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Jan Campert

1902 – 1943

Dutch poet

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About Jan Campert

Lived 1902 – 1943 (aged 40). Jan Campert was a Dutch poet, writer, journalist and resistance fighter.

Memorial for Jan Campert by , Spijkenisse.text reads:A cell is scarcely two meters longand barely two meters wide,still smaller is the plot of ground,I do not yet know,where I shall lie unnamed,my comrades too,we were eighteen in number,none will see the evening. Jan Remco Theodoor Campert (Spijkenisse, 15 August 1902 – 12 January 1943) was a Dutch journalist, theater critic and writer who lived in Amsterdam. During the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II Campert was arrested for aiding Jews. He was held in the Neuengamme concentration camp, where he died.

Campert is best known for his poem "" ("The Song of the Eighteen Dead"), describing the execution of 18 resistance workers (15 resistance fighters and three communists) by the German occupier. Written in 1941 and based on an account published in Het Parool, the poem was clandestinely published in 1943 as a poetry card (rijmprent) by what became the De Bezige Bij publishing house to raise money to hide Jewish children.

He was the father of the novelist and poet Remco Campert.

The Jan Campert Prize is named after him.

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Important facts

People in Jan Campert's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

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Frequently asked questions

Who was Jan Campert?

Dutch poet (1902-1943)

When was Jan Campert born?

Jan Campert was born on 15 August 1902 in Spijkenisse.

When did Jan Campert die?

Jan Campert died on 12 January 1943 in Neuengamme concentration camp.

What was Jan Campert's occupation?

Jan Campert was a poet, writer, journalist and resistance fighter.

What nationality was Jan Campert?

Jan Campert was Dutch.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Jan Campert

· Wikidata: Q560622

· DBpedia: Jan Campert

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Jan Campert. https://biography.guide/jan-campert/

MLA: "Jan Campert." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jan-campert/.

Chicago: "Jan Campert." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jan-campert/.

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