My name is Kees Klok. I am a historian, writer/poet and literary translator. I was born in Dordrecht, where I still live. After finishing the local teachers training college I studied history and graduated at Utrecht University. In 1987 I was awarded a Fulbright grant and spent a couple of months at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, USA, as a visiting scholar.

I  specialized in the history of Modern Greece, Cyprus and surroundings. I’m also researching the history of Dordrecht as well as being a part time city guide. Besides this I am particularly interested in the history of Dutch colonialism and the history of Dutch literature.

I am a member of the Dutch Association for Modern Greek studies, the Royal Dutch Historical Society and the Haarlem branch of the International Dickens Fellowship.

Apart from here you can also find me on my general weblog and my history and literature weblog.

From 1974 tot 2010 I taught at various schools in Dordrecht. I ended my teaching career as head of the department of history and senior teacher of history at the Stedelijk Dalton Lyceum, afdeling VWO (A-level).

My first poems were published in 1969 in BIJ a local cultural magazine. I was poetry editor at Liverse Publications and editor of the literary magazine Letteriek and its Flemish counterpart Kruispunt. I write for the literary magazine Ballustrada and am a member of the local circle of poets. Besides a series of literary diaries and books of short stories I published a number of poetry collections. I translated poetry by John Burnside, Moniza Alvi, Susan Wicks, Pauline Stainer, Helen Dunmore and Joanne Limburg into Dutch. Together with my late wife, Stella Timonidou (1946-2007) I translated poetry into Dutch by Niki Marangou, Kostas Mavroudis, Michalis Pieris, Nasa Patapiou, Dinos Christanopoulos, Anestis Evangelou and Stephanos Stephanides.