Recent Dutch-language Publications

Abstract

Wouter Schouten (1638-1704) is the well-known writer of Oost-Indische voyagie, published in 1676, where he relates in vivid detail his experiences as a chirurgijn (medical assistant) in VOC service from 1658 till 1665, during which years his inquisitive nature brought him to the Moluccas and Celebes, and the Indian subcontinent, including Arakan (Burma) and Ceylon. A number of times he miraculously survived—shipwrecks and war with European competitors or indigenous rulers made life a hazardous enterprise. However, his rock-solid Calvinist faith never left him, and God’s blessing was, according to Schouten, responsible for his survival and the VOC successes. Schouten must have intended to add a poem to each chapter of the printed text of his itinerary. This plan came to nought, but two versions of the 36 poems are preserved in Schouten’s handwriting in the Koninklijke Bibliotheek in The Hague. In a fine edition these are now published for the first time. In his often extensive poems Schouten summarizes the events related in the prose version, adding comments and professing his devoutness. He certainly harboured literary pretensions, was well aware of the literary conventions of the time and the greater value ascribed to poetry in comparison to prose. After a brief general introduction the poems are included, with a summary