David Colmer author page

David Colmer biography

David Colmer is an Australian writer and translator based in Amsterdam. He translates Dutch-language literature into English across genres including literary fiction, poetry, children’s literature and nonfiction.

Born in 1960, he has translated over 60 book-length works. His translations include novels by Gerbrand Bakker (The Twin, The Detour), Dimitri Verhulst, W. F. Hermans, Adriaan van Dis and Peter Terrin.

In poetry, Colmer has translated selections by Hugo Claus, Anna Enquist, Cees Nooteboom, Paul van Ostaijen, Menno Wigman, Nachoem M. Wijnberg and others. He has also translated children’s works by Annie M. G. Schmidt and Bart Moeyaert.

Colmer’s work has earned multiple awards and nominations. He won the James Brockway Prize for poetry translation in 2021. His translation of Gerbrand Bakker’s The Detour won the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize (with Bakker) and the Vondel Prize for his work on Dimitri Verhulst’s The Misfortunates. Also, his translation of The Twin by Bakker was awarded the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.