Johannes Pieter "Jan" Kal (Dutch pronunciation: [jɑŋ ˈkɑl]; born 1946 in Haarlem) is a Dutch poet. He lives in Amsterdam. Along with others, such as Gerrit Komrij, Jan Kuijper, and Jean Pierre Rawie, he helped revive the sonnet in Dutch poetry, and substantially all of Kal's work is in sonnet form. His earliest published work is dated 1966,: 45 and his first volume of sonnets, Fietsen op de Mont Ventoux ("Cycling up Mont Ventoux") was published in 1974. His range of styles and subjects is wide, including love poetry, religious poems, and occasional poetry (notably celebrating sportsmen Ard Schenk,: 293 Joop Zoetemelk,: 492–494 and Johan Cruijff).: 1247 His poetry tends to humorous irony as well as, at times, melancholy. To English-speaking readers who understand a little Dutch, perhaps his most accessible poems are his many sonnet versions of American popular songs, including those of Buddy Holly,: 451–453 Bob Dylan,: 471–479 and his favourite, Frank Sinatra.: 657–806
In 2007, Kal appeared at the Crossing Border festival of literature and music in The Hague.
