Dutch poet & translator Simon Vinkenoog passed away yesterday in Amsterdam at the age of 80 while recovering from a leg amputation. Often referred to as the Marijuana Ambassador stemming from days he spent in jail for marijuana possession in the mid 1960s, his poetry career began in 1950 with his first collection of poetry Wondkoorts, shortly followed by the anthology Atonaal that he edited, which is said to have lauched the Dutch 50s movement. (Not familiar with that one!) and had a prolific output since. A collection of his Dutch translations of Ginsberg’s poems is due out later this summer by Dutch publishing house IJzer.
Earlier this year we posted selections of Allen’s journals, transcribed by Dutch scholar, & friend of Allen & Simon’s, Joep Bremmers, from his trip with Vinkenoog to Charleville, Rimbaud’s hometown, in 1982. See – here
Obit in Expatica & Vinkenoog reading at “Save the Mushroom Demonstration – here”
Vinkenoog’s blog – here