Sjoerd Kuyper, author of the book and screenplay for *Het zakmes*, has passed away at the age of 74 after a short illness. His publisher, Hoogland & Van Klaveren, announced this on Wednesday. *Het zakmes* was published in 1981 and was adapted into a film ten years later. The project won both a Golden Globe and an International Emmy Award. Kuyper also wrote screenplays for several VPRO youth programs. He received eight Silver Pencils and the Golden Pencil in 1996 for *Robin en God*. In 2012, he received the Theo Thijssen Prize for his entire oeuvre.