Johan Wilhelm Henri van Wermeskerken was a Dutch playwright, novelist and journalist. He is considered the most prominent comedic playwright in the literature of the Dutch East Indies. His greatest successes were plays Tropenadel (1916) and Suikerfreule (1917), both of which he later adapted into novels. Despite criticism from literary figures such as Rob Nieuwenhuys and E. du Perron, Van Wermeskerken's short story collection Langs den gordel van smaragd (1923) was hailed as his masterpiece. His work was part of the literature event in the art competition at the 1928 Summer Olympics.