Frénk van der Linden

About Frénk van der Linden

Frénk van der Linden, freelance journalist, works for NTR radio (Kunststof), KRO/NCRV television, and de Volkskrant. Since the late seventies, he has published numerous interviews, reports, and documentaries. ‘Textbook examples of achievements at a very high level,’ stated the jury that awarded him the Prize for Dutch Newspaper Journalism for interviews in NRC Handelsblad.

Among his works is the collection Tot op het bot – conversations about soul & salvation (interviews with, among others, Freddy Heineken, Johan Cruijff, Frits Bolkestein, and Jan Wolkers), described by Paul Witteman as ‘an interview bible.’ A second collection, Laten we eerlijk zijn – 25 years of groundbreaking conversations, was included in the Canon of Journalism. De Volkskrant: ‘Frénk van der Linden has become the equal of legendary interviewers such as Bibeb and Ischa Meijer.’

Together with director Gisèla Mallant, Frénk made the TV documentary Verloren band, about the forty-year-long cold war between his father and mother after their divorce. The well-received film led to a reconciliation. In early 2017, 700,000 Dutch viewers watched their documentary ‘Het spoor naar Auschwitz,’ which questioned why the Allies did not bomb the train connections to the extermination camps and gas chambers of the Nazis during World War II.

Frénk van der Linden has frequently appeared on De Wereld Draait Door and the Mediaforum on Radio 1 in recent years. He is the initiator and presenter of the annual Grote InterviewGala at the Amsterdam Stadsschouwburg. He also gives masterclasses in interview techniques at schools and editorial offices of newspapers, magazines, and radio/television programs.

In addition to his journalistic work, Frénk van der Linden leads debates and conferences. He has been the Sustainability Ambassador of Haarlem for several years. He is also an ambassador for VillaPinedo, a platform for children of divorced parents.