Simon Vestdijk (; 17 October 1898 – 23 March 1971) was a Dutch writer. He was nominated for the

Nobel prize in literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

fifteen times.

Life

Born in the small Frisian town of Harlingen, Vestdijk studied medicine in

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 ...

, but turned to literature after a few years as a doctor, including some time on board a ship. From 1932 he lived from literature. He became one of the most important 20th-century writers in the Netherlands. During the German occupation, he and other Dutch intellectuals were held hostage for some time, partly because they did not want to join the Chamber of Culture. After the war, he retired to Doorn (

Utrecht province Utrecht (), officially the Province of Utrecht ( nl, Provincie Utrecht, link=no), is a province of the Netherlands. It is located in the centre of the country, bordering the Eemmeer in the north-east, the province of Gelderland in the east an ...

). Vestdijk struggled with severe depressions from his youth, and until the end of his life. His prolificness as a novelist was legendary (poet Adriaan Roland Holst saying of him that "he writes quicker than God can read"), but he was at least as important as an essayist on e.g., literature, religion, art, and music in particular. He also wrote much poetry and short stories. His work has been translated into several European languages. Some of his novels appeared as films in the cinema, or were broadcast on television.

Bibliography (books in English)

* Simon Vestdijk: ''On the poet Emily Dickinson''. Transl. by Peter Twydell. Doorn, Mycenta Vitilis, 2002. (Orig. publ. in 1933) * Simon Vestdijk: ''Back to Ina Damman'' radio-play adaptation of the novel by Simon Vestdijk ; adaptation: Marc Lohmann. (Transl. of an adaptation of the novel ''Terug tot Ina Damman''. Hilversum, Nederlandse Omroep Stichting, 1988. No ISBN * S. Vestdijk: ''The garden where the brass band played''. Translation by A. Brotherton of the novel ''De koperen tuin'', with an introduction by

Hella S. Haasse Hélène "Hella" Serafia Haasse (2 February 1918 – 29 September 2011) was a Dutch writer, often referred to as the "Grande Dame" of Dutch literature, and whose novel '' Oeroeg'' (1948) was a staple for generations of Dutch schoolchildren. Her ...

. London, Quartet Books, 1992. . Other editions: New York, New Amsterdam, 1989. ; Leyden/London/New York, 1965. No ISBN * Emily Dