Krol was born in Groningen. He studied mathematics and worked with Royal Dutch Shell and some of its operating units as computer programmer and system designer. Krol's debut consisted of poems published in 1961 in various Dutch literary magazines. In 1962 his first book De rokken van Joy Scheepmaker was published. Thereafter, he developed a typical writing style consisting of text mingled with abstract thoughts expressed in drawings and mathematical equations. His novel Het gemillimeterde hoofd is typical for this Krollesque style.
In 1986 Krol received the Constantijn Huygens Prize, and in 2001 the P. C. Hooft Award - the highest Dutch Governmental award for literature - for his complete oeuvre. On 20 October 2005, the 125th anniversary of the Amsterdam Free University, Krol received a Doctorate Honoris causa from this university.
Gerrit krol a simple tribute
Published works
De rokken van Joy Scheepmaker, 1962
Kwartslag, 1964
De zoon van de levende stad, 1966
Het gemillimeterde hoofd (English translation: The Cropped Head), 1967
De ziekte van Middleton, 1969
De laatste winter, 1970
APPI, (essay) 1971
De man van het lateraal denken, (essay) 1971
De chauffeur verveelt zich, 1973
In dienst van de 'Koninklijke', 1974
Hoe ziet ons gevoel er uit?, essay 1974
De gewone man en het geluk of Waarom het niet goed is lid van een vakbond te zijn, (essays) 1975
