Gerrit Kouwenaar

Gerrit Kouwenaar

Gerrit Kouwenaar in November 1978
Born 9 August 1923
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Died 4 September 2014 (aged 91)
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Occupation Novelist
Years active 1941–2008

Gerrit Kouwenaar (9 August 1923 – 4 September 2014) was a Dutch journalist, translator, poet and prose writer. He was first published in 1941.[1] He was a member of the Dutch poetry group known as the Vijftigers.[2][3] Kouwenaar worked for magazines and newspapers such as Vrij Nederland,[4] De Waarheid,[4] and Het Vrije Volk.[5] During the mid-1940s, he worked for the illegal newspaper Parade der Profeten. He was arrested for this and sentenced to half a year in jail.[6] Kouwenaar was awarded the Martinus Nijhoff Prize in 1967 for his translation work.[7] In 1970, he was given the P. C. Hooft Award. Kouwenaar later won the 1989 Dutch Literature Prize.[8] In 2009, the Society of Dutch Literature named Kouwenaar the recipient of its annual honor.[7] His last published work was released on 9 August 2008, Kouwenaar's eighty-fifth birthday.[7][9]

Kouwenaar was born in Amsterdam, North Holland. He was a resistance fighter during World War II. The painter and poet David Kouwenaar (1921–2011) was his older brother.[10] Kouwenaar died on 4 September 2014 in Amsterdam, aged 91.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "De exacte mogelijkheden van de taal" (in Dutch). Poetry International Web. 4 September 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  2. ↑ Schouten, Rob (4 September 2014). "Gerrit Kouwenaar 1923-2014: Taal maakt geen leven". Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  3. ↑ Hellemans, Frank (4 September 2014). "Grand old man van de Nederlandse poëzie Gerrit Kouwenaar (91) overleden". Knack (in Dutch). Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Dichter Gerrit Kouwenaar overleden". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). 4 September 2014. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  5. ↑ "Gerrit Kouwenaar: biografie" (in Dutch). National Library of the Netherlands. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Dichter Gerrit Kouwenaar overleden". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Reuters. 4 September 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Dichter Gerrit Kouwenaar overleden" (in Dutch). NPO Cultura. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  8. ↑ "Dichter Gerrit Kouwenaar (91) overleden" (in Dutch). NU.nl. 4 September 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  9. ↑ "About Gerrit Kouwenaar". Poetry International Web. 1 June 2009. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  10. ↑ Gerbrandy, Piet (4 September 2014). "Nederlandse dichter Gerrit Kouwenaar (1923–2014) overleden" (in Dutch). de Morgen. Retrieved 14 September 2014.

External links

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