Hugo Brandt Corstius (29 August 1935 – 28 February 2014) was a Dutch author, known for his achievements in both literature and science. In 1970, he was awarded a PhD on the subject of computational linguistics. He was employed at the

Mathematisch Centrum The (abbr. CWI; English: "National Research Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science") is a research centre in the field of mathematics and theoretical computer science. It is part of the institutes organization of the Dutch Research Cou ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

. However, to the general public he is mostly known for his writing, in particular as a columnist for

Vrij Nederland ''Vrij Nederland'' (Free Netherlands) is a Dutch magazine, established during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II as an underground newspaper. It has since grown into a magazine. The originally weekly and now monthly magazi ...

and de Volkskrant and as linguist and literary critic for Vrij Nederland, de Volkskrant, and NRC Handelsblad.

Pseudonyms

Hugo Brandt Corstius wrote under over sixty different

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 ...

s, allonyms and aliases. He claimed each of them to be a component of his character. In Vrij Nederland he used the pseudonym Piet Grijs and between 1979 and 1986 in de Volkskrant he used the pseudonym Stoker. His other pseudonyms include Battus (in NRC Handelsblad and

), Raoul Chapkis, Victor Baarn, Dolf Cohen, Maaike Helder, Peter Malenkov and Talisman. The Battus name was reserved for writing on

linguistics Linguistics is the science, scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure ...

and language play, in columns, articles and books. Many forms of word play ( palindromes, the longest attested word in Dutch, ''e''-less Dutch, etc. etc.) were bundled in the volume '' Opperlandse taal- & letterkunde'', ("Upperlandic linguistics", where "Upperlandic" is

word play Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, pho ...

on " Netherlandic"), and twenty years later a sequel '' Opperlans!'' (deliberate misspelling). Both books are concerned with the form of Dutch words with little regard to meaning. He also wrote ''De Encyclopedie'', a book

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...

ing encyclopedias, containing about 300 pages numbered 1 through 40000 or thereabouts, with many

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...

s, references to non-existent pages and other jokes.

Prizes

* 1966 - Anne Frank Prize for ''Ik sta op mijn hoofd'' * 1978 - Cestoda-prijs * 1978 - Burgemeester van Grunsven-prijs for his entire works * 1985 - Busken Huetprijs for ''Rekenen op taal'' * 1987 - P. C. Hooft Award for his entire works

Personal life

His daughter

Aaf AAF may refer to: Aviation * Aigle Azur (ICAO code), a French airline * Apalachicola Regional Airport (IATA code), in Apalachicola, Florida Corporations * American Air Filter, today a part of HVAC-equipment-maker Daikin Military * Albanian Arm ...

is a columnist, his daughter Merel is a Montessori teacher and graduate student in Boston, and his son

Jelle Jelle is a Dutch male given name, rarely also given to women. The origin of the name lies in Friesland, although the name is quite commonly used throughout the Netherlands and Flanders. The name comes from the Dutch word "geld", more probable the ...

is also an author, and was a

correspondent A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. Brandt Corstius died in

after a long illness.

Bibliography

* 1966 - ''De reizen van Pater Key'' (under pseudonym Raoul Chapkis) * 1966 - ''Zes dagen onbedachtzaamheid kan maken dat men eeuwig schreit'' (pseud. Raoul Chapkis) * 1966 - ''Ik sta op mijn hoofd'' (pseud. Raoul Chapkis) * 1970 - ''Exercises in Computational Linguistics'' (PhD thesis) * 1970 - ''Grijsboek, of de nagelaten bekentenissen van Raoul Chapkis'' * 1971 - ''Zinnig tuig'' * 1972 - ''Blijf met je fikken van de luizepoten af!'' * 1974 - ''Algebraïsche taalkunde'' * 1975 - ''A is een letter'' * 1975 - ''Piet Grijs is gek'' * 1978 - ''Computer-taalkunde'' * 1978 - ''Televisie, psychiaters, computers en andere griezelverhalen'' * 1978 - ''De encyclopedie'' (pseud. Battus) * 1981 - ''...honderd. Ik kom!'' * 1981 - '' Opperlandse taal- & letterkunde'' * 1988 - ''Denk na'' * 1991 - ''Symmys'' (SYMMYƧ) (pseud. Battus) * 1995 - ''De hoofdredacteur'' * 1995 - ''Water en vuur'' * 1999 - ''Het bewustzijn''

References

External links

Hugo Brandt Corstius: briljant gelijkhebber, hartstochtelijk hater (Bio)
- Volkskrant {{DEFAULTSORT:Brandt Corstius, Hugo 1935 births 2014 deaths People from Eindhoven 20th-century Dutch scientists Linguists from the Netherlands Dutch computer scientists Dutch journalists P. C. Hooft Award winners Academic staff of Tilburg University