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Michiel van Kempen received his PhD from the University of Amsterdam with a study on the history of the oral and written literature of Surinam (a new edition of this five part work appeared in 2003 with De Geus: Een geschiedenis van de Surinaamse literatuur). He has taught Dutch and Caribbean literature and creative writing in the Netherlands, in Surinam and as a visiting professor at many universities around the world. For the library of the University of Amsterdam, he coordinated the “Surinam project” which resulted in the Surinam catalogue holding 8000 titles.
Currently, Michiel van Kempen is Distinguished Professor for the Literature of the West-Indies at the University of Amsterdam.
Michiel has edited and published articles in many literary journals and papers: Oso, a journal for Surinam studies, De Gids, De Ware Tijd Literair, Vrij Nederland, De Volkskrant, to name but a few. Michiel has also written numerous novels and short stories of his own, for example Plantage lankmoedigheid (novel, 1997), Vluchtwegen (novel, 2006), Windstreken (short stories, 1992), Bijlmer, oh Bijlmer (short stories, 1993). His extensive publication record in non fiction includes many studies on Caribbean literature, a number of anthologies of Caribbean prose and poetry and several translations.
Michiel has also written for theatre and film. In 1987, Michiel received the Rahman Khan-prijs for his work in Surinam literature, and in 2004 he received the Dutch-Flemish ANV-Visser Neerlandia prize. Michiel is both “Officier in de Ereorde van de Gele Ster” and “Ridder in de Orde van Oranje-Nassau”.