- August Willemsen
August Willemsen (born
16 June ,1936 ,Amsterdam -29 November 2007 ,Amsterdam ) was a Dutch translator of Portuguese andBrazilian literature . He had also publishedessay s, diaries and letters. Willemsen was known for his powerful use of the Dutch language and his flawless style.Biography
After completing his secondary education in
Amsterdam , Willemsen enrolled at theConservatorium to study thepiano and violin. This was not a success, however, and, at a relatively late age, he began studying Portuguese. His translations of the Portuguese poetFernando Pessoa gained him recognition as a leading translator. In 1983 his translations were awarded theMartinus Nijhoff Prize . In 1986 he received theLucy B. and C.W. van der Hoogt Award for "Braziliaanse brieven". Till his death on29 November 2007 , Willemsen was working on translating Pessoa's entire oeuvre.Limited bibliography
* "Braziliaanse brieven", letters from Willemsen, who lived in
Brazil at the time of writing, to his friends. He writes about the country, the people, the culture and the conservative Dutch expats (1985).
* "De taal als bril",essay s (1987).
* "Een liefde in het Zuiden, en De dood in Zuid", two stories that were later included in "Vrienden, vreemden, vrouwen" (1988).
* "De val", diary about the months during which Willemsen was recovering from a fall that was caused by analcohol addiction . (1991).
* "De Goddelijke Kanarie ", lyrical history of Brazilian soccer (1994).
* "Het hoogste woord, beschouwingen en boutades",essay s (1994).
* "Sprekend een brief", letter toThomas Rap about the decision to start living inAustralia (1998).
* "Vrienden, vreemden, vrouwen", diary of theadolescent Willemsen, with critiques from the present day Willemsen (1998).
* "De tuin van IJben", youth essay of a school trip toFrance (1999).
* "Van Tibooburra naar Packsaddle" (with Bert Verhoeff), essays aboutAustralia , backpacking, Aboriginals and sports (2001).Translations
*
Carlos Drummond de Andrade
*Machado de Assis
*Hector Malot , Alleen op de wereld.
*Fernando Pessoa
*Graciliano Ramos
*João Guimarães Rosa External links
*nl icon [http://www.vpro.nl/programma/marathoninterview/afleveringen/2111683/ Radio-interview] with Willemsen; a
VPRO broadcast, duration: three hours.
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