Jan Geurt Gaarlandt
| Born | October 9, 1946 |
|---|---|
| Pen name | Otto de Kat |
| Language | Dutch |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Citizenship | Dutch |
| Alma mater | University of Leiden |
| Notable works | Julia, News From Berlin |
| Notable awards | Halewijn prize for literature (2005) |
| Spouse | Françoise Kist |
| Website | |
| www |
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Jan Geurt Gaarlandt (born October 9, 1946) is a Dutch journalist, poet, translator, editor and novelist. He writes novels under the pseudonym Otto de Kat.
Gaarlandt was born in Rotterdam on October 9, 1946, to the son of Hans Gaarlandt and Anna Wilhelmina Gaarlandt Hupkes. He is a grandson of Egbertus Gerrit Gaarlandt, a mayor of Gouda, and Hermina Johanna Maria de Kat. In 1977, he married Françoise Kist, with whom he has a son and a daughter.
Gaarlandt studied theology at the University of Leiden, following which he took up studies in art criticism, completing a thesis on the art theory of the German philosopher Martin Heidegger. An article on Van Geel, published in the journal Raam attracted attention, and he was invited by the de Volkskrant newspaper to write reviews for them. In 1995, Gaarlandt became the Lord of the Manor of Barendrecht, a purely honorary position without any role of governance. The hereditary title belonged to his uncle, after whose death, he purchased it for 10,000 guilders. Previously, Gaarlandt has also been Mayor of Emmen and a Queen's Commissioner in Drente.
Gaarlandt's early career was as a reviewer of theological works for the de Volkskrant and the Vrij Nederland magazine between 1973-1979, following which he was assigned more and more literary criticism. Over time, he began to lose interest in reviewing Dutch literature. He said, "My frustration with the quality of the Dutch literature increased more and more. My pieces were increasingly acidic and cynical." He responded to an advertisement for an editorship at De Haan and started work there in 1977. One of his early successes was his discovery of the war diaries of Etty Hillesum in 1981. The diaries described Hillesum's experiences at the Westerbork transit camp. He edited several volumes of the diaries. Subsequently, he was an editor for the ten volume Modern Encyclopedia of World Literature. He also began to translate books from the German.
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