Rotterdan – Rotterdam – On 7 June, writers Arnon Grunberg and Elisabeth Lockhorn will appear at De Unie/Club Uniek on Mauritsweg 34 for a De Kronieken literary event hosted by Hans Sibarani & Inge Janse. They will speak with Grunberg about his new essay Mogen we nog een beetje leven?, while Lockhorn presents new poems from her book troostboek. Also joining is Sietse Leeflang, publisher at the Rotterdam publishing house Uitgeverij Ad. Donker.
But behind the scenes, the director of the publisher is facing a far more dramatic story.
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A 88‑Year‑Old Publishing House Loses Its Home
Uitgeverij Ad. Donker, founded in 1938, has for decades operated from a stately mansion on the Koningin Emmaplein, near the Kunsthal. In 1980, Willem A. Donker (1938–2018) took over the publishing house from his father. He died on 7 October 2018 during a walk near his home. Just three months earlier, Willem and his wife Jos Exler – a fashion designer – had decided to sell the 605 m² mansion for 1.2 million to a real estate developer from Amsterdam. According to recent valuations, the mansion now has an estimated market value of €3.6 million, more than triple the price for which it was sold in 2018. According to Jos Exler, the new owner assured her she could remain in the house for the rest of her life. That promise has now collapsed.
The Conflict: Concerts, Students, and a Legal Trap
Exler said: “In the basement and on the ground floor we lived. On the first floor Willem had his office, and that is where we work now — I as director, and Sietse Leeflang as publisher. The floors above have been occupied for more than twenty years by foreign exchange students from Codarts. We also hosted intimate chamber concerts in our home, giving Conservatory students a chance to perform and raise modest funds for their musical development.”
The investor seized on these events, arguing that Exler had turned the residence into an “unauthorised commercial venue” — grounds, he claimed, to terminate her right to stay. Exler initially won in court. But after the realtor appealed to the Hoge Raad, the Supreme Court overturned the ruling. She now has three months to vacate the property.
Political Outrage
The eviction is widely condemned and people are willing to fight for this cultural institution which is now threatened by a real‑estate dispute.