Dutch journalist and writer of rural novels.
He was the third of eighth children. His father Johannes Henricus Antonius Coolen (29 April 1858, Mierlo – 17 September 1934, Deurne) was a beer brewer. His mother was Maria Goordina Swinkels (31 March 1866, Asten – 26 Jun 1945, Deurne). When he was very young the family moved to Zevenbergen, in May 1903 they went to Deurne. Here his father started a grocery. His brother Johannes Gerardus (17 April 1907 – 24 april 1907) died here.
He visited the Catholic school. The agnostic school teacher, local historian and journalist Hendrik Nicolaas Ouwerling (24 December 1861, Den Bosch –12 October 1932, Deurne) brought him into contact with rural Dutch and Flemish literature. Ouwerling became his mentor. When he could not finish the Gymnasium, Ouweling helped him to a job as journalist in Hilversum (1920). From 1932-1938 he lived in Ouwerling’s former house in Deurne.
During a period of disease, in 1923, he wrote “Jantje den Schoenlapper en zijn Weensch kiendje”. It was published in Roeping (1924) and in 1927 published as a book. He became famous with Het Donkere licht (1929) and Peelwerkers (1930, Peeel or peatworkers). He got the 1930 – C.W. van der Hoogtprijs for Het donkere licht (The dark light). He became befriended with Anton van Duinkerken and could go back to Deurne to make a living from writing novels alone.
In 1937 he lived in Waalre, in the traditional house De Kempen, designed by architect architect H.W. Valk. During WW2 he refused to become part of the Kulturkammer. He also refused the Rembrandt prize. When he in 1944 was called for forced labour and refused to dig anti-tank ditches for the Germans, he and his family had to hide. After the war he was member of tribunals that had to judge collaborators. He resigned when he found out that (just as in Germany), the big fishes remained unaffected. In a series of investigative articles in a local paper, he described the role of DAF car manufacturer Hub van Doorne (1 Jan 1900, America – 23 May 1979, Deurne), who took orders from the Germans. The insulted Van Doorne filed a process against him, that Coolen lost (8 February 1946, Den Bosch).
On 19 August 1958 Fons Rademakers released the film “Dorp aan de rivier”. Village by the River was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 32nd Academy Awards of 4 April 1960.
Personal
On 5 June 1929 Coolen married Gerarda “Gerda” Petronella de Jong (7 September 1901, Amsterdam – 11 September 1964, Waalre) and got four sons: Stijn (1931), Guido (1932), Felix (1933) en Peter Hendricus (1937-1947). The eldest sons were named after the writers Stijn Streuvels, Guido Gezelle and Felix Timmermans. Peter was named after Petronella, the wife of his friend Hendrik Wiegersma.
On 11 October 1961 Coolen fell out of the train between Waardenburg and Zaltbommel. He was on his way from Amsterdam to Eindhoven. He was unconscious for some four hours according the local paper Tijd-Maasbode of 12 October 1961, and then found his way to a farm. All looked well, but on 9 November 1961 Coolen died in Sint- Jozef hospital of Eindhoven of an heart attack. The cause of his death was unclear. The writer and criminologist J.B. Charles speculated that murder could also be the case, as Coolen was about to publish detailed information about the Van Doorne’s Automobielfabriek (DAF) direction board during WW2.

Link to German Wikipedia