Dutch Poet Research Articles

Niederländische Dichterinnen als Vorbild und Anregung?

Abstract Research has so far argued that Anna Maria van Schurman is the Dutch poet to whom Sibylla Schwarz alludes in her poem “Ein Gesang wieder den Neidt”. This article not only argues that Schwarz was rather alluding to the Dutch poet Anna Roemers Visscher; it also discusses what significance the openness of Dutch poetry towards female authors could have had for a young female poet in Germany.

'n Interseksionele ondersoek: Godsdiens, feminisme, identiteit en behoort in geselekteerde

Religion is a common theme in Afrikaans literature. Religious references are used in many ways-during the anti-apartheid struggle it was (for instance) employed to protest the actions of the government in literary texts such as poetry. Similarly, women poets use religion, which is usually associated with patriarchy, as a metaphor for struggles with identity and belonging. Spirituality and organised religion are also shown to be differing concepts with organised religion being the product of society which influences the position of different genders within its stuctures. Spirituality refers to something inherently human related to the individual's personal belief system. In this article, religious reflections in poetry by three very different female poets will be explored as musings on how religion and belonging to a religious tradition are experienced. This will be done from the perspective of postsecular feminism, which does not revert to binary oppositions when discussing religion, but grapples with it in an intersectional way, as argued by Nandini Deo. An intersectional feminist approach will therefore be utilised to analyse selected poems of Lynthia Julius in Uit die kroes (From the kroes) (2020), of Corné Coetzee in nou, hier (now, here) (2017) and of Radna Fabias in Habitus (2018). Julius, a young black woman, and Coetzee, an older white woman, are Afrikaans poets whose work can be viewed as containing feminist ideas while also exploring the role of religion. Fabias, a black Dutch poet from Curaçao, represents a transnational example where similar themes are explored as in the work of the two Afrikaans poets, albeit from a very different intersectional position. In this article, intersections of, not just gender and race, but also culture, language, politics, nationality, age, ethnicity and identity are considered when understanding a woman's sense of belonging to a religion.

Civic Babylonian Pride in Vondel’s Mars Tamed

In 1647, one year ahead of the official celebrations of the Peace of Westphalia, the Dutch poet and playwright Joost van den Vondel published a long panegyric called De getemde Mars (‘Mars Tamed’), a poem fully translated into English for the first time in this article. Despite celebrating the Peace, Vondel did not refrain from presenting extremely violent scenes of war in the middle part of the poem. Surprisingly, however, the war scene shifts from the wars that devastated Europe to a war which Mars wages against Jupiter and his circle of gods. Unable to control Mars, and on the verge of seeing his rule collapse, Jupiter looks for support and finds it in an allegorical maiden representing the Dutch Republic and its main hub Amsterdam. This article argues that the allegory employed by Vondel is set up against itself. The familiar allegorisation of classical material for Christian purposes turns into a baroque allegory that works against principles of theologically underpinned political sovereignty. Here, the poem testifies to a distinct civil pride, with Vondel considering the burgomasters of Amsterdam, which he takes as embodying civil government, as a prominent source of international peace. By 1648, however, the Dutch Republic had also become an imperial and global power that confronted other sovereign states in violent actions. In this context, the poem’s baroque contradictions multiply.

Engagement for Engagement’s Sake

The aim of this paper is to search for a new, contemporary, form of literary engagement by avoiding a return to the 20th century idea of literary engagement that presents literature either as autonomous and un-political or as explicitly committed to some political cause. Taking the Dutch poet laurate Lieke Marsman's debut novel Het tegenovergestelde van een mens (The opposite of a human being) as an exemplary case study, this paper stresses that the literature of the millennial generation explores a new and different form of engagement, a form that is consonant with our 21st century living conditions, that are more complex, fluid, and volatile than they have ever been.

