Propria Cures (Latin for "Mind your own business") is aDutch satirical student newspaper, published biweekly inAmsterdam. Established in 1890, it is one of the oldest student newspapers in theNetherlands. It is principally concerned with Dutch literature, media and politics. Since its establishment,Propria Cures (colloquially,PC) has been a forum for freethinkers,bohemians and rising talents.
PC specialises in printing what no one else is willing or able to say, leading, over the years, to a number of quarrels and incidents.PC was banned duringWorld War II. In 1958, editor Herbert Leupen wrote a critical obituary forPope Pius XII, and, as a result, was kidnapped by a group of Catholic students fromDelft.Propria Cures also became one of the few journals in post-war Dutch publishing history to have been convicted ofblasphemy, when in 1965, the newspaper published a fictional interview withJesus, referring to him as a "carpenter's son who pulled himself up through activeself-help". The newspaper was fined 100guilders. In 1975, printers refused to publish a drawing by Aat Velthoen showing Dutch prime ministerJoop den Uyl having intercourse with Queen Juliana. Two pages of the newspaper remained empty. A week later,PC found another printer, willing to publish the drawing. In 1992,Propria Cures published a photo montage of writerLeon de Winter lying in a mass grave, expressing the opinion that De Winter was exploiting hisJewish background.PC was convicted in court and had to pay 10,000 guilders in damages as well as publish an apology.
PC employs a large number of guest editors in addition to its regular staff. Its editors have often gone on to become well-known Dutch writers, media figures or politicians after their tenure, and have included figures like polemicistMenno ter Braak, poet and novelistJ. Slauerhoff,Godfried Bomans,Hella Haasse,Hugo Brandt Corstius, sociologistAbram de Swaan, or formerEU CommissionerFrits Bolkestein. Guest editors have includedWillem Frederik Hermans,Karel van het Reve,Theo van Gogh,Youp van 't Hek, andHerman Koch. As of 2025 the editors ofPC are Willem Fintelman, Mats Meeus and Ivar Staal.