{{short description|Dutch writer}} {{Infobox person | name = Paul Harland | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = Paul Smit | birth_date = {{Birth date|1960|4|15|df=y}} | birth_place = Noordwijk | death_date = {{Death date and age|2003|06|17|1960|4|15|df=y}} | death_place = Tiel | death_cause = Asphyxiation | occupation = Writer | relatives = }}
'''Paul Harland''' (15 April 1960 – 17 June 2003) was the pseudonym of the Dutch science fiction writer '''Paul Smit'''. He wrote several novels, one in English, and one of his collections was translated into English. Along with his writing he also designed furniture.<ref>[http://www.albedo1.com/html/paul_harland.html Albedo 1] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070910061542/http://www.albedo1.com/html/paul_harland.html |date=2007-09-10 }}</ref>
==Death== His death had initially been reported as a suicide. Later his husband, Bosnian architect Tarik Dreca, was convicted for his murder. Tarik had apparently staged the death to make it look like a suicide.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100205071651/http://sfsite.com/columns/news0410.htm The SF Site: News - 1 Oct 2004], at the SF Site (via archive.org); published October 1, 2004; retrieved May 17, 2014</ref> Tarik's defense attorney theorized that Harland had recreated a plot from his book ''The Hand That Takes'',<ref>[http://introductiecommissie.wikispaces.com/file/view/murder+mysteries+scenario+1.doc "Murder mystery scenario 1"]</ref> which has a man commit suicide and set up his partner, but the court rejected the idea.<ref>[http://onlypunjab.com/fullstory2k5-insight-news-status-15-newsID-89330.html Only Punjab] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20070825142206/http://onlypunjab.com/fullstory2k5-insight-news-status-15-newsID-89330.html |date=2007-08-25 }}</ref> In 2006 Tarik was sentenced to twelve years for the murder.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.trouw.nl/nieuws/twaalf-jaar-cel-voor-moord-op-schrijver~b6c27b49|title=Twaalf jaar cel voor moord op schrijver|language=Dutch|date=7 March 2006|website=Trouw|access-date=26 August 2021}}</ref>
==Awards== Four times, Harland won the King Kong Award, the major Dutch award for short science fiction, fantasy or horror stories, for "Fuga in frictieloos porcelein" (1984), "De wintertuin" (1990), "Retrometheus" (1992), and "Onkruid en stenen" (1995). After his death the King Kong Award was renamed the Paul Harland Prize in his honor.
==Bibliography== * Novels **''De val van Nieuw Versailles'' (Stichting Fantastische Vertellingen, 1983) **''De bleke schaduw van de vrouwe'' (with Tais Teng) (Stichting Fantastische Vertellingen, 1988) **''Water tot ijs'' (Babel, 1994) {{ISBN|90-73730-19-8}} **''Systems of Romance'' (with Paul Evenblij) (Babel, 1995) {{ISBN|90-73730-27-9}} **''Computercode Cthulhu'' (with Tais Teng) (Babel - One Door Publications, 2005) {{ISBN|90-73730-49-X}} **''The Hand That Takes'' (Aeon Press, 2002) {{ISBN|0-9534784-2-4}} * Collections of short stories **''Remote Control'' (Babel, 1993) {{ISBN|90-73730-05-8}} **''De werelden van Vince-Crux'' (Babel - One Door Publications, 2005) {{ISBN|90-73730-51-1}} * Another 15 unbundled stories, published between 1980 and 1998
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.deboekenplank.nl/naslag/aut/h/harland_p.htm Bibliography] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304042312/http://introductiecommissie.wikispaces.com/file/view/murder+mysteries+scenario+1.doc "Murder mystery scenario 1"] (Web Archive Recovery) *{{ISFDB name|id=Paul_Harland|name=Paul Harland}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Harland, Paul}} Category:1960 births Category:2003 deaths Category:Dutch science fiction writers Category:Dutch gay writers Category:20th-century Dutch novelists Category:20th-century Dutch male writers Category:20th-century Dutch LGBTQ people