De Droom van Alfred Jodocus Kwak

De Droom van Alfred Jodocus Kwak
FrontBack File:De Droom van Alfred Jodocus Kwak Back.jpg
Written by	Herman van Veen Hanneke Holzhaus
Artwork by	Harald Siepermann (uncredited)
Cover design by	Karel van Laar, de Bilt
Publisher	Harlekijn, Westbroek
Language	Dutch
Release date	1991
Number of pages	233
Binding method	Hardcover
ISBN-10	9063860862
ISBN-13	9789063860868

De Droom van Alfred Jodocus Kwak (lit. 'Alfred Jodocus Kwak's Dream') is a book written by Herman van Veen and Hanneke Holzhaus about Alfred Jodocus Kwak coming to grasp with what happened to his parents Johan Sebastiaan Kwak and Anna van de Polder. It tells the story of episodes 1, 2, 4 and 5 through flashback and retellings through Henk de Mol and the story of episode 12 and 13 as it's happening in the present of the narrative.

Several characters unnamed in the animated series get named for the first time in this story.

Story

Summary

De grote vakantie

(lit. "The summer holiday")

Alfred Jodocus Kwak has just finished his exams and passed with flying colors and can now enjoy his summer break. However he can't enjoy it as he's feeling depressed. He promised Henk de Mol, his adoptive father, to play their weekly chess game, but has no motivation to play. Instead he does have motivation to talk to Henk in a Goed Gesprek (lit. "Good Talk"), specifically because he has realized that he doesn't remember his parents anymore. He's always accepted Henk to be his father, but as a mole that doesn't make sense.

Having a goal makes him enthusiastic about life again and he's more easily able to reflect on his somber morning. He walks past inspecteur Holmes de Hond and the sparrow triplets feeling good about himself again. That is until he runs into Dolf de Kraai. Internally he bigs himself up not to fall prey to Dolf's taunts, but as Dolf keeps ironically congratulating him on acing his exams, Alfred's mood flips once more. Dolf also brings up Henk as his father and proclaims that he will go into politics instead of studying.

Amanda

Alfred is once more depressed and trudges along the Polderweg until Amanda de Vlinder, the aging butterfly, flies down and lands on his shoulder. She shares with him her unique outlook on life, how nothing really matters and therefore it's easy to live carefree. At first Alfred follows along with her logic, but soon he finds herself annoyed with this line of thinking and instead asks her to tell Henk that he will be a little later.

Alfred lays down in the meadows, feeling very tired, and takes a nap. He dreams about a day long ago when he was still a child and living at Henk's mine house. Because it's snowing Henk gives Alfred some jeans with suspenders that look just like the clothing Henk usually wears. When Henk hugs Alfred goodbye they hear the sound of Dolf teasing him. He's flanked by Hannes and Wannes Ganzenbord who repeat what Dolf says.

Alfred wakes up shortly as Amanda tells him that she has relayed the message. As quickly as he woke up he falls asleep again and continues his dream about a young Dolf teasing him and his father. Lucky for him school is about to start.

De troubadour

(lit. "The troubadour")

Meester Bas Buldog awaits his students at the doorway to the school. He pets them all individually when they enter. As he thinks about retiring soon Alfred, and then a little later Dolf, Wannes and Hannes come in. Meester Bas starts teaching about the middle ages, telling the kids about a Polderstad from 800 years ago, about how the market place was a social meeting place. As Meester Bas talks about minstrels and troubadours Alfred slowly falls asleep in his dream and has another dream. He hears the minstrel Kukuleku sing a song and then Alfred asks him for his autograph. Kukeleku is flummoxed by the balpoint pen and Alfred's mention of a schoolplein and wonders where this square is so he can capitalize on it. The minstrel signs Alfred's schoolbook, but as he does Alfred is awoken by Meester Bas who scolds him for falling asleep. In a corner Dolf is laughing on the inside as Alfred is lectured.

Schoensmeer

(lit. "Shoe polish")

Meester Bas continues his lesson about the middle ages and talks about how people frowned upon others behaving slightly differently than the norm. They would be ostracized, especially women who broke generally accepted social norms, and burnt at the stake. Their ashes would be taken to the well on the Brede Buitenweg and thrown into it. After class Dolf starts teasing Alfred about how him having a mole father would be enough for him to be burnt at the stake. This makes Alfred livid and he almost strangles Dolf, but when he comes to his senses he sees that Dolf's beak has turned yellow and Alfred has black grime on his hands. Dolf is so embarrassed at Alfred finding out his beak is yellow and he runs off, shouting he's going to fly himself into the Stompe toren. Alfred tries to follows, desperate to prevent him from killing himself.

