2017), a wordless picture book with 63 pen-and-ink drawings about a boy who is present during his grandfather's final breath. Since he had just given his grandfather a raspberry pastry, the boy is convinced he is to blame for his death. Like in Meijer's 2013 novel 'Snoepreis', the protagonist then flees into fantasy, inventing a new reality where he has to save his grandfather from mythical creatures and evil demons who try to drag the man into the underworld.
For his actual graphic novel debut 'Hondsdol' (Scratch!, 2019), Meijer used similar themes. A young boy is torn apart between his two parents. His mother is only interested in having sex with her new lover, while his father tries to demonize his ex and urge the boy to break up the new couple. The boy finds comfort with an orange dog, which he calls Sinas. Together they manage to escape into fantasy worlds, going on an adventurous sea voyage and visiting an island where a young girl rules over life and death. During their flight from all the fighting at home, the dog slowly changes color and turns from a companion into an aggressor, maybe just as bad as the parents the boy wants to escape from.
'Penisnijd' (2022).
For his next graphic novel 'De Mensheid volgens Crocodile Charley' (Concerto Books, 2021), Meijer fully indulged in a surreal fantasy world, telling the story of a crocodile who can't fly. His graphic novel 'Penisnijd' (Oogachtend, 2022) was more down-to-earth, but again starred a young boy trying to find his identity in a world filled with self-interested adults. During a booze-filled house party, a carefree young boy dances in one of his mother's dresses. He is pulled back into the harsh reality when he is left alone with the last remaining guest.
'Free Work'.
Graphic contributions
In 2019, Meijer was one of the illustrators of 'Drenkelingen - Caféverhalen' (Concerto, 2019), a selection of real-life bar stories collected by Amsterdam bartender Piet Oomes. In the following year, Meijer participated in the collective comic book 'De Neukpiet' (Das Mag, 2020), a dystopian "apocalyptic satire" spoofing the ongoing national debate about the portrayal of the folkloric character Zwarte Piet ("Black Pete") during the annual Sinterklaas festivities. The book was written by filmmakers Ashar Medina and Gonzalo Fernandez with Victor Meijer, Brian Elstak, Fiona Lutjenhuis, Lucky Versloot, Wide Vercnocke and Hedy Tjin as artists.
For the December 2023 issue of the Swiss-German comic magazine Strapazin, an issue portraying several European comic stores, Victor Meijer was one of the six chosen artists to represent the Amsterdam store Lambiek with a two-page comic story.
Self-portrait.