A Young Carmelite on Ice Skates. The Early Occasional Poetry of St. Titus Brandsma as a Literary Testimony of His Love of God, Life, and the Family

Abstract

The recently canonised Dutch Carmelite Titus Brandsma (1881–1942), World War II martyr, mystic, Catholic journalist and historian of spirituality, was also – what is less known – a talented poet. The article recalls his early occasional poetry, written in Dutch and Frisian between 1898 and 1906 for members of his immediate family. Its literary characteristics are presented, demonstrating that this poetry is a valuable testimony to the saint’s views on human life from an eschatological perspective, including topics on the family, marriage, and the relationship between children and parents. This justifies recognising St. Titus Brandsma’s occasional poetry as an expression of his unique poetic theology of the family. The article also includes an English translation of a hitherto untranslated poem by St. Titus Brandsma.