Martin Koster

• Name — Martin Koster • Birth Name — Martin Gert Koster • Born — 1950 • Birthplace — Dedemsvaart, Overijssel, Netherlands • Occupation — teacher, writer

Koster's family on his father's side had lived between the river Reest and the Dedemsvaart canal since the 19th century. His mother's family left the Kingdom of Hannover in the 19th century as asylum seekers, establishing themselves in Roswinkel in the province of Drenthe. Koster himself grew up in the village of Dedemsvaart, in the house from which his parents ran a grocery shop. The first six years of his life, he spoke "nothing but the finest Drèents there is: Riestdrèents or south-west Drèents". He attended higher secondary education in Zwolle; at age eighteen he and his parents moved to nearby Hoogeveen. In 1970 Koster took up a study of Dutch at the University of Groningen, where he was qualified as a teacher of Dutch in secondary schools. The university's Low Saxon Institute, where his teachers included professor of Low Saxon Hendrik Entjes, instilled a fondness in him for regional language and literature in it. Between 1976 and 1981, Koster was a teacher at Assen, Deventer and Stadskanaal. He was a guest teacher of Drèents at the teachers' college in Meppel. He was a publican for a stint in Nee. In Leek in 2000, he took up a position teaching Dutch to non-native speakers. He has also run a liquor store, been a public transport driver and worked as a shepherd. Today he lives in Lieveren.

In a pub in Groningen in 1979, Koster suggested creating a literary magazine in Drèents. His fellow student, Ton Kolkman from Twente, was instantly enthused. That same day they wrote the first issue of Roet (Drèents for garden weeds). From its improvised beginnings, the magazine went on to become one of the house publications of the Drèents emancipation institute Huus van de Taol. It profiled itself as antagonistic towards stiflingly old-fashioned, conservative and untalented writing. The time of siep, schaop en scheuper (sheep dog, sheep and shepherd), proclaimed the editors, was over. Shortly before starting Roet, Koster had been an editor of De Pennevogel (appearing between 1974–1979) which, on a similar tack as its predecessor ' t Swieniegeltje, had included work in several varieties of Low Saxon from the Netherlands and Germany. As distinct from the older Drèents publication Oeze Volk, Roet published controversially themed pieces on subjects such as homosexuality, which was a first within the world of Drèents writing. Initially publishing only Drèents, it later adapted its policy and included work in Dutch and other languages as well. Koster was an editor of Roet for twenty years. In 2004 he published an anthology from 25 years of Roet entitled Strèupers van de taol: 25 jaor Roet (Poachers of the language: 25 years of Roet).

Koster was a member of the Drentse Schrieverskring, a society of Drèents writers founded in 1953. He started to vent his opinion that the society included many members who were not interested in literature. Some members wanted to see him expelled on the basis of his writings, but under the patronage of the society's president Klaas Kleine he was appointed to the board in 1991. When discord arose in 1992 because a number of members did not want writer and politician Lukas Koops to become president, Koster supported Koops. Citing a ban placed on himself to talk critically about members, Koster subsequently left the Schrieverskring.

• Writing in Drèents is and always will be a curious affair. And I like it that way. I like the offbeat. It's what gives life an interesting twist. • I, Meine Roswinkel, was born along the Heufdvaort, some three kilometres south of the Riest, and with hindsight you could say I've remained a Peat Drent all my life. That's to say, I need space, I want to be able to name what I don't like, I don't want to be buried in some or other village on the sands where there is no private life, where you have to join in everything. I have zero obligations. I am my own boss.