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Jan Willem van de Wetering. Photo by Hans van Dijk.

Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Janwillem van de Wetering

Janwillem van de Wetering is a renowned Dutch author who has extensively authored many works in Dutch and English. He was born on the 12^th of February 1931 and died on the 4^th of July 2008 at the age of 77.

He was born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands but lived in many other countries including Colombia, Peru, Japan, Australia, and South Africa, and mostly lived in Surry.

He was the son of a rich businessman who was known for a vast range of opportunities. His father was a successful merchant who specialized in international trade.

He followed the commercial footsteps of his father for some time and was a special globetrotting businessman. He schooled at Nyenrode Business School which is currently the Nyenrode Business University in the province of Utrecht where he graduated at the age of nineteen.

Below are the 10 remarkable facts about Janwillem van de Wetering

1. He Began his working Career in Capetown, South Africa

Jan Willem van de Wetering. Photo by Hans van Dijk.

After graduating from the school of business, his father found him a job in Cape town. His father had been successful in international business and he made a name in international trade.

He found a job at a firm that was affiliated with his father’s interest. He worked at the firm until he was transferred to Johannesburg. However, he rejected the transfer to Johannesburg and he was fired by his father.

After he was fired from the firm, he stayed in Capetown for six years doing a variety of jobs to support himself.

2. He Did Not Start Writing Until he was 40 Years Old

Janwillem van de Wetering began writing at the age of forty years. This was after venturing into business and firm for years but still finding passion in writing.

He is said to have published more than thirty books in English. He was also able to do more work in the Dutch language, and others in French and German languages which are not translated.

He made a name for himself in this writing. He mostly specified in fiction and more specifically detective fiction. He was more involved in the children’s books where he made quite a name for himself.

3. Janwillem Moved back to Europe in 1958 After the Death of his Father

Janwillem van de Wetering. Photo by Hans van Dijk.

Janwillem van de Wetering moved back to Europe in 1958 after the death of his father. At this time, he had outgrown his native country and shortly after moved to settle in London, England.

In his time in London, he gained interest in philosophy at the University College where he became infatuated with existentialism.

He was advised by one of his teachers to study at a Zen monastery in Japan. However, during his study period money ran out and he had to find a job to support him during the period.

He, therefore, found a job with a Dutch Trading Company that was working in South America and the Dutch Caribbean Islands. However, he was not interested in the job and moved to Australia where he supported himself by selling real estate in 1963.

4. He Returned to Work in Amsterdam Police Department

Janwillem van de Wetering returned to Amsterdam after the death of his wife’s uncle in 1965. He was called upon by his uncle to help in the textile business in disarray since he was conversant with the Dutch Merchant business.

He was threatened to be arrested by the state police because he did not show up for his required military service at the age of 19. He negotiated with the authorities and was allowed to make up for the time not spent in military service.

He began as a police constable where he excelled exceptionally and passed both exams for sergeant and inspector.

5. Janwillem van de Wetering Started Writing at Amsterdam Police

Photo by Dariusz Sankowski on

Janwillem van de Wetering began his writing career while at the Amsterdam police in the military service. He began to gather ideas about his writing from the department.

This was later reflected in his later detective novels which are said to have used three characters from the Amsterdam Police. However, he didn’t publish any of his writing until 1971 at the age of forty years.

6. His First Book was a Non-fiction Book

Although he was much into fiction writing, his first book was non-fiction. The first book was called ‘The Empty Mirror’. The book was about his Japanese experience in the Buddhist monastery. He published the book in 1971. He did not publish his second book until 1975.

7. He Permanently Moved to the State of Maine in the United State

Janwillem van de Wetering moved to permanently settle in the State of Maine in the U.S. He had moved there in search of another Zen Monastery which subsequently closed.

The State of Maine was the place for him to practice some of the things he had learned during his Zen studies. It was also the place for him to settle since he was now over forty years and it was easier to focus on his career.

8. He was a Renowned Author

Photo by Hans van Dijk.

After Janwillem van de Wetering published his first book, he wrote a series more from 1975. He is especially known for his work in the Amsterdam police detective books and novels.

He managed to write and publish about fourteen Amsterdam Police detective novels between 1975 and 1999. Some of his works include ‘The Japanese Corpse’, in 1997 and ‘The Corpse on the Dike’ in 1976 among others.

9. Janwillem van de Wetering found his Heart and Passion in Fiction Writing

  Janwillem van de Wetering found a passion for fiction writing where he attributed most of his work to fiction.

Some of the works of fiction include ‘Murder by Remote Control’ in 1986, ‘The Butterfly Hutter’ in 1982, and ‘Mangrove Mama and other Tropical Tales of Terror’ in 1999 among others.

10. He Made a Major Contribution to Several Genres of American Literature

 Janwillem van de Wetering has contributed significantly to several genres of American literature. He was involved in both fiction and non-fiction.

He also wrote biographies and his books have been turned into films by German or Dutch filmographies. Having made such a great impact in literature, he died in 2003 and his life has been celebrated ever since.

Janwillem van de Wetering was a great prolific writer who impacted significantly American literature. His works have held a great impact on society to date.