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Tumbleweed

Author Bio

Janwillem Van De Wetering

Dutch mystery writer and former Zen Buddhist monk Janwillem van de Wetering was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 1931 to a wealthy businessman and his wife. As the first air raids over Europe signalled the dawn of World War II, van de Wetering witnessed the capture of many of his Jewish boyhood friends by Nazi soldiers. While this experience heralded the abrupt and terrifying end of his short childhood, it planted the seeds for what would become a paradoxical and creative life based on the search for spiritual peace and the existence of worldly violence. A troubled young man by the war's end, van de Wetering studied intensely at Delft University (1948), the College for Service Abroad (1949-1951), Cambridge University (1951), and the University of London (1957-1958). He, however, craved the inner wisdom one could only find outside the world of academia. Thus he began a spiritual journey that led him to join a motorcycle gang, study philosophy, and, finally, become a layman at a Buddhist monastery in Kyoto, Japan. Van de Wetering's memoir trilogy, which begins with THE EMPTY MIRROR (1971), recounts his experiences during his two-year stay at the monastery. Afterwards, van de Wetering lived and worked in Bogota, Colombia--where he met and married his wife Juanita Levy--Lima, Peru, and Brisbane, Australia. In 1965, he returned to his native land and moved up the ranks to sergeant in the Amsterdam Reserve Police. Inspired by his spiritual discoveries and his career on the police force, van de Wetering wrote his first mystery novel featuring the now infamous Amsterdam cops Detective-Adjutant Grijpstra and Sergeant de Grier. Published under the title OUTSIDER IN AMSTERDAM in 1975, it began a popular and unique series of police procedurals that combine character studies, social commentary, and humor with the virtues of Zen Buddhist philosophy. Van de Wetering has also written short story collections, children's books, and a graphic novel. According to his publisher, van de Wetering enjoys painting and making unusual sculptures when he is not writing and studying.