The Poetic Knowledge of Shizuki Tadao Traces of Dutch Poet Jacob Cats in Early Nineteenth-Century Japan

In the history of the Dutch-Japanese relations, Shizuki Tadao is recognised as an extraordinary scholar. However, his translations of European books from Dutch into Japanese only paint a partial picture of his research. In fact, he also developed valuable theories on language that allowed the Japanese to better grasp Dutch. Furthermore, he introduced European grammatical concepts and terminology in Japan. A lesser-known interest of Shizuki was poetry, evidenced by three citations from the Dutch poet Jacob Cats (1577‑1660), found in Shizuki’s works on language, by two Dutch poems attributed to him, and by an additional indirect reference to Shizuki’s knowledge on the theory of poetry. The present article aims at better understanding the figure of Shizuki as a scholar of Dutch and to add a piece to the research on the spreading of Cats’ emblems.

Alfred Schaffer, Shaka en die transnasionalisme

In this article, I read the Dutch poet Alfred Schaffer’s volume of poetry Mens dier ding (Man animal thing) against the background of transnationalism. I employ transnationalism as critical or hermeneutic perspective and focus on the identity of the author, the themes worked out in the volume and the use of anachronism and metapoetical references as literary strategies in support of the transnational nature of the text. Reference is made to the way in which Schaffer’s biography (his Dutch-Aruban descent, his movement between the Netherlands and South Africa, his views on poetry) facilitates a transnational reading of his volume Mens dier ding based on the history of the Zulu king Shaka as depicted in Thomas Mofolo’s novel Chaka (published in 1925). The article also reads Mens dier ding against the background of the idea that transnational literature is a particular kind of literature that emerges at a specific point in history and deals with issues and themes associated with imperialism, colonisation, decolonisation and globalisation such as migration, displacement, cultural hybridity, identity, citizenship and the status of refugees. This reading is prompted by the fact that Schaffer displaces the historical Shaka to the present and eventually also represent him as an asylum seeker in an unnamed country. I discuss the volume’s formal features, the transnational conversation with Mofolo’s novel, the use of anachronism and the insertion of metapoetical elements in the text as literary strategies to deal with transnational issues such as migration, displacement, racial hierarchies, inequality and refugee experience.

The Latin Poems of Margareta van Godewijck (1627-1677)

This contribution presents the editio princeps of all extant Latin poems written by the Dutch poet Margareta van Godewijck from Dordrecht. In order to increase the accessibility of these hitherto unpublished texts, the edition is preceded by an extensive preparatory analysis of previous biographical sources and accounts of how her poems were received. These will illustrate the need for the present study. There follow an evaluation of her Latin poems with regard to both form and content and a discussion of her Latinity, textual interaction with other Neo-Latin poets, and the literary merits of her work. It is argued that her Latin poetry had a clear social and performative function and can best be considered within the context of student composition. Finally, an account of the trajectories of the two surviving autographs and an explanation of the editorial principles prepare the reader for the critical edition.

Veiling and unveiling: Ill, dying, and dead bodies in contemporary elegies

AbstractAccording to Sandra Gilbert, one of the contemporary elegy’s most striking features is its obsession with the actual scene of dying and the actual body of the dead one. Gilbert interprets this obsession as an exponent of the modern elegy’s typical ambition of breaking the tenacious taboo on dying and grieving—an ambition that had been demonstrated earlier by Jahan Ramazani’s pioneering Poetry of Mourning. By explicitly showing ill, dying, or dead bodies, Gilbert contends, recent elegies confront us with what modern culture prefers to hide.Concentrating on representations of the body in Intensive Care (2010) by the Dutch poet Vrouwkje Tuinman and Undying (2016) by the Scottish‐Dutch writer Michel Faber, the present article seeks to complicate dominant interpretations of the function of the corpse in recent poetry. Although Tuinman and Faber do show dying and dead bodies with meticulous attention, they also subtly open up reflections on the mimesis of illness and death. By alternately watching and veiling the body, approaching it as an abject object and an aesthetic artifact, Tuinman and Faber both challenge and confirm the problematic and ambiguous status of the corpse in the contemporary West.

