after the war he again started to write columns for "het parool". he signed them as 'kronkel' (twist, kink). his kronkels became very famous for their melancholic, sometimes sombre tone and the ironic use of formal language. many columns were about unsuccessful, disillusioned people in cafes and bars (often in amsterdam, where he then lived), who told the writer about their lives. but carmiggelt also wrote about his children and later his grandchildren, his cats and other small events in his life. his work became very popular and he received various dutch literary prizes. together with the dutch indo author and essayist tjalie robinson he is credited with establishing a whole new genre in dutch literature that found successors like rudy kousbroek.