Maarten 't Hart (born 25 November 1944 in

Maassluis Maassluis () is a city in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality had a population of in and covered of which was water. It received city rights in 1811. History Maassluis was founded circa 1340 as a se ...

) is a Dutch writer. Trained as a

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

and

ethology Ethology is the scientific study of animal behaviour, usually with a focus on behaviour under natural conditions, and viewing behaviour as an evolutionarily adaptive trait. Behaviourism as a term also describes the scientific and objectiv ...

at the

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince o ...

, he taught that subject before becoming a full-time writer in the 1980s, having made his debut as a novelist in 1971 under the name Martin Hart with ''Stenen voor een ransuil'' ("Stones for a Long-Eared Owl"). He is the author of many novels, including ''

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 Gabrie ...

'' 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, '' (A Flight of Curlews'', trans. 1986), '' De aansprekers (Bearers of Bad Tidings'', trans. 1983), and '' (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,

* the strict form of the

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

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

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

and

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

). '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 An identity document (also called ID or colloquially as papers) is any documentation, document that may be used to prove a person's identity. If issued in a small, standard credit card size form, it is usually called an identity card (IC, ID c ...

, and he has no

driving licence A driver's license is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public ...

, and had neither a

passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...

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 () 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 (5.57 mile², 30.7%) of which 4.42 km² (1.71 mile²) is water; ...

, close to Leiden, with his wife. His chief pastimes are music – he plays the piano and the organ – and reading. He says he reads 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 (; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with un ...

for the film ''

Nosferatu the Vampyre ''Nosferatu the Vampyre'' (german: Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht, lit=Nosferatu: Phantom of the Night) is a 1979 horror film written and directed by Werner Herzog. It is set primarily in 19th-century Wismar, Germany and Transylvania, and was conce ...

''. This turned out to be a disagreeable experience about which he wrote a story, "Ongewenste zeereis", that appeared in 2004 in ''

Granta ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres 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 ma ...

'' under the title "Rats".

Selected bibliography

* (1971) ' * (1973) '; English translation: ''Rats'' (1982) * (1973) ' * (1974) ' * (1978) '; English translation: ''Flight of Curlews'' (1986) * (1979) '; English translation: ''Bearers of Bad Tidings'' (1984) * (1980) ' * (1983) ' * (1984) ' * (1986) ' * (1987) ' * (1988) ' * (1991) ' * (1993) ' * (1996) ' * (2002) '; English translation: ''The Sundial'' (2004) * (2004) ' * (2006) ' * (2019) '

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, Maarten T 1944 births Living people 20th-century Dutch writers 21st-century Dutch writers Criticism of the Bible Dutch animal rights activists Dutch atheists Dutch biologists Dutch writers Ethologists Former Calvinist and Reformed Christians Knights of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Party for the Animals People from Maassluis

Selected bibliography

See also

References

External links