Janwillem van de Wetering
- Born:
- February 12, 1931, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Died:
- July 4, 2008, Blue Hill, Maine, USA
- Nationality:
- Dutch
- Profession(s):
- Author, Businessman, Zen Buddhist practitioner
Early Life and Education
- Van de Wetering experienced a peripatetic youth, living in various locations including Amsterdam and South Africa.
- He left home at age 17.
- He briefly attended a technical college.
- He held several odd jobs early in life, including working as a watchmaker.
Career and Major Achievements
- Van de Wetering's literary career began in the 1960s after extensive travels and experiences.
- He is best known for his Inspector Grijpstra and Sergeant de Gier series of detective novels.
- His writing style is characterized by a blend of crime fiction, humor, and philosophical insights, often reflecting his Zen Buddhist beliefs.
- He lived and worked in various countries, including the Netherlands, England, South Africa, and the United States.
- He opened a Zen center in Maine during his later years.
Notable Works
- The Empty Mirror: Experiences in a Japanese Zen Monastery (1973)
- Grijpstra and de Gier series, including:
- Outsider in Amsterdam (1975)
- Tumbleweed (1976)
- Death of a Doxy (1978)
- The Japanese Corpse (1983)
- The Sergeant's Loan (1981)
- A Glimpse of Nothingness: Experiences in an American Zen Community (1975)
- After the Rain: Zen Poems (1991)
Legacy and Impact
Janwillem van de Wetering's unique blend of crime fiction, Zen philosophy, and dry humor made him a distinctive voice in contemporary literature. His Grijpstra and de Gier novels, in particular, gained a wide readership for their quirky characters and insightful exploration of human nature within a mystery framework. This provided many people a first introduction to zen concepts.