Michaël Arnoldus Slory (4 August 1935 in Totness,

Surinam Surinam may refer to: * Surinam (Dutch colony) (1667–1954), Dutch plantation colony in Guiana, South America * Surinam (English colony) (1650–1667), English short-lived colony in South America * Surinam, alternative spelling for Suriname ...

– 19 December 2018 in

Paramaribo Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's ...

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

) was a

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

. He mainly wrote poetry in Sranan Tongo, and is considered one of the most important poets in Sranan Tongo. He also published in Dutch, English and Spanish

Biography

In 1947, Slory moved to Paramaribo from his birth place Totness, and went to the Algemene Middelbare School which is comparable to

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

, but does not qualify for university. His teacher encouraged him to write not only to in Dutch, but also Sranan Tongo and Spanish. While in high school, he published his first three Dutch poems in the magazine ''Tongoni''. In 1958, Slory moved to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

to study a course in Spanish at a private school. After graduating, he enrolled in the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, nl, Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being ...

where he joined Vereniging Ons Suriname. His poetry can be found in the

yearbook A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a type of a book published annually. One use is to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school. The term also refers to a book of statistics or facts published annually. A yearbook often ...

s of the time. Ons Suriname was during that period, the centre for the Surinamese nationalist movement. Slory also gained access to the Dutch literary world, and befriended authors like

Harry Mulisch Harry Kurt Victor Mulisch ( ; 29 July 1927 – 30 October 2010) was a Dutch writer. He wrote more than 80 novels, plays, essays, poems, and philosophical reflections. Mulisch's works have been translated into over thirty languages. Along with Wi ...

and Hugo Claus. In 1961, he published his first work ''Sarka / Bittere strijd'' under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Asjantenoe Sangodare, with the

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

publisher Pegasus. ''Sarka / Bittere strijd'' was bilingual with the poems printed both in Dutch and Sranan Tongo, and expressed his sympathy for

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...

. The work is dedicated to Patrice Lumumba, and introduced by

Theun de Vries Theunis Uilke (Theun) de Vries (26 April 1907 – 21 January 2005), was a Dutch writer and poet. Life De Vries was born in the Frisian town of Feanwâlden. His parents moved to Apeldoorn in 1920. In 1936 he joined the Communist Party of the N ...

. His

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...

was revoked in 1966, and Slory decided to focus on writing. He published ''Brieven aan de Guerrilla'' (1968), and ''Brieven aan Ho Tsji Minh'' (1968). In 1970, Slory returned to Suriname and only wanted to write in Sranan Tongo. Slory started with ''Fraga mi wortoe'' (1970), and 20 more publications followed. His style started to change as well. The major themes are no longer nationalism and social equality, but love started to become a major theme in his poetry. Slory started to become disenchanted with the events after the

independence of Suriname The early history of Suriname dates from 3000 BCE when Native Americans first inhabited the area. The Dutch acquired Suriname from the English, and European settlement in any numbers dates from the 17th century, when it was a plantation colony ...

. In 1982, Slory had another change of mind, and started to write in Dutch and Spanish. He released ''Poemas contra la agonía'' (1988), ''Een andere weg'' (1991) among others. During his lifetime, he published more than 30 works, and several thousand poems. In 1985, Slory was awarded the Suriname State Price for Literature for his love poem ''Fresko en Efu na Kodyo''. In 1993, his poem ''Sarka'' was set to music by

Gerda Geertens Gerda Geertens (born 11 August 1955) is a Dutch composer. She was born in Wildervank, and studied music and philosophy in Groningen. In 1981 she began the study of composition with Klaas de Vries at the Rotterdam Conservatory. Her compositions ...

. In 1995,

NPS NPS may refer to: Organizations * National Park Service, U.S. * National Pension System, India * National Pension Service, Korea * National Phobics Society, UK charity * National Piers Society, UK charity * National Poetry Slam, competition * ...

created a television program about Michaël Slory ''En nu de droom over is.. de Surinaamse dichter Michael Slory''. Even though Slory was lauded by literary critics, he always remained well below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, and often sold his books in the street. Slory was grateful that he received a monthly allowance from De Ware Tijd for his many contributions to ''DWT-Literair'' after retiring. On 19 December 2018, Slory died in Paramaribo, and on 28 December received a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

References

External links

Michaël Slory at Digital Library for Dutch Literature
(''Ik zal zingen om de zon te laten opkomen'' available as free download)
Michaël Slory at Werkgroup Caraïbische Letteren
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slory, Michaël 1935 births 2018 deaths 20th-century poets People from Coronie District Surinamese poets Writers from Amsterdam Writers in Sranan Tongo

Biography

See also

References

External links