The following research projects are being or have been executed from the perspective of literature and medicine:
1. PHD projects
- Euthanasia in novels and movies
In collaboration with the Faculty of Arts, Wouter Schrover has started a project funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) on euthanasia in novels and movies. This has resulted in his PhD in January 2016.
Together with: Prof.dr. Ben Peperkamp
- Depression in autobiographies
Presently, research is being conducted in the field of literature and medicine in collaboration with the Faculty of Arts. From 1 September 2012, PhD research assistant Anne-Fleur van der Meer has started a project funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) on depression in autobiographies. She defended her PhD successfully on September 27, 2018.
Together with Prof.dr. Ben Peperkamp
- Creativity and disease
Laura Prins started on Agust 1, 2017 on this PhD project. PhD forseen in 2024.
2. Other projects
Arko Oderwald does research in two smaller projects.
• Physician-writers
Many physicians have become writers. Of course there are many physicians that write, but this project is focussed on those physicians that hev become more famous as a writer than as a physician. In phase 1 of this project these writers are identified and charactirized by short descriptions. Twenty six of these descriptions have been published in het Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde in 2012. In 2017, Arko Oderwald started a course about physicians-writers. After that, a book will be published with 65 physician writers. Publishingdate 2025 or 2026.
Link: http://www.ntvg.nl/dossier/lier-en-lancet
• A nice place to be ill
A certain number of diseasenovels are situated on a certain place, a place that plays an important role in the novel. For instance: Davos in the Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. In this project we visit these places in order to see what is left and to give a description of the actual value of the novel. The first three results have been published (in Dutch) in De Groene Amsterdammer of 18 juli 2012 (The magic Mountain), in Streven van april 2013 (The bells of Bicêtre, Georges Simenon) and in Trouw, June 6, 2013 (Kurgast, Hermann Hesse).
All the impressions taken form these visits will end up in a book about the advantages of being ill, together with Abel Thijs. Publishingdate 2025 or 2026.
Update 13 02 2023