Dutch poet laureate reveals arm and shoulder amputation; Cracks jokes on Twitter

Dutch poet laureate Lieke Marsman went into surgery on Friday morning to have her arm and shoulder amputated, she said in a message on Twitter. She was undergoing treatment for cancer after doctors found a malignant bone tumor in her upper back over four years ago.

“The poisoned chalice had to be completely drained; The radiation therapy from this spring did not help at all, and that is why my arm and shoulder were amputated this morning,” she said in her statement. “It’s going to be a difficult recovery, but as you can see, I’m already twittering.”

The 31-year-old then followed it up with a satirical message written like a clickbait advertisement. “This Woman Lost Five Kilos In One Day Click Here To Find Out What Her Secret Is.”

Marsman was born in Den Bosch, grew up in Zaltbommel, and studied at the University of Amsterdam. She won several accolades for her debut publication, Wat ik mijzelf graag voorhoud, released in 2010. In her September 2018 piece, De volgende scan duurt 5 minuten, she described how she was no longer able to raise her right arm after the tumor was removed in April 2018. The collection was later translated into English.

The author was named the Poet Laureate of the Netherlands at the start of 2021. She will remain in the position for a period of two years.