Nicholas van Rijn (2376 to c. 2500 AD) is a fictional character who plays the central role in the first half of
Poul Anderson
Poul William Anderson (November 25, 1926 – July 31, 2001) was an American fantasy and science fiction author who was active from the 1940s until the 21st century. Anderson wrote also historical novels. His awards include seven Hugo Awards and ...
's Technic History.
Description
Nicholas van Rijn is a flamboyant
capitalist
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, priva ...
adventurer, and is of
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
ancestry (apparently a resident of
Djakarta
Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital city, capital and list of Indonesian cities by population, largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coa ...
, and thus an
Indo
Indo may refer to:
* Indo-, a prefix indicating India or the Indian Subcontinent
* Indonesia, a country in Asia
** INDO LINES, callsign of Indonesian Airlines
** Indo people, people of mixed European and Indonesian ancestry
** Indo cuisine, fusion ...
). His speech is bombastic and heavily laced with unconventional constructs, puns, oaths, and words from various Northern European languages: in particular Dutch,
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, and possibly
Danish
Danish may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark
People
* A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark
* Culture of Denmark
* Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...
. Although he frequently employs
malapropisms
A malapropism (also called a malaprop, acyrologia, or Dogberryism) is the mistaken use of an incorrect word in place of a word with a similar sound, resulting in a nonsensical, sometimes humorous utterance. An example is the statement attributed to ...
such as "Angular-Saxon" or "hunky-dinghy", they are often so devious or apropos as to appear intentional. Some more minor characters have used a similar
patois
''Patois'' (, pl. same or ) is speech or language that is considered nonstandard, although the term is not formally defined in linguistics. As such, ''patois'' can refer to pidgins, creoles, dialects or vernaculars, but not commonly to jargon or ...
. Van Rijn is well-educated in Earth's
literature
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...
and
history
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
and also displays considerable cunning and capacity for bullying armed aliens into doing his bidding. Although a formidable individual in necessity (his battle cries have included "God send the Right!", "Kristmenn, Krossmenn, Kongsmenn!", and "
Heineken
Heineken Lager Beer ( nl, Heineken Pilsener), or simply Heineken () is a pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star.
History
On 15 Febr ...
Bier!"), he prefers material luxuries to personal
heroism
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...
. He routinely describes himself as an old, weak, sinful man, but usually follows it by lamenting that his subordinates (or humanity in general) are unable to accomplish anything without his aid. Accordingly, van Rijn's intellect usually proves crucial to solving crises and mysteries that stupefy all other characters. In this regard, he is similar to the character of
Mycroft Holmes
Mycroft Holmes is a fictional character appearing in stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from 1893 to 1908. The elder brother (by seven years) of detective Sherlock Holmes, he is a government official and a founding member of the Diogene ...
.
Van Rijn is CEO of the Solar Spice and Liquors Company – a reference to the
spice trade with the
East Indies
The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and around t ...
, of the
Netherlands' Golden Age. In this the character is meant to suggest the Dutch merchant adventurers of that time, and is far closer to them than to the 20th century Dutch. He is
libertarian
Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...
in his philosophy, expressing contempt for government and believing that unfettered commerce is the only path to peace and prosperity. He describes commerce as "swindling each other", enjoys watching
yacht
A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...
races, is two metres tall and "globular" in shape, has a goatee beard, dresses in colourful and anachronistic fashions, wears numerous rings, and is called "Old Nick" by his employees. He routinely speaks in a loud, basso voice which Anderson often likens to the sound of a hurricane or avalanche, much as his physical bulk is often compared to a mountain or a Jovian planet. He is apparently impervious to personal abuse but is angered by stupidity, incompetence, prevarication, and delay. He has never married but has taken many paramours and has at least two natural children. With Sandra Tamarin, the Grand Duchess of the planet Hermes, he has a son, Eric Tamarin-Asmundsen. With a woman named Ramona, he has a daughter, Beatriz (neither one's surname is given); Beatriz's daughter Coya Conyon marries
David Falkayn, the other central character of the ''Polesotechnic League series''. Van Rijn swears by a number of saints including
Saint Dismas
The Penitent Thief, also known as the Good Thief, Wise Thief, Grateful Thief, or Thief on the Cross, is one of two unnamed thieves in Luke's account of the crucifixion of Jesus in the New Testament. The Gospel of Luke describes him asking Jesus ...
, and has expressed the intention of burning candles in offering (to which another character responded: "
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-da ...
had best get it in writing"). In times of stress, he has been known to shout "This I have not deserved! Do you hear me!", presumably at
God
In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...
.
In the
Dominic Flandry
Dominic Flandry is a fictional character and the protagonist of the second half of Poul Anderson's Technic History science fiction series. He first appeared in 1951.
The space opera series is set in the 31st century, during the waning days of ...
novel ''A Plague of Masters'', taking place centuries after van Rijn's death in the waning days of the Terran Empire, it is noted that van Rijn's adventures have by then entered deeply into the popular culture of humanity and become the staple of storytellers plying their trade in the marketplaces of more backward planets.
Critical commentary
Algis Budrys
Algirdas Jonas "Algis" Budrys (January 9, 1931 – June 9, 2008) was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He was also known under the pen names Frank Mason, Alger Rome (in collaboration with Jerome Bixby), John ...
, reviewing ''Trader to the Stars'', described van Rijn as "the boorish slob who makes unblushing use of his naked power, wallows in the sensual luxuries attendant on his commercial success and thus makes a splendid pulp hero".
["Galaxy Bookshelf", ''Galaxy'', February 1965, p. 153.]
Origin of the name
Anderson may have derived the name from the famous painter
Rembrandt
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...
Harmenszoon van Rijn. Other famous van Rijns, however, have existed. The prefix
van, unlike the German
von
The term ''von'' () is used in German language surnames either as a nobiliary particle indicating a noble patrilineality, or as a simple preposition used by commoners that means ''of'' or ''from''.
Nobility directories like the ''Almanach de ...
, is not an indicator of nobility.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Rijn, Nicholas
Fictional businesspeople