In de put

(lit. "In the well")

Alfred finds Dolf near the well, using a brush to put shoe polish on his beak. Alfred appraoches him, but in doing so startles Dolf and he falls down the well, breaking his wing. Alfred bravely tries to get him out of there by climbing down the rope that was originally attached to a bucket. However, the rope was too old and brittle to carry Alfred's weight and he plummets onto Dolf. Alfred makes a sling for Dolf's wing. Alfred says their parents will come and look for them, but Dolf isn't so sure.

De geest die geen rust kan vinden

(lit. "The spirit that can't find peace")

Dolf confesses to Alfred that his mother was a trush and not a crow, giving him a yellow beak. Alfred tries to convince him that it's not a big deal, but Dolf doubles down and tells him that just like in the middle ages Alfred also needs to be scared of being burnt at the stake, just like the witches from Meester Bas' lecture. Then the two hear a scary echo-y voice calling Alfred.

Een Goed Gesprek

(lit. "A Good Talk")

Alfred is woken up by Henk who had looked for him. He's there to pick him up. Alfred tells him about his dream of him and Dolf being stuck down the well and Henk recalls how he found them and called out. And how Dolf and Alfred had mistaken his voice for a witch. Luckily it all worked out in the end.

Having arrived at Henk's mine house Alfred declines the game of chess and instead demands Henk tell him where he came from. At first Henk is reluctant to start a conversation about that and tries to change the subject, but when Alfred insist he starts to tell about his old friend Johan Sebastiaan Kwak.

Johan and he were floating in Johan's clog boat through the Plaspoelpolder in Breed Rietland, when they heard the song of a female duck. Henk took it upon himself to introduce Johan to the source of the singing, namely Anna van de Polder. Falling completely in love Johan spent the rest of the day and part of the night working on a song. Just as he was about to find Anna again and sing his song, when he saw Henri Dropshot and Johnny Hollyday fighting over her. He took his chance and the interaction resulted in a relationship that bloomed. They were wed shortly after, Henk serving as Johan's best man and Amanda de Vlinder as Anna's bridesmaid.

Alfred asks him if he means Amanda who he had spoken to today, and Henk says that the Amanda from the wedding is current Amanda's great-great-great-great-grandmother. Henk continues to tell Alfred that Johan and Anna laid 7 eggs and suddenly Alfred realizes he's not from Groot Waterland, but from Breed Rietland. Alfred starts crying saying that Dolf is from Groot Waterland and he isn't, which prompts Henk to correct him; Dolf was also born in Breed Rietland.

Geboren

(lit. "Born")

Henk starts talking about Dolf's father Schor de Kraai, whom Johan was regularly arguing with. According to Henk, Schor already almost didn't recognize Dolf as he was having memory problems, especially after the death of his wife Miriam Merel. Schor and Miriam also made an unannounced maternity visit at Johan and Anna's nest. Anna had taken a break, leaving Johan to defend the quality of the eggs against Schor, especially the one that Alfred would be born out of. Johan grabbed it and given it to Henk for safe keeping. At right that moment Alfred had hatched in front of Henk. Henk told the parents that the duckling reminded him of his own grandfather, Alfred de Mol and Johan and Anna decide to name their firstborn after him. Alfred's brothers and sisters hatched the next day.

Continuity

This book retells the story of Episodes 1, 2, 4, 5, 12 and 13 of the animated series. Please check those pages for more info.

• Amanda de Vlinder is a character first introduced in De wonderlijke avonturen van de eend Alfred Jodocus Kwak: Goedemorgen where she is Anna van de Polder's maid of honour.
• In the flashback to the events of episode 4 of the animated series Meester Bas Buldog refers to Ollie de Ooievaar with male pronouns and calls them a boy in his thoughts.
• In this book Alfred learns about his parents Johan Sebastiaan Kwak and Anna van de Polder, how they perished together with his siblings, and how he was actually born in Breed Rietland.

