Jan Kal
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Johannes Pieter "Jan" Kal (Dutch pronunciation: [jɑŋ ˈkɑl]; born 1946 in Haarlem) is a Dutch poet.[1] He lives in Amsterdam. Along with others, such as Gerrit Komrij, Jan Kuijper, and Jean Pierre Rawie, he helped revive the sonnet in Dutch poetry,[1] and substantially all of Kal's work is in sonnet form.[1] His earliest published work is dated 1966,[2]: 45 and his first volume of sonnets, Fietsen op de Mont Ventoux ("Cycling up Mont Ventoux") was published in 1974.[1] His range of styles and subjects is wide, including love poetry, religious poems, and occasional poetry (notably celebrating sportsmen Ard Schenk,[2]: 293 Joop Zoetemelk,[2]: 492–494 and Johan Cruijff).[2]: 1247 His poetry tends to humorous irony as well as, at times, melancholy.[1] To English-speaking readers who understand a little Dutch, perhaps his most accessible poems are his many sonnet versions of American popular songs, including those of Buddy Holly,[2]: 451–453 Bob Dylan,[2]: 471–479 and his favourite, Frank Sinatra.[2]: 657–806 [3]
In 2007, Kal appeared at the Crossing Border festival of literature and music in The Hague.
There are no translations of Kal's poetry in English yet.
- Fietsen op de Mont Ventoux, 1974 (Cycling up Mont Ventoux)
- Praktijk hervat, 1978 (Practice resumed)
- December, 1979
- Waarom ik geen Neerlandistiek studeer, 1980 (Why I don't do Dutch studies)
- Assepoester (1981) (The Cinderella story retold in 39 sonnets, illustrated by Irene Wolfferts)
- Chinese sonnetten (1984)
- Amsterdam, Halfweg 1987, 1989 ("Halfweg" – meaning literally half way – is a railway station midway between Amsterdam and Haarlem)
- Mijn manier – 144 Sinatra-sonnetten (1990) (My Way. Dutch translations of Sinatra songs in sonnet form)
- 100 doortimmerde sonnetten uit 25 jaren, 1966-1990, 1991 (100 well-crafted sonnets)
- Oprechte Haarlemse sonnetten en tekeningen, 1992 (True Haarlem sonnets and drawings. The title is an allusion to a former Haarlem newspaper, the Oprechte Haerlemsche Courant)
- Het schrijvershuis, 1995 (The House of Writers)
- 1000 sonnetten, 1966-1996, 1997
- Laat ons leven en minnen, 2000 (Let us live and make love. Love poems translated from the Latin of Catullus)
- Hun zeggen, 2007 (They say in working-class Amsterdam Dutch)
- Een dichter in mijn voorgeslacht, 2015 (A poet among my forefathers)
