David Colmer (Adelaide, 1960) is an Australian writer and translator, mainly of Dutch-language literature. He translates novels, poetry and children’s literature and is the current English translator of Gerbrand Bakker, Dimitri Verhulst and Annie M.G. Schmidt. Colmer's poetry translations include selections of the work of Hugo Claus, Anna Enquist, Cees Nooteboom, Ramsey Nasr and Paul van Ostaijen.
Awards and nominations
2014 Shortlisted for the PEN Award for Poetry in Translation for Even Now, selected poems of Hugo Claus
2014 Shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, with Gerbrand Bakker, for The Detour
2013 Vondel Prize for Dimitri Verhulst’s The Misfortunates
2013 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, with Gerbrand Bakker, for The Detour
2012 The Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prize for translations from Dutch
2011 Shortlisted for the Popescu Prize for Heavenly Life, selected poems of Ramsey Nasr
2010 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, with Gerbrand Bakker, for The Twin
2010 Shortlisted, with Gerbrand Bakker, for the Best Translated Book Award for The Twin
2009 NSW Premier’s Translation Prize and the PEN Trophy (biennial prize for a body of work)
2009 Shortlisted for the Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize for The Twin
2007-2011 David Reid Poetry Translation Prize (four times)
Gerbrand Bakker: The Detour (2012); The Twin (2008)
Hugo Claus: Even Now (2013, selected poems)
Adriaan van Dis: Repatriated (2008, novel)
Anna Enquist: The Fire was Here (2003, selected poems)
Gummbah: Meanwhile, Between Two Eternities of Darkness (2013, a selection of the cartoons, revised and updated edition)
Arthur Japin: In Lucia’s Eyes (2005, novel)
Cees Nooteboom: Self-portrait of an Other (2011, prose poems)
Ramsey Nasr: Heavenly Life (2010, selected poems)
Martinus Nijhoff: Awater (2010)
Willem Jan Otten: The Portrait (2009, novel)
Annie M.G. Schmidt: Jip and Janneke (2008); A Pond Full of Ink (2011, a selection of her children’s poems); Tow-Truck Pluck (2011, Pluk van de Petteflet)
Peter Terrin: The Guard (2012, novel)
Dimitri Verhulst: Problemski Hotel (2005, novel), (2009, novel); The Misfortunates (2012, novel)
Nachoem M. Wijnberg: Advance Payment (2013, selected poems)
Paul van Ostaijen: Occupied City (2016, Bezette stad)