References

• Several times Alfred Jodocus Kwak says to himself that he was the only kid in the third year of primary school to be able to swim to the other side of the big river without touching anything or somersault in the water, something that's also said in the introduction of the character in the original stage play. Later on when Henk de Mol tells Alfred about his parents, he says that Johan Sebastiaan Kwak predicted he would be able to swim to the other side of the big river with his eyes clothes in the fourth year of primary school. Alfred then corrects him with "Third year!".
• When Alfred encounters Dolf de Kraai he thinks to himself that he wants to avoid a kemphanengevecht, meaning a fight between two ruff birds, which also has a double meaning of a brawl between two people who are frequently in conflict or rivalry. Henri Dropshot and Johnny Hollyday who are characters that are introduced later and receive names for the first time in this book are also referenced as 'kemphanen in their character sheet and the original outlines for epiosde 1.
• Alfred tells Amanda de Vlinder to tell Henk de Mol he will be een druppel later (lit. "a drop later"). This is a reference to one of the lines of the opening song Spetter Pieter Pater.
• Part of slogans that Dolf de Kraai brainstorms for his future Nationale Kraaienpartij is Kra Dolf, which is a combination of the German name of his character and the Dutch name and also makes the reference of his character to the name Adolf Hitler even clearer.

Characters

All the characters in order of being mentioned:

• Alfred Jodocus Kwak
• Henk de Mol
• Holmes de Hond
• Drieling Mus
• Dolf de Kraai
• Amanda de Vlinder
• Amanda's great grandfather
• Hannes Ganzebord
• Wannes Ganzebord
• Meester Bas Buldog
• Meester Bas Buldog's wife
• Bella Buldog (Bas's daughter)
• Charley Buldog
• Tommy Buldog
• Danny Buldog
• Woody Buldog
• Florence Buldog
• Albert
• Ollie de Ooievaar
• Pikkie de Ekster
• Minstrel Kukeleku
• S. Bernard

• Anton Snorman

• Marcel
• Basje Buldog
• Bella Buldog (Bas's granddaughter)
• King Franz Ferdinand
• Pax de Postduif
• Bella Peter-Hazebloot
• Anton Snorman's fiancée

Locations

All mentioned locations:

• Groot Waterland
• Polderstad
• Alfred's clog house
• De Stompe Toren
• Henks mine house
• Polderweg
• Breed Rietland
• Dor Hongerland
• Droogland
• Dorstland
• Doodland
• Polderstad Zuidoost
• Polderstad primary school
• Schoolstraat
• Brede Buitenweg
• The well
• Polderstad-Noord
• Bella Buldog's house
• Vorige Burgemeestersplantsoen
• Polderstad-West
• Hoog Bergland
• Anton Snorman's mansion

Main staff list

Cover illustration: Harald Siepermann (uncredited)

Publisher: Harlekijn, Westbroek 1991

Written by: Herman van Veen, Hanneke Holzhaus
Cover design and inside: Karel van Laar, de Bilt
Printed by: Drukkerij Tulp, Zwolle Text edited by: Henk Pel, Zeist ISBN-10: 9063860862
ISBN-13: 9789063860868

Production notes

Book contents

The book opens with a foreword from Herman van Veen.

Original Dutch Toen ik Alfred voor het eerst zag, woonden wij nog in dat oude huis op de dijk, vlakbij het veen. Alfred zat op een stronk, onder de olie. Kon geen vin meer verzetten. Ik heb hem toen in de teil op het aanrecht zo goed als het ging gewassen. Maar het spul was er bijna niet uit te krijgen. De hardnekkige smurrie plakte alles aan elkaar Ben er tamelijk lang mee bezig geweest en toen alle olie verwijderd was, kreeg hij een forse verkoudheid, gepaard met een naar kuchje. Het was vlak voor de Kerst, dus ik zei: `Je kunt de Kerstdagen wel hier blijven. Er is niemand, ik ben alleen en het lijkt me wel gezellig.' Maar daar snapte hij natuurlijk niks van. Hij kon immers niet praten en ik kon niet kwaken. Kwam toen op het idee om Professor Paljas van Pinguïn te bellen, een oude vriend die veel verstand van talen heeft. Hij stuurde mij per ommegaande dat boekje: `Kwak op reis een eenvoudige cursus Kwaken voor beginners`. Nou met de hulp van Alfred kon ik op de tweede Kerstdag het eerste couplet van Jinglebells al in het Kwaks zingen, met Oud en Niwu al redelijk keuvelen en tegen mijn verjaardag duidelijk schrijven, vandaar... Alfred had mij heel wat te vertellen. Zó veel dat ik het nauwelijks kon bijbenen. Heb toen Hanneke Holzhaus gebeld, waarvan Professor Paljas wist dat zij één van de weinige mensen op deze wereld is die Kwaks verstaat en kan spreken. En ik moet eerlijk zeggen: zonder haar zou dit relaas nu niet zo gebonden en opengeslagen voor jullie liggen. Veel plezier bij het lezen en, o ja, de hartelijke groeten van Alfred en Herman van Veen.

