About Yvo ter Maat
At seven I decided I couldn’t write. More than forty years later, I spoke a book.
I live in Amsterdam. For more than twenty years I’ve worked as a project manager and consultant in IT, for organizations going through change. That work has taught me a lot about language. A word as small as “done” can mean four things to four people at one table, and knowing that helps you ask a better question.
It started earlier. In 1991 I enrolled at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam to study culture, organization and management. I devoured the first year, full of books about peoples on the other side of the world. The second year’s texts, about organizations, I couldn’t hold on to. In 1993 I dropped out. It took me thirty years to understand why: words. Later I went on to finish a degree at a university of applied sciences in Utrecht.
At fifty-two I started learning Spanish. That’s how I found out that half a language makes you a better listener than a whole one.
How I made the book
I didn’t write Nobody Understands You. I spoke it, on long walks, into a little recorder. The recordings were transcribed and then shaped into chapters with the help of AI. I had every sentence read aloud and listened to it, and every story was checked against its original source. Whatever failed that test was cut.
Be the first to hear when it’s out
As soon as the book can be ordered, I’ll send you the link.
A question or a comment? Feel free to email me at yvo@yvotermaat.com