My Heroes

Some Woke with Jesus cretins have been suggesting I would have ‘right-wing symphaties’ because I dont toe their party-line. That is sheer nonsense: I have been an anarchist all my life and have never voted for any rightwing party. I believe in what Gore Vidal wrote: A real intellectual does not let himself be represented. 

Ursela K. Le Guin
Anarchist writer and philosopher.

Jack Vance

Creator of fascinating worlds

Roald Dahl

The British Tjechov, if you ask me.

Anton Chekhov

The Russian Dahl, but even better. 

Witold Gombrovicz

The most insane psychoanalyst was the only real one. 

Carlos Castaneda

The only sane explanation about how the universe operates: the sorcerers explanation. 

Jim Morrison

What can I say. Jim needed to be on here. Yes, the river knows. 

Novica Tadic

I love this montenegrian OWL man and his crazy wisdom. 

A.B.Wigman

Grandfather of Menno Wigman who wrote poetry in the form of heideboeken. 

Michael Gira

An example to all of us, isn’t he? Soundwall Shaman. 

Anaam Zen

Toltec Warrior dedicated to teaching getting your tonal straight. 

 

Vicente Aleixandre

Grand and honorable poet of the beautiful Spanish culture.

Brendan Kennelly

Poetry my arse. That’s my kind of poet. 

Ferenc Juhász 

I published his magnificent work ‘boy that changed into a stag’ in Sauseschritt in 2015 and he died the same date. 

Sándor Csoóri 

Brilliant, dark, one of a kind. 

Milorad Pavic

Dictionary of Khazars is one of the best poetry works of the 20th century. 

Terence McKenna

I couldnt stand his nasal voice for a long period of my life but then it dawned on me: even nasal reality can be right. 

Can Yücel 

I did a pilgrimage to his house in 2022. The great Turkish poet. 

Wislawa Szymborska

I did a pilgrimage to her gravestone in 2021, but it went all wrong. Read my O Kolle Klokkespin to read why. 

Yiannis Ritsos

Great poet of the greek resistance. I translated his ‘Het dode huis’ as part of my book ‘Sauseschritt’. 

 

Martijn Benders has published twenty-six books, eighteen of which are in Dutch. He has been named one of the greatest talents of his time by critics like Komrij and Gerbrandy. He has also written three philosophical works, one of which is in English about the Amanita Muscaria, the Fly Agaric. Publishing on the international stage of The Philosophical Salon, he has also gained international recognition as one of the most remarkable thinkers from the Netherlands.