Translation When I first saw Alfred, we were still living in that old house on the dike, close to the peat bog. Alfred was sitting on a stump, covered in oil. He could no longer move a fin. So I washed him in the tub on the kitchen counter, as best I could. But the stuff was almost impossible to get out. The stubborn grime stuck everything together I spent quite a long time working on it and when all the oil had been removed, he came down with a bad cold, accompanied by an unpleasant little cough. It was just before Christmas, so I said: `You might as well stay here for Christmas. There’s no one here, I’m alone, and it seems like it would be cozy`. But of course he understood none of that. After all, he couldn’t talk and I couldn’t quack. Then I got the idea to call Professor Paljas van Pinguïn, an old friend who knows a great deal about languages. He promptly sent me that little book: Quack on the Road, a Simple Quacking Course for Beginners. Well, with Alfred’s help, by the second day of Christmas I could already sing the first verse of Jingle Bells in Quack, chat reasonably well by New Year and write clearly by my birthday, hence... Alfred had quite a lot to tell me. So much that I could hardly keep up. Then I called Hanneke Holzhaus, of whom Professor Paljas knew that she is one of the few people in this world who understands and can speak Quack. And I must honestly say: without her this account would not now be lying here before you, bound and open. Enjoy reading it, and oh yes, warm regards from Alfred and Herman van Veen.

There is also a short epigraph by Hanneke Holzhaus.

Original Dutch `Elk mens is een soort dier. In ieder dier zit een soort mens.` Hanneke Holzhaus

Translation `Every human is a sort of animal. In every animal there's a sort of human.` Hanneke Holzhaus

Chapter list

All chapters are around 8-12 pages with some exceptions either way.

De grote vakantie (lit. "The summer holiday")

Amanda

De troubadour (lit. "The troubadour")

Schoensmeer (lit. "Shoe polish")

In de put (lit. "Down the well")

Een geest die geen rust kan vinden (lit. "A ghost that cannot find peace")

Een Goed Gesprek (lit. "A Good Conversation")

Geboren (lit. "Born")

Het pretpark (lit. "The amusement park")

Miriam

Het verkeerde spoor (lit. "The wrong trail")

Je hebt mij toch! (lit. "You've got me, don't you?")

Een houten eendje en een muts (lit. "A wooden duck and a hat")

Met pensioen (lit. "Retirement")

De Kraaienpartij (lit. "The Crow Party")

De Droom van Alfred Jodocus Kwak (lit. "Alfred Jodocus Kwak's Dream")

Het kroontje van de witte koningin (lit. "The crown of the white queen")

De slaap wil maar niet komen (lit. "The sleep is just not coming")

In de reclame (lit. "From the ads")

Het levende schaakspel (lit. "The living chess pieces")

The final page of the book shows a list of Herman van Veen written stories about Alfred Jodocus Kwak, including the first 15 volumes of De wonderlijke avonturen van Alfred J. Kwak, with specifically De wonderlijke avonturen van Alfred J. Kwak: De lieve sneeuwman out of order, as well as Annet Kossen's Alfred Jodocus Kwak book and the Wat Wijzer series up to Wat Wijzer met Alfred Jodocus Kwak: Propvol and including the next book called Winnie. Following that a short list of music books; Muziekboek spetter pieter pater and De Kwak-liedjes. Finally a short list of comics by Harald Siepermann and Hans Bacher; De wonderlijke avonturen van de eend Alfred Jodocus Kwak, Vissen in troebel water and Professor Paljas.