13 Facts About Gerrit Komrij

Gerrit Komrij rose to prominence in the early 1970s, writing poetry that sharply contrasted with the free-form poetry of his contemporaries.

Gerrit Komrij acquired a reputation for his prose in the late 1970s, writing acerbic essays and columns often critical of writers, television programs, and politicians.

Gerrit Jan Komrij was born on 30 March 1944 in the eastern Dutch town of Winterswijk, Gelderland.

Gerrit Komrij soon moved to Amsterdam and began a literary career.

Gerrit Komrij wrote librettos to two operas: Symposium by Peter Schat, and Melodias Estranhas by Antonio Chagas Rosa.

Gerrit Komrij supplied lyrics to two collaborative ventures with the Dutch vocal ensemble Camerata Trajectina.

Besides being a critic of poetry and culture in general, Gerrit Komrij wrote several semi-autobiographical works, including Verwoest Arcadie and Demonen.

Gerrit Komrij authored several novels, Over de bergen, Dubbelster and De klopgeest.

Gerrit Komrij was a collector of rare and absurd books, and has written extensively about them.

In 1979 Gerrit Komrij published a new standard Dutch poetry anthology, De Nederlandse poezie van de 19de en 20ste eeuw in 1000 en enige gedichten, which quickly became the yardstick by which poets were measured.

Gerrit Komrij edited various other anthologies, one about mothers and one selecting poetry by Jacob Israel de Haan.

Gerrit Komrij has translated from many different languages, including all of Shakespeare's plays.

Gerrit Komrij's prose was recognized in 1979, when he was awarded the Busken Huet award.