Michiel van Kempen

Biography

Van Kempen was born in Oirschot. After attending high school in Eindhoven, he studied Dutch at the University of Nijmegen; on 5 June 2002 he got his Ph.D. at the University of Amsterdam with the five volumed Een geschiedenis van de Surinaamse literatuur (A History of Surinamese Literature), published in two volumes in 2003. In 1400 pages it tells the history of oral and written literatures of Suriname.

For some years Van Kempen was teaching Dutch in Nijmegen (1980-1982) and Paramaribo, the capital of Surinam (1983-1987). In Suriname he also worked as a teacher in literary criticism and creative writing at the Academie voor Hoger Kunst- en Cultuuronderwijs, as well as coordinator of the Literature Section of the Ministry of Education and Culture.

From 1991 through 1995 he was coordinating the Suriname-project of the University Library of Amsterdam (resulting in the Suriname-catalogue, containing some 8000 entries) and from 1994 thru 1998 as a scientific researcher at the University of Amsterdam. As a lecturer and visiting professor he taught at universities around the world. As an advisor he worked for festivals, publishing houses and research fundings.

From 1 September 2006 Van Kempen is a professor by special nomination in Dutch West-Indian literature at the University of Amsterdam.

Stray essays

Michiel van Kempen was or is editor of several magazines, including Uit de Kunst, Tegenspraak and Oso (magazine for Surinamese studies). He made special issues for the literary magazines Deus ex Machina (1987), Preludium (1988), De Gids (1990) en Armada (1999). In 1986, he founded the weekly Literary Pages of De Ware Tijd, the largest newspaper of Suriname. Articles by his hand appeared in many literary magazines. His newspaper reviews were collected in De geest van Waraku (1993; The spirit of Waraku). Van Kempen was co-editor of two collections of scientific essays: Tussenfiguren (1988, Writers in between) en Wandelaar onder de palmen (2004, Walker under the palm trees).

Studies on Dutch-Caribbean literature

With photographer Michel Szulc-Krzyzanowski Van Kempen published two photobooks: Woorden die diep wortelen (1992; also published in English as Deep-rooted words) on writers and storytellers in Suriname, and Woorden op de westenwind (1994; Words on the West Wind) on Surinamese writers outside their homeland. Six essays on Albert Helman were published in Kijk vreesloos in de spiegel (1998, Look fearless in the mirror). His extensive history of Surinamese literature was precede by some other studies: De Surinaamse literatuur 1970-1985 (1987, Surinamese literature 1970-1985) and the popular Surinaamse schrijvers en dichters (1989, Surinames writes and poets). Major anthologies like Spiegel van de Surinaamse poëzie (1985, Mirror of the Surinamese poetry), Mama Sranan; 200 jaar Surinaamse verhaalkunst (1999, Mama Suriname, 200 years Surinamese narrative) en Noordoostpassanten; 400 jaar Nederlandse verhaalkunst over Suriname, de Nederlandse Antillen en Aruba (2005, North-east passers-by; 400 years narrative on Suriname, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba) have greatly contributed to the knowledge of Dutch-Caribbean culture.

Awards

For his merits to Surinamese literary life Van Kempen was awarded in 1987 de Rahmān Khān-prize. In 2004, he was awarded the Flemish/Dutch ANV-Visser Neerlandia-prize. He was knighted twice: in 2005 in Suriname as Officer of the Honorary Order of the Yellow Star and in 2007 in the Netherlands as Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau. In 2009, he was awarded the Gaanman Gazon Matodja Award, the highest Maroons award.

Literary work

Van Kempen's literary work comprises two novels, several collections of short stories and two children’s books. His narratives show how people of different cultural origins are being confronted with the impossibility of essentially getting in touch with the other. In the novel Plantage Lankmoedigheid (1997; Plantation Indulgence) this problem is thematized in a Surinamese setting in the years of the “revolution” and repression following the coup of 1980. Several of the short stories of Landmeten (1992, Land surveying) do have the same décor. The novel Vluchtwegen (2006, Escape routes) depicts the story of the immigrants quarter Bijlmermeer of Amsterdam. In the title story of Pakistaanse nacht en andere verhalen (2002, Pakistan night and other stories) a European couple on a journey through Pakistan sees itself confronted with a retired army colonel, who seems to keep up a hidden agenda. Het Nirwana is een lege trein (1990, The Nirwana is an empty train) is a collection of travel stories on India.

On-line texts