UvA professor wins top book award

Emeritus Professor Piet de Rooy wrote the best political book of last year. The book "Ons stipje op de waereldkaart" (Our specks on the world map) won him the Prinsjesboekenprijs on Monday.  In the book De Rooy explains that some of the cliches about the Netherlands are not right, Het Parool reports. He mentions the jury as an example. "That the Dutch are so good in concessions may have less to do with the battle against the water than with the simple fact that we as a small country can't afford too many mutual conflicts." De Rooy was a professor of history at the University of Amsterdam from 1985 to 2009. He received a certificate and a sum of 2,500 euros. This is the second time that this prize has been awarded. Last year Mathieu Segers, lecturer of European integration at the University of Utrecht, won the prize for a book about the Netherlands and the unification of Europe. The Prinsjesboekenprijs is one of the prizes that is awarded in the run up to Prinsjesdag. Second Chamber Members of Parliament Wouter Koolmes (D66), Carola Schouten (ChristenUnie) and Elbert Dinkgraaf (SGP) received a political prize on Friday. According to the jury they meant a lot for parliamentary democracy as the were involved with the autumn agreement with the Cabinet last year. Photographer David van Dam received a prize for the best political photograph on Saturday. He photographed Minister Ronald Plasterk (Internal Affairs) after a long debate over American eavesdroppers, waiting for the ride home in the back of his official vehicle.

En dit is de winnende foto: minister Plasterk eenzaam in dienstauto na zwaar debat over afluisterschandaal NSA. pic.twitter.com/1HmHMiIcHC

— Jos Heymans (@JosHeymans) September 13, 2014