Career
He was first published in 1941. Kouwenaar worked for magazines and newspapers such as Vrij Nederland, De Waarheid, and Het Vrije Volk. During the mid-1940s, he worked for the illegal newspaper Parade der Profeten.
He was arrested for this and sentenced to half a year in jail.
In 1970, he was given the P. C. Hooft Award. In 2009, the Society of Dutch Literature named Kouwenaar the recipient of its annual honor.
His last published work was released on 9 August 2008, Kouwenaar"s eighty-fifth birthday. Kouwenaar was born in Amsterdam, North Holland.
He was a resistance fighter during World World War World War II Kouwenaar died on 4 September 2014 in Amsterdam, aged 91.