Lucebert over Arp

Abstract On three occasions in his literary career the poet and painter Lucebert (1924-1994) has engaged in writing poetry on the sculptor, painter and poet Hans Arp (1886-1966). One particular poem, ‘arp’, dates from 1950 and was designed to be a part of a series of poems, ‘de getekende naam’, on contemporary artists. The authorship of this poem has been questioned in the 1980s as a result of a publication on the poetry of Arp. This article demonstrates that the translation of the poem of Lucebert into German by Ludwig Kunz, published in the catalog of an art exhibition in Cologne in 1960, has been mistaken for a poem of Arp. The mistaken identity of the authors, this contribution proposes, is more than the result of an editorial mishap: the confusion points to a deep-seated kinship between the authors. By comparing Lucebert’s and Arp’s poems, as well as the extant scholarship on the work of the two authors, it is argued that Lucebert’s close affinity with Arp offers valuable insights into the Dutch poet’s own work and poetics.

El tema de los amantes que mueren abrazados y/o besándose: de Johannes Secundus y Lope de Vega a Lorca y Neruda

El poeta holandés Johannes Secundus Everaerts incluyó un poema en sus Basia (1541) que fue imitado por poetas españoles y franceses de diferentes épocas. El poema de Secundus tiene la peculiaridad de presentar a los amantes abrazándose y/o besándose en el momento de la muerte para llegar juntos al más allá convertidos en un solo ser (y los amantes toman como ejemplo de su unión tanto física como espiritual el de la yedra adherida al tronco de cualquier árbol). Lope de Vega fue el autor que lo imitó más literalmente, pero no el único que ejerció su influencia en los poetas posteriores: Pierre Ronsard y Juan Meléndez Valdés, quienes se basaron en otro poema de los Basia, se convirtieron en modelos fundamentales de Federico García Lorca y Pablo Neruda. El poeta granadino se inspiró también en la muerte de Adonis tanto en la versión de Bión como la de Ovidio.

De mannenfantasieën van Lucebert

Abstract Lucebert’s male fantasies. Bertus Swaanswijk/Lucebert’s early poetry read in the light of biographical information on Swaanswijk's war years In his biography of Dutch poet Lucebert, biographer Wim Hazeu published fragments of letters in which young Bertus Swaanswijk, who worked in a German factory during World War 2, spoke positive about nazi-Germany and used antisemitic discourse. In this article, the early poems of Swaanswijk/Lucebert are analysed from the perspective of Klaus Theweleits theories on ‘male fantasies’ in texts written by early 20th century Freikorps soldiers. This analysis will be used to reflect on the question whether the biographical knowledge should influence our interpretation of Lucebert’s poetry.

Experiment rond de Tafel. Over Willem Barnards Onderzoek van het Sacramentele

The Dutch poet, minister and essayist Willem Barnard (1920–2010) greatly contributed to the artistic and theological exploration of fundamental questions on sacramentality. This article concentrates on the way Barnard addresses the paradox that sacraments are human acts. It starts out from his explorations of religious drama and argues that they are in Barnards works a key to a sacramentality, in particular of the Eucharist, that is intentionally performed, embodied and experienced. Central to Barnards explorations and a stimulus for his further theological reflection is the establishment of a ‘sacramental lab’ in the 1950’s (‘Nocturnen’). Barnard thus develops a concept of liturgy as ‘drama’ that includes theological reflection on ‘community’, ‘participation’ and the making of liturgical rituals. Moreover, the artistic perspective of drama enables him to thematize both the continuity and discontinuity between God’s acts and human acts.

