August Willemsen (16 June 1936 in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

– 29 November 2007 in Amsterdam) was a

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

translator of Portuguese and Brazilian literature. He also published

essay An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...

s, diaries and letters.

Biography

After completing his secondary education in

, Willemsen enrolled at the Conservatorium to study the

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

. He decided, however, that literature was his first choice and, at a relatively late age, he began studying Portuguese. His translations of the Portuguese poet

Fernando Pessoa Fernando António Nogueira de Seabra Pessoa (; ; 13 June 1888 – 30 November 1935) was a Portuguese poet, writer, literary critic, translator, and publisher. He has been described as one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th c ...

gained him recognition as a leading translator. In 1983 his translations were awarded the Martinus Nijhoff Prize l/small>. In 1986 he received the Lucy B. and C.W. van der Hoogt Award l/small> for ''Braziliaanse brieven''. Till his death on 29 November 2007, Willemsen was working on translating Pessoa's entire oeuvre.

Limited bibliography

* ''Braziliaanse brieven'', letters from Willemsen, who lived in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

at the time of writing, to his friends. He writes about the country, the people, the culture and the conservative Dutch

expat An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

s (1985). * ''De taal als bril'',

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 an

alcohol addiction Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World Hea ...

. (1991). * '' De Goddelijke Kanarie'', lyrical history of Brazilian soccer (1994). * ''Het hoogste woord, beschouwingen en boutades'',

s (1994). * ''Sprekend een brief'', letter to about the decision to start living in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

(1998). * ''Vrienden, vreemden, vrouwen'', diary of the

adolescent Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated w ...

Willemsen, with critiques from the present day Willemsen (1998). * ''De tuin van IJben'', youth essay of a school trip to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

(1999). * ''Van Tibooburra naar Packsaddle'' (with ), essays about

backpacking Backpacking may refer to: * Backpacking (travel), low-cost, independent, international travel * Backpacking (hiking), trekking and camping overnight in the wilderness * Ultralight backpacking, a style of wilderness backpacking with an emphasis on ...

, Aboriginals and sports (2001).

Translations

Carlos Drummond de Andrade Carlos Drummond de Andrade () (October 31, 1902 – August 17, 1987) was a Brazilian poet and writer, considered by some as the greatest Brazilian poet of all time. He has become something of a national cultural symbol in Brazil, where his wi ...

Machado de Assis Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (), often known by his surnames as Machado de Assis, ''Machado,'' or ''Bruxo do Cosme Velho''Vainfas, p. 505. (21 June 1839 – 29 September 1908), was a pioneer Brazilian people, Brazilian novelist, poet, playwr ...

Hector Malot Hector-Henri Malot (Hector Malot) (; 20 May 1830 – 18 July 1907) was a French writer born in La Bouille, Seine-Maritime. He studied law in Rouen and Paris, but eventually literature became his passion. He worked as a dramatic critic for ''Lloyd ...

, Alleen op de wereld. *

Graciliano Ramos Graciliano Ramos de Oliveira (; October 27, 1892 – March 20, 1953) was a Brazilian modernist writer, politician and journalist. He is known worldwide for his portrayal of the precarious situation of the poor inhabitants of the Brazilian '' ser ...

João Guimarães Rosa João Guimarães Rosa (; 27 June 1908 – 19 November 1967) was a Brazilian novelist, short story writer, poet and diplomat. Rosa only wrote one novel, '' Grande Sertão: Veredas'' (known in English as ''The Devil to Pay in the Backlands''), a ...

External links

Radio-interview
with Willemsen; a

VPRO The VPRO (stylized vpro; originally an acronym for ''Vrijzinnig Protestantse Radio Omroep'', lit. 'Liberal Protestant Radio Broadcaster', nowadays known as ''Omroepvereniging VPRO'') is a Netherlands, Dutch Public broadcasting, public broadca ...

broadcast, duration: three hours. {{DEFAULTSORT:Willemsen, August 20th-century Dutch translators Translators to Dutch Translators of Fernando Pessoa 1936 births 2007 deaths Writers from Amsterdam Translators from Portuguese