Gerrit Jan Komrij (30 March 1944 â€" 5 July 2012[1]) was a Dutch poet,
novelist, translator, critic, polemic journalist and playwright. He
rose to prominence in the early 1970s writing poetry that sharply
contrasted with the free-form poetry of his contemporaries. He
acquired a reputation for his prose in the late 1970s, writing acerbic
essays and columns often critical of writers, television programs, and
politicians. As a literary critic and especially as an anthologist he
had a formative influence on Dutch literature: his 1979 anthology of
Dutch poetry of the 19th and 20th centuries reformed the canon, and
was followed by anthologies of Dutch poetry of the 17th and 18th
centuries, of Afrikaans poetry, and of children's poetry. Those
anthologies and a steady stream of prose and poetry publications
solidified his reputation as one of the country's leading writers and
critics; he was awarded the highest literary awards including the P.
C. Hooft Award (1993), and from 2000 to 2004 he was the Dutch Dichter
des Vaderlands (Poet Laureate).[2] Komrij died in 2012 at age
68.[3]Gerrit Jan Komrij was born on 30 March 1944 in the eastern Dutch
town of Winterswijk, Gelderland. He soon moved to Amsterdam and began
a literary career. In 1968 his first volume of poetry was published,
Maagdenburgse halve bollen en andere gedichten, and in 1969 he became
editor of the Bert Bakker-founded literary magazine Maatstaf.[4] In
the seventies he also became a critic of television, literature, and
architecture, well-feared for his colorful and sarcastic language.In
the 1970s and 1980s, Komrij and his partner Charles Hofman befriended
a number of Dutch authors including Boudewijn Büch, with whom he
maintained a lengthy correspondence. In the early 1980s Komrij and
Hofman moved to Portugal, not long after his play Het Chemisch
Huwelijk premiered in Amsterdam; he lived in Portugal ever since.[5]
Komrij gave the 2008 Mosse Lecture, titled Waarom zijn Nederlanders zo
dol op homoseksuelen? (Why are the Dutch so fond of
homosexuals?).[6]His death, in 2012, was met with widespread praise
for his work. Poet laureate Ramsey Nasr, who cited Komrij as one of
inspirations, wrote a poem for him,[7] and Queen Beatrix sent her
condolences via telegram to Charles Hofman, saying that the
Netherlands had lost a great poet.[8]
novelist, translator, critic, polemic journalist and playwright. He
rose to prominence in the early 1970s writing poetry that sharply
contrasted with the free-form poetry of his contemporaries. He
acquired a reputation for his prose in the late 1970s, writing acerbic
essays and columns often critical of writers, television programs, and
politicians. As a literary critic and especially as an anthologist he
had a formative influence on Dutch literature: his 1979 anthology of
Dutch poetry of the 19th and 20th centuries reformed the canon, and
was followed by anthologies of Dutch poetry of the 17th and 18th
centuries, of Afrikaans poetry, and of children's poetry. Those
anthologies and a steady stream of prose and poetry publications
solidified his reputation as one of the country's leading writers and
critics; he was awarded the highest literary awards including the P.
C. Hooft Award (1993), and from 2000 to 2004 he was the Dutch Dichter
des Vaderlands (Poet Laureate).[2] Komrij died in 2012 at age
68.[3]Gerrit Jan Komrij was born on 30 March 1944 in the eastern Dutch
town of Winterswijk, Gelderland. He soon moved to Amsterdam and began
a literary career. In 1968 his first volume of poetry was published,
Maagdenburgse halve bollen en andere gedichten, and in 1969 he became
editor of the Bert Bakker-founded literary magazine Maatstaf.[4] In
the seventies he also became a critic of television, literature, and
architecture, well-feared for his colorful and sarcastic language.In
the 1970s and 1980s, Komrij and his partner Charles Hofman befriended
a number of Dutch authors including Boudewijn Büch, with whom he
maintained a lengthy correspondence. In the early 1980s Komrij and
Hofman moved to Portugal, not long after his play Het Chemisch
Huwelijk premiered in Amsterdam; he lived in Portugal ever since.[5]
Komrij gave the 2008 Mosse Lecture, titled Waarom zijn Nederlanders zo
dol op homoseksuelen? (Why are the Dutch so fond of
homosexuals?).[6]His death, in 2012, was met with widespread praise
for his work. Poet laureate Ramsey Nasr, who cited Komrij as one of
inspirations, wrote a poem for him,[7] and Queen Beatrix sent her
condolences via telegram to Charles Hofman, saying that the
Netherlands had lost a great poet.[8]
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