Rijneveld grew up in a
Reformed protestant family on a farm in
North Brabant,
Netherlands. Rijneveld has said that his debut novel, translated into English as
The Discomfort of Evening, is inspired partly by the death of his brother when the author was three. Rijneveld is said to have developed an interest in writing in primary school after reading
J. K. Rowling's ''
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', which he borrowed from the local library. Because in Reformed circles references to magic are considered taboo, Rijneveld copied out the whole book onto his computer so he could re-read it upon returning the novel. His name as a child was only
Marieke, and he previously published under the name Marieke Lucas. having previously used
they/them pronouns, and
zij/haar (
she/her) in Dutch. Rijneveld said
Jan Wolkers, who also grew up in a Reformed environment, is his idol. He made his national and international breakthrough with his debut novel,
The Discomfort of Evening, whose English translation received positive reviews and won the
International Booker Prize in 2020. A second book of poetry followed in 2019 and a second novel,
Mijn lieve gunsteling, in 2020. In 2021, Rijneveld was selected by American poet
Amanda Gorman to translate her work into Dutch. Rijneveld initially accepted the commission, but later withdrew after Dutch journalist and cultural activist Janice Deul criticised the publisher for commissioning a white translator for the work of a black poet. == Works ==