The Subhuman and His Habitat

The Subhuman and His Habitat Ramsey Nasr (bio) Translation from Dutch by David Colmer welcome to the land of milk and honeywhere figalmondapricots growunmetaphorically on accommodating treeseat of them and be my guest todayi'll pay your taxi to the first roadblock my father waits behind the second roadblockhe'll make you his guest of honor toowith oil bread oregano sesamestars press down upon his roofsleep there and give him nadir's love the day to father is hard but essentialtry to find a kid with a barrowtake donkeys or scramble on foot round the cliffsfollow the others keep telling yourselfnow we are animals this is permissible wheelchairs go bouncing through dustback from the city where they cure the sickdiabetic with cancer in blazing sunmany old, many sick, many sweating animalsbut that's the whole idea in the day we are sweating climbing animalsbecause that's the whole ideathey beat and kick the animals to an endthat one day we will give milk and honeyone day manna will rain from human hands [End Page 115] if this seems insane to you habibijust think that miles down the roadreal girls and boys are sitting nervouslyoutside starbucks as an act of resistanceuproarious in fear of their lives [End Page 116] Ramsey Nasr Ramsey Nasr was born in Rotterdam and lives in Amsterdam. He is half Palestinian and half Dutch. His books of poetry include Onhandig bloesemend, winner of the Hugues C. Pernath Prize. His poetry collection in English translation is Heavenly Life. He was appointed poet of the city of Antwerp in 2005 and elected Dutch poet laureate in 2009. David Colmer David Colmer is an Australian writer and translator who lives in Amsterdam. He is the author of a novel and a collection of short stories, both published in Dutch translation in the Netherlands, and the translator of more than sixty full-length works: novels, children's books, and poetry. He is a recipient of the David Reid Poetry Translation Prize, the 2009 Biennial NSW Premier and PEN Translation Prize, and the Dutch Foundation for Literature's oeuvre prize. Copyright © 2019 University of Hawai'i Press

De zwerftocht van een agrafon

Abstract In his collection Oostersch: Verzen naar Perzische en Arabische dichters (‘Oriental: Verses after Persian and Arabic poets’), published in 1924, the Dutch poet J.H Leopold (1865-1925) included his poem ‘Jezus, die door de wereld ging’ (‘Jesus, who went through the world’). It ends with an agraphon, or saying, ascribed to Jesus but not recorded in any of the biblical gospels. The standard edition notes that the poem can be traced back, via successive translations, to a verse by the Persian poet Nezâmi (ca. 1200). This contribution shows that the agraphon is widespread in Persian literature and that it in all likelihood finds its origin in the eighth or ninth century in a Sufi milieu. The poem surfaces as early as 900 in Hindu India and in a Jewish context in Spain before 1200. So, agrapha can throw light on interreligious text exchange in the Middle Ages. More recently, in 1941 the Greek poet Sikelianos rewrote the poem in view of his situation in Athens. The composer Tavener has adapted the text for his composition Agraphon (2001).

A Poetic Voice in the Anti-Apartheid Movement in Holland: Remco Campert and Breyten Breytenbach

Abstract This article discusses the Dutch poet Remco Campert’s involvement in the anti-apartheid movement in Holland by focusing on his magazine Gedicht (1974-1976) and his poem dedicated to the imprisoned South African writer Breyten Breytenbach. Campert’s international engagement is part of the actions undertaken by the Breytenbach-committee and other Dutch initiatives which tried to maintain public interest for the case of Breyten-bach’s imprisonment.

Fox Under Ice

Fox Under Ice Ingmar Heytze (bio), Translated from Dutch by Joel Thomas Katz and Robert Perry This winter while skating:fox under ice.Two glass eyes staring as if it were suddenly summerand he'd jump upwith open jaw. I flee in front of a hundred farmers.Water breaks.I swim myself to death slowly. My last words get thoughtI can't continueand words don't cut it here. It's lonely. On this side.Of the paper.It's so lonely here. [End Page 30] Ingmar Heytze ingmar heytze was born and raised in Utrecht, The Netherlands, where he is a recognized and honored poet, journalist, literary organizer, musician, and performer. In 2008, he was awarded the C.C.S. Cronerprijs for his entire oeuvre. In 2009, the city council of Utrecht unanimously appointed him the first official City Poet, through 2011. After that, the Utrecht Poets Guild collectively took the post, with Heytze as a member. Joel Thomas Katz Poet and translator joel thomas katz has worked in Silicon Valley as a business software specialist. His poems have appeared in Sand Hill Review, Montserrat Review, Disquieting Muses Quarterly, Spillway, and Red Wheelbarrow. He is the author of the chapbook Away and the poetry blog Poem-Pairs. Together with Robert Perry, he has translated the work of Dutch poets Ingmar Heytze and Saskia Stehouwer. Robert Perry robert perry is a poet, translator, graphic designer, and book artist, who recently established Dutch Poet Press, where he designs and publishes poetry art as print and electronic books, letterpress editions, and artist books. In 2015, the press published The Comfort of Potatoes by poet Janice Dabney, and will release a collection of Perry's poetry, The Art of Painting, in 2018. Copyright © 2018 The Massachusetts Review, Inc.

