Willem Jan Otten (October 4, 1951-) is a Dutch prose writer, playwright and poet, who in 2014 won the

P. C. Hooft Award The P.C. Hooft Award (in Dutch: P.C. Hooft-prijs), inaugurated in 1948, is a Dutch-language literary lifetime-achievement award named after 17th-century Dutch poet and playwright Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft. The award is made annually. Background ...

for lifetime literary achievement.

Biography

Otten was born 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 ...

as the son of the musicians Marijke Ferguson and Kees Otten. He spent his youth in the

Rivierenbuurt Rivierenbuurt is a neighbourhood of Amsterdam, Netherlands. The neighbourhood is situated in the eastern part of the Amsterdam borough of Amsterdam-Zuid, bordered by the river Amstel to the east, the ''Boerenwetering'' canal in the west, the '' ...

in Amsterdam and in

Laren Laren may refer to: Places * Laarne, municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders, earlier referenced as Laren * Laren, Gelderland, village in the Dutch municipality of Lochem * Laren, North Holland, municipality and town in the N ...

. He grew up in an atmosphere of moral

libertinism A libertine is a person questioning and challenging most moral principles, such as responsibility or sexual restraints, and will often declare these traits as unnecessary, undesirable or evil. A libertine is especially someone who ignores or ev ...

. His nonfiction is in part a reflection upon that atmosphere and a polemic with the philosophy behind that atmosphere. He published his first book of poetry in 1973. He has published essays and fiction about

euthanasia Euthanasia (from : + ) is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different Legality of euthanasia, euthanasia laws. The British House of Lords Select committee (United Kingdom), se ...

and played a role in the euthanasia debate in the Netherlands by criticizing the arguments in favour of euthanasia and the freedom of choice in matters of one's own life and death. In 1999 he published an essay ''Het wonder van de losse olifanten, een rede tot de ontwikkelden onder de verachters van de christelijke religie'' ("The miracle of the solitary elephants. Lecture addressed to the cultivated among the despisers of the Christian religion") in which he examined the arguments pro and contra Christian belief. This lecture followed upon his conversion to Roman Catholicism. Some of his books are translated in

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

and

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

. He won the 2005

Libris Prize The Libris Literature Award or Libris Prize (Dutch: Libris Literatuur Prijs) is a prize for novels originally written in Dutch. Established in 1993, it is awarded annually since 1994 by Libris, an association of independent Dutch booksellers, a ...

for ''Specht en zoon''. Otten is married to writer Vonne van der Meer.

Awards

* 1972 - Reina Prinsen Geerligsprijs - ''Een zwaluw vol zaagsel'' * 1981 - Herman Gorterprijs -''Ik zoek het hier'' * 1992 - Jan Campertprijs - ''Paviljoenen'' * 1994 - Busken Huetprijs - ''De letterpiloot'' * 1999 -

Constantijn Huygens Prize The Constantijn Huygens Prize (Dutch: ''Constantijn Huygens-prijs'') is a Dutch literary award.theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

from

Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; , formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public university, public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2023, it had an enrollment of ...

. * 2014 -

Bibliography

* ''Een zwaluw vol zaagsel'', 1973 (poetry) * ''Het keurslijf'', 1974 (poetry) * ''De eend. Een epyllion'', 1975 (poetry) * ''Het ruim'', 1976 (poetry) * ''Henry II'', 1978 (toneelstuk) * ''Ik zoek het hier'', 1980 (poetry) * ''Een sneeuw'', 1983 (play) * ''Een man van horen zeggen'', 1984 (novel) * ''Denken is een lust'', 1985 (essay) * ''Lichaam & blik'', 1986 (play) * ''Na de nachttrein'', 1988 (poetry) * ''Boek en film'', 1989 (essay) * ''Het museum van licht'', 1991 (essays about film) * ''Paviljoenen'', 1991 - (poetry) * ''De wijde blik'', 1992 (novel) * ''De letterpiloot'', 1994 - (essays) * ''Ons mankeert niets'', 1994 - (novel) * ''De fuik van Pascal'', 1997 (essay) * ''De nacht van de pauw'', 1997 (play) * ''Eindaugustuswind'', 1998 (poetry) * ''Het wonder van de losse olifanten'', 1999 (essay) * ''Oude mensen'', 1999 (play) * ''Eerdere gedichten'', 2000 (poetry) * ''Op de hoge'', 2003 (poetry) * ''Braambos'', 2004 (play) * ''Specht en zoon'', 2004 (novel) * ''Een sneeuw en meer toneel'', 2006 (play) * ''Alexander'', 2006 (play) * ''Waarom komt u ons hinderen'', 2006 (essays) * ''Welkom'', 2008 (poetry) * ''De bedoeling van verbeelding. Zomerdagboek, gevolgd door zes gedichten'', 2008 (diary, poetry) * ''Onze Lieve Vrouwe van de Schemering. Essays over poëzie, film en geloof'', 2009 (essays) * ''De genadeklap'', 2017 (poetry)

References

External links

*
Willem Jan Otten in the Digital Library of Dutch Literature (DBNL)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Otten, Willem Jan 1951 births Living people 20th-century Dutch novelists 20th-century Dutch male writers 21st-century Dutch novelists Dutch male poets Libris Prize winners Writers from Amsterdam Constantijn Huygens Prize winners Dutch male novelists Dutch male dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Dutch male writers 20th-century Dutch dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Dutch dramatists and playwrights