Dutch Caribbean Her early life in
Curaçao would become the source of inspiration for several children's books, including
De boten van Brakkeput (1956),
Padu is gek (1957) and
De dagen van Olim (1971). In 1956 she won the
Kinderboek van het jaar literary award for her book
De boten van Brakkeput and the story was turned into a
radio play in 1959. Between 1981 and 1988 she stayed in Aruba for several months a year to coach Aruban writers.
Czechoslovakia / Czech Republic Diekmann traveled to
Czechoslovakia during the 1960s and 1970s to help various Czech authors. In 1981, she won the
Boekensleutel award together with Czech writer and poet
Dagmar Hilarová for the book
Ik heb geen naam. Both were awarded the
Janusz Korczak Literary Prize by the Polish National Section of the
International Board on Books for Young People in 1983 for this book.
Gewoon een straatje (as
Just a Street, 1963),
Marijn bij de lorredraaiers (as
Slave Doctor, 1970), and
Jossy wordt een Indiaan (as
Indian Jossy, 1970). == Personal life ==