Jan Kal

Who is Jan Kal?

Johannes Pieter "Jan" Kal is a Dutch poet. He lives in Amsterdam. Along with others, such as Gerrit Komrij, Jan Kuijper, and Jean-Pierre Rawie, he helped revive the sonnet in Dutch literature, and substantially all of Kal's work is in sonnet form. His earliest published work is dated 1966, and his first volume of sonnets, Fietsen op de Mont Ventoux was published in 1974. His range of styles and subjects is wide, including love poetry, religious poems, and occasional poetry. His poetry tends to humorous irony as well as, at times, melancholy. To English-speaking readers who understand a little Dutch, perhaps his most accessible poems are his many sonnet versions of American popular songs, including those of Buddy Holly, Bob Dylan and his favourite, Frank Sinatra.

In 2007, Kal appeared at the Crossing Border festival of literature and music in The Hague.