The son of a rural hospital chaplain, Tonnus Oosterhoff studied at the University of Groningen. Recognized as a leading contemporary poet in the Netherlands, Oosterhoff lives in the remote northern flatlands where he writes with a view of ‘a dyke (7 cm), sky (155 cm)’.

Working from diverse sources – local anecdotes, newspaper articles, canonical poems – Oosterhoff’s innovative poetry is noted fo...