IN ’T HARTE VAN JAVA (1881)

IN THE HEART OF JAVA (1881) Exoticism and nationalism in the Dutch East Indies verse epics of Willem Jacobsz. Hofdijk Towards the end of his life, the Dutch poet Willem Jacobsz. Hofdijk wrote his ambitious verse epic In the heart of Java (In ’t harte van Java), set in seventeenth-century Indonesia. Two similar works soon followed. This article examines the various literary techniques used by the author to evoke the exoticism of a world he had never experienced himself. The received idea that Hofdijk started writing his Dutch East Indies poems when his son joined the colonial army is exposed as a fallacy. It is my contention that Hofdijk’s epics, deliberately distorting historical facts, were intended to strengthen the resolve of the Dutch against the rebellious province of Aceh.

VRIENDELIJKE HUISGEZELLEN OF ‘INGEVLEESCHDE’ DUIVELS

FRIENDLY COMPANIONS OR ‘CORRODED’ DEVILS Willem Bilderdijk and the animals In 1817 the Dutch poet Willem Bilderdijk published De dieren (The animals), one of his shortest but less studied didactic poems. In this work he presented a curious view on animals and their origins. With this article, I would like to contribute to the field of animal studies, by analyzing Bilderdijk’s ideas on and his contacts with animals. The first part of this article presents a biographical overview of Bilderdijk’s association with animals on the basis of available (auto)biographical texts. In the second part his didactic poem is analysed. What parallels can be drawn between both perspectives?

Speelgoed van de slager: slachtdieren en kinderspel in de vroegmoderne Nederlandse literatuur

Toys of the Butcher: Slaughter Animals and Children’s Play in Early Mod-ern Dutch LiteratureThis article discusses cultural representations of slaughter animals from the early modern period, setting them against the post-modern approach to animals. The point of departure constitutes a con­temporary story about a girl eating the heart of a deer, which she has shot. Then the author moves on to a discussion of the poem ‘Kinder-spel’ 1618/1625 by the seventeenth-century Dutch poet Jacob Cats and focuses on the socio-cultural notions of humans and animals which these two texts present. When discussing the poem, the author elaborates on the symbolic meaning of two situations where children play with animal body parts — a game of knucklebones and playing with an inflated bladder. The interpretation of Cats’ text shows that the stereotypical social perceptions of slaughter animals which can be found in the early modern Dutch literature are in fact meant to offer a certain view on humans, by which their domination over the natural world and exploitation of animals is justified. The methodologies applied in this study involve the so-called ‘activist ecocriticism’ and the New Historicism, both being the reading methods, which emphasize the topicality of historical research. By placing Cats’ texts in a broad context, it is shown that the motif of children playing with animal body parts refers to early modern polemics about such issues as the relationship between the human and animal, the tension between culture and nature, as well as children and upbringing models.

Constantijn Huygens’ Pathodia Sacra et Profana. A Sentimental Journey

Constantijn Huygens (1596-1687) in 1620 traveled to Venice as a secretary of ambassador Van Aerssen: he was the only member of the legation who knew Italian. This visit to the Most Serene Republic has been extremely important to him, since he could experience the many natural and artistic wonders he had a mere abstract knowledge of. However, in his life the Dutch poet made a more interesting journey: an intellectual and sentimental one, writing his Pathodia sacra et profana. In this collection we have compositions written in Italian in the very fashionable style of Petrarch. In my essay, I will try to make an historic-philological analysis of this opus in order to establish how the original paradigm has been respected or violated, both in style as well as content.