Mark Schalekamp

Mark Schalekamp's (The Netherlands, 1968) debut in 1997 was the publication of the poem Voetbal & Meisjes in the magazine Hard Gras, followed by De Rebellenclub (Thomas Rap, 2000), a collection of short stories.

He subsequently founded the company Robin Good, a pioneer in the area of socially responsible entrepreneurship. After selling his company Schalekamp became a full-time writer and journalist.

The Parvenu (Arbeiderspers, 2011) was his first novel. In the Netherlands it was a great success, reaching best-sellerstatus in half a year, film rights being purchased by Eyeworks, the Netherlands' leading film producers.

His second book, non-fiction, is about creating your ideal work: Make Work of Your Dream (Business Contact, 2013).

Youropeans! is his latest project. In every EU capital, he interviewed 8 people: a doctor, hairdresser, entrepreneur, sex worker, local celebrity, police officer, immigrant and artist. On www.youropeans.eu he shared their stories, hoping it would contribute to Europe's social cohesion. This is Europe (Maven, 2016) is a report of this two-year tour d'Europe, published in Dutch and English.

Schalekamp's company, books and projects have drawn quite a lot of media attention, in the Netherlands and abroad, on TV, radio and in printed media. Schalekamp also writes for several Dutch magazines and newspapers: from columns and opinion pieces to travel stories and interviews.