Tonnus Oosterhoff 
Author

Poems

Original

Übersetzung

[Klemde het deurtje?] dutch

Translations: de

to poem

Citeer ik? dutch

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to poem

Kritiek dutch

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to poem

[In het wereldplat...] dutch

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to poem

[dat is waar daar stond] dutch

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to poem

[Wij zagen ons in een kleine groep] dutch

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to poem

Tonnus Oosterhoff 
Author

photo © gezett.de
* 20.03.1953, Leiden, Netherlands
lives in: Klein-Ulsda , Netherlands
Tonnus Oosterhoff, was born 1953 in Leiden/Netherlands and lives in the small village Klein-Ulsda nearby Groningen. He studied Literature and Psychology in Groningen.

In 1990 Oosterhoff made his debut with the poetry book “Boerentijger” (Farm Tiger), for which he received the C. Buddingh’ Award for the best debut collection of that year. Several books of poetry and prose followed.

His poetic experiments have caused him to be regarded as the most important newcomer of the nineties and the most innovative writer within the realm of present-day Dutch poetry. In addition, he also devotes attention to prose, which, to him, does not differ fundamentally from poetry.

photo © gezett.de
Oosterhoff is not someone who can be put into any established literary category. The fact that, according to some, he is the most outspoken representative of post-modernism in the Netherlands, does not affect this in the least. Oosterhoff toys with language borrowed from everyday use, from television and overheard dialogues. In addition, he utilizes existing lines from other poets. By making use of different typographies in his texts, he attempts to disjoint a uniform linear reading.

In his latest collection, “Wij zagen ons in een kleine groep mensen veranderen” (We saw ourselves turning into a small group of people, 2002), everything that reeks of fixed form has been abandoned. The printed text is unsettled by hand-written additions and deletions, the reader is expected to listen to different voices at the same time. The enclosed CD-ROM presents poetry that changes during reading. This approach aims to demonstrate that poetry no longer wishes to express definitive views – it is unfinished and subordinate to change. Moreover, it is not only purely textual, but also visual and aural in its nature.