Welcome to Dutch poetry - March 2006

 
Wednesday 1 March 2006

Until 1997 Toon Tellegen (1941, Den Briel) combined writing with running a GP practice; thereafter, however, he devoted himself entirely to writing. Although he is best known for his brilliant animal stories, reprinted over and over again and translated and published in numerous languages, he began his writing career as a poet. He has always remained a poet in heart and soul, and a stunningly productive one, having published over twenty collections of poetry since his debut in 1980.

In this new issue we feature ten of Tellegen’s poems in both Dutch and English, and include an essay on the poet’s work by his translator Judith Wilkinson. She has just finished a complete manuscript of no less than 50 translations of Tellegen’s poems into English, for which a suitable publisher will hopefully be found in the near future.

While we leave you to enjoy the words and worlds of Tellegen, in the next edition, we’ll take a short peek ahead at the Poetry International Festival, taking place in Rotterdam in just a few months, from June 17 until June 23. Our next issue will feature Dutch poets attending the festival!