Cornelis van den Heuvel

Cor van den Heuvel (March 6, 1931 – September 12, 2024)

Cornelis A. van den Heuvel, a pioneering figure in the world of

English-language haiku, passed peacefully away on September 12, 2024, at

the age of 93 on Long Island, New York. Born in Biddeford, Maine, he

spent most of his life living and working in New York City. He served in

the United States Air Force during his college years at the University

of New Hampshire and later received his M.A. in English Literature from

NYU in 1968.

Cor worked most of his adult life as a layout editor at Newsweek

magazine, but his true passion was haiku. He spent most of his free time

writing, reading, and thinking about haiku poetry. Cor’s lifelong

passion for haiku began in 1958 when he was introduced to it by the beat

poet Gary Snyder in San Francisco. In the early 60s, he started printing

his own chapbooks of haiku.

In the 70s, he learned about and joined the Haiku Society of America,

eventually serving as its President in 1978. He wrote and edited the

first of three editions of the seminal “The Haiku Anthology,” which

introduced countless readers to the beauty and simplicity of haiku. Over

the years, he had several other books of haiku and related poetry

published, with “Baseball Haiku” and “A Boy’s Seasons” being standout

works. One of his poems was featured on a billboard in Times Square. His

work as a poet, editor, and critic earned him numerous accolades,

including Japan’s Masaoka Shiki International Haiku Prize in 2002.

Cor was married twice and divorced once. He met his second wife, Leonia

“Leigh” Larrecq, on a Manhattan subway train during a rainstorm, where

he offered her his umbrella. They were together for over thirty years

until her passing. He was the oldest of three siblings; his brother,

Dirk, and sister, Agnes Provencal, both predeceased him. He is survived

by his son from his first marriage, Dirk, his daughter in law Kara

Malenfant, and his grandson Ian. His niece Sharyn Esposito and her

husband Andrew were constant companions to Cor in his final years on

Long Island and instrumental in his care and well being.

Cor’s legacy lives on through his poetry, his editorial work, and the

countless poets he mentored and inspired. He was truly one of the

pillars of the American Haiku movement. He will be deeply missed.

As per his wishes, he will be cremated, and his ashes will be laid to

rest in the family plot in Wells Beach, Maine, on Saturday, October 12.

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