Melati van Java was the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

of Nicolina Maria "Marie" Sloot (January 13, 1853 – June 13, 1927). She was an Indonesian-born Dutch writer. During the period around the start of the 20th century, her novels were popular with the Dutch public. The daughter of Wiesje van Haastert and Carel Sloot, she was born in

Semarang Semarang ( jv, ꦏꦸꦛꦯꦼꦩꦫꦁ , Pegon: سماراڠ) is the capital and largest city of Central Java province in Indonesia. It was a major port during the Dutch colonial era, and is still an important regional center and port today. ...

in Java. She was mainly educated at home. In 1871, her family returned to the Netherlands, first living in The Hague and later in Roermond. Her mother died after the family settled in Roermond; her father remarried and she moved to Amsterdam afterwards in 1881. She began publishing under the name Mathilde in 1872, later using Melati van Java. In 1893, she was invited to join

Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde The Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde (English "Society of Dutch Literature", often abbreviated ''MNL'') is a prestigious and exclusive literary society. The MNL was established in Leiden in 1766 and is still located there. At the moment, ...

, the Dutch literary society, one of the first women to become a member. Later in life, she also used the pseudonym Max van Ravestein. She was editor of ''De Huisvriend'' and ''Vrouwenwereld''. She also contributed to various publications, including ' and '. During and after World War I, she was active in the Roman Catholic women's movement. Some of her work was translated into German, French and Danish. She died in Noordwijk in

South Holland South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...

province at the age of 74.

Selected works

* ''De jonkvrouwe van Groenerode'', semi-autobiographical novel (1875) * ''De familie van den resident'', novel (1875) * ''Anonciade'' (1876), under the name Mathilde * ''In de Lente vergaard'' (1876) * ''Angeline's beloften'', children's literature (1879) * ''Dorenzathe'', novel (1880) * ''Hermelijn'', novel (1885) * ''Het Viooltje van St. Germain'', children's literature (1885) * ''Nazomer'' (1888) * ''Ontmaskerd'', children's literature (1888) * ''De ring der Grootvorstin'', children's literature (1889)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Java, Melati van 1853 births 1927 deaths Indo people Dutch writers 19th-century pseudonymous writers Pseudonymous women writers People from Semarang