(Kerkrade, 1947) studied Dutch language and literature at the Roman Catholic University of Nijmegen. He was the son of a miner, which plays a role in his collection of poetry Een oor aan de grond (An ear to the ground, 1978). Two themes are interwoven in this collection: the relationship between father and son and the life of a miner in the Dutch province of Limburg. Be that as it may, Kusters' poetry has never had a purely sociallyÐcommitted character. The poet puts things in perspective and deliberately distances himself while writing. His poetry is often sober and restrained, but it can also be quite playful.

After having worked as a teacher, Kusters made radio programmes for Regionale Omroep Zuid and for KRO. For nearly ten years, he worked as a poetry critic for the daily NRC. He works as an editor for De Gids and has written for de Volkskrant daily on a regular basis since 1988.

In 1986, he got his Ph.D. in Utrecht with a thesis about Dutch poet Kouwenaar. And since 1989 he has worked as a professor of Dutch literature at Limburg State University.

Wiel Kusters has taken part in Poetry International before, both as a poet and a translator. He and Rumanian-German poet Oskar Pastior worked together with brilliant results, translating and criticising each others' poetry, with flawless poetic results.

Crossing boundaries by working with other artists is something we see over and over again in Kusters' work. Interesting projects have come about through, or in combination with, his texts relating to the areas of visual arts, theatre, and music. He wrote the libretto Passio diaboli, a chamber opera, for composer Bernard van Beurden.