Johannes Klabbers Johannes Klabbers i(10805885 works by)
Also writes as: i.j. oog
Born: Established: Utrecht,
c
Netherlands,
c
Western Europe, Europe,
;
Gender: Male
Arrived in Australia: 1980
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Works By

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1 How Not to Explain Semiotics to Children or Cat and the Air Conditioner i.j. oog , single work short story
Ricmond FC Poems : Round 12 2001 Season : vs. Sydney Swans FC : Docklands Stadium Melbourne i.j. oog , sequence poetry
1 Moederland : Part Four: Terra In/cognita Johannes Klabbers , 2017 single work prose
— Appears in: Tincture Journal , Summer no. 20 2017; (p. 9-16)
1 Moederland : Part Three : Stolen Property Johannes Klabbers , 2017 single work prose
— Appears in: Tincture Journal , Spring no. 19 2017; (p. 9-12)

'When I was thirteen I thought being Dutch was really crap. So boring and useless. We couldn’t stop our country being invaded by the Germans. And we couldn’t beat them in the World Cup final either, even with Cruijff and after being 1-0 up within the first two minutes. We made one ugly little car called a DAF that no one wanted, and everything had an old people smell. We spoke a stupid language which you could only use to communicate with other boring Dutch people. Things and people from England and Amerika, on the other hand, were exciting and interesting. When the opportunity came to go and live in England where the Beatles and the Stones (and the Who! and the Kinks!) were from, I couldn’t believe my luck. But the harsh reality was that the life of a fourteen-year-old schoolboy in the outer suburbs of London in the early 70s was no picnic. And I was still Dutch!'  (Introduction)

1 Moederland : Part Two : Memorable Humiliations Johannes Klabbers , 2017 single work prose
— Appears in: Tincture Journal , Winter no. 18 2017; (p. 5-6)
'Of all the exotic and unusual cities in the world that I could have moved to, I find myself in a place with which I am intimately familiar while at the same time being disconcertingly strange.' (Introduction)
1 Moederland : Part One : I’m Not From Around Here Johannes Klabbers , 2017 single work short story
— Appears in: Tincture Journal , Autumn no. 17 2017; (p. 6-9)
1 y separately published work icon I Am Here : Stories from a Cancer Ward Johannes Klabbers , Melbourne : Scribe , 2016 24744814 2016 single work autobiography

'What comfort can an agnostic give people who are suffering or dying?

'Looking for more meaning in his work, Johannes Klabbers gave up a tenured academic position to spend his days caring for the sick and dying. He trained as a secular pastoral carer in a cancer hospital, and from the patients there he learned how simply talking and listening can provide comfort: from chatting about the football to discussing life’s meaning and how one prepares for death. 

'I Am Here is a frank, moving, and sometimes funny record of his encounters. It gives an unforgettable insight into the variety of ways people cope with suffering, and suggests how we can support them — through caring, through conversation, and by acknowledging that although we may not be able to answer all of life’s questions, we can face them together. From one of the saddest places comes this powerful affirmation of our capacity for humane care.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 The Trial : Day One i.j. oog , 2009 single work prose
— Appears in: FourW , no. 20 2009; (p. 112-113)
1 Wagga Wagga: New Year's Eve : 43 Degrees i "it's summer now. me and cat stayed inside", i.j. oog , 2006 single work poetry
— Appears in: Four W , no. 17 2006; (p. 106-107)
1 The American Dream i.j. oog , 2004 single work short story
— Appears in: The Best Australian Stories 2004 2004; (p. 30-38) Four W , no. 15 2004; (p. 93-98)
1 Bourke i "the father's son : now he leaps", i.j. oog , 2001 single work poetry
— Appears in: Four W , no. 12 2001; (p. 102)
1 Knights i "here's to our ex-", i.j. oog , 2001 single work poetry
— Appears in: Four W , no. 12 2001; (p. 101-102)
1 Gaspar i "i am yelling & jumping", i.j. oog , 2001 single work poetry
— Appears in: Four W , no. 12 2001; (p. 101)
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