Jan De Hartog author biography, plus links to books by Jan De Hartog.

Jan De Hartog

Jan De Hartog is a Dutch novelist and playwright, who died in 2002 at the age of 88. His novel Holland's Glory inspired the national spirit of Netherlanders during the early years of the German occupation in the Second World War.

Published in Dutch 10 days before the outbreak of war, it was an account of sailors in ocean-going tugs, which not only sold one million copies but reinforced the Netherlanders' sense of identity. It was read no less avidly by Germans for its insights on the Dutch character.

He escaped from Germany, and eventually settled in the US where he became a successful playwright and author. His play, The Fourposter, won the Tony Award for Best Play. His twenty-one novels, published over a fifty-two year period, include The Captain, The Commodore, and a trilogy fictionalizing the Society of Friends: The Peaceable Kingdom, The Peculiar People, and The Outer Buoy.

This biography was last updated on 11/27/2007.

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