Maarten 't Hart
Encyclopedia
Maarten 't Hart is a Dutch
biologist
who studied zoology
and ethology
at the University of Leiden and taught that subject before becoming a full-time writer in the 1980s. He is the author of many novels, including Het Woeden der Gehele Wereld
and De kroongetuige
. His books have been translated into a number of European languages, and he is especially popular in Germany. Three of his novels, Een vlucht regenwulpen (A Flight of Curlews, trans. 1986), De aansprekers
(Bearers of Bad Tidings, trans. 1983), and De zonnewijzer (The Sundial, trans. 2004) have appeared in English, as have a few of his short stories.
The themes of his novels, which often have an autobiographical component, include:
His writings are full of detailed descriptions of nature (e.g. the weather, insects, plants) and show his passionate love for classical music (especially the music of the composers J.S. Bach
, Mozart and Schubert).
Mr. 't Hart is supporter of the Party for Animals and in 2004 agreed with the party to underline that by becoming a candidate in the European elections. However, for this he needed an official identity document
, and he has no driving licence, and had neither a passport
nor another identity document (he had not been abroad for 10 years), and, for reasons of principle, did not want to get one for this purpose. He is also a prominent radio and television personality, and a regular contributor to daily newspapers.
He currently lives in Warmond
, close to Leiden, with his wife. His chief pastimes are music - he plays the piano and the organ - and reading. He claims to read six books a week, in Dutch, English, German, and French. He knows very little about films and rarely watches one. He does not want to be involved in films based on his books. He was, however, "rat consultant" to Werner Herzog
for the film Nosferatu the Vampyre. This turned out to be a disagreeable experience about which he wrote a story, "Ongewenste zeereis", that appeared in 2004 in Granta
under the title "Rats".
He has publicly stated that he sometimes liked to wear women's clothing, and he wore it once at a writers' party with mass media present.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
biologist
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
who studied zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
and ethology
Ethology
Ethology is the scientific study of animal behavior, and a sub-topic of zoology....
at the University of Leiden and taught that subject before becoming a full-time writer in the 1980s. He is the author of many novels, including Het Woeden der Gehele Wereld
Het Woeden der Gehele Wereld
Het Woeden der Gehele Wereld is a 1993 Dutch novel by Maarten 't Hart. The title translates as "The fury/rage/raging of the whole world" and is derived from the text of the poem Au bord de l'eau by Sully Prudhomme, set to music by Gabriel Fauré...
and De kroongetuige
De kroongetuige
De kroongetuige is a novel by Dutch author Maarten 't Hart. It was first published in 1983....
. His books have been translated into a number of European languages, and he is especially popular in Germany. Three of his novels, Een vlucht regenwulpen (A Flight of Curlews, trans. 1986), De aansprekers
De aansprekers
De aansprekers is a novel by Dutch author Maarten 't Hart. It was first published in 1979....
(Bearers of Bad Tidings, trans. 1983), and De zonnewijzer (The Sundial, trans. 2004) have appeared in English, as have a few of his short stories.
The themes of his novels, which often have an autobiographical component, include:
- the hometown of his youth, MaassluisMaassluisMaassluis is a town in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality had a population of 32,847 in 2004, and covers an area of 10.11 km² .It received city rights in 1811...
- the strict form of the ProtestantismProtestantismProtestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
with which he was brought up, and his rebellion against it - the love of a man for a woman
- the relationship between an elderly man and a young man (e.g. a father and his son, a teacher and a student)
- guilt.
His writings are full of detailed descriptions of nature (e.g. the weather, insects, plants) and show his passionate love for classical music (especially the music of the composers J.S. Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
, Mozart and Schubert).
Mr. 't Hart is supporter of the Party for Animals and in 2004 agreed with the party to underline that by becoming a candidate in the European elections. However, for this he needed an official identity document
Identity document
An identity document is any document which may be used to verify aspects of a person's personal identity. If issued in the form of a small, mostly standard-sized card, it is usually called an identity card...
, and he has no driving licence, and had neither a passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
nor another identity document (he had not been abroad for 10 years), and, for reasons of principle, did not want to get one for this purpose. He is also a prominent radio and television personality, and a regular contributor to daily newspapers.
He currently lives in Warmond
Warmond
Warmond is a village and former municipality in the western Netherlands, north of Leiden in the province of South Holland. The municipality covered an area of 14.42 km² of which 4.42 km² is water, and had a population of 4,977 in 2004. Together with Sassenheim and Voorhout, it became...
, close to Leiden, with his wife. His chief pastimes are music - he plays the piano and the organ - and reading. He claims to read six books a week, in Dutch, English, German, and French. He knows very little about films and rarely watches one. He does not want to be involved in films based on his books. He was, however, "rat consultant" to Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog Stipetić , known as Werner Herzog, is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.He is often considered as one of the greatest figures of the New German Cinema, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Volker Schlöndorff, Werner...
for the film Nosferatu the Vampyre. This turned out to be a disagreeable experience about which he wrote a story, "Ongewenste zeereis", that appeared in 2004 in Granta
Granta
Granta is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centers on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make real." In 2007, The Observer stated, "In its blend of...
under the title "Rats".
He has publicly stated that he sometimes liked to wear women's clothing, and he wore it once at a writers' party with mass media present.
External links
- http://www.hull.ac.uk/php/abspjl/Dutch/ModDut/Hart.html – Bibliography of Maarten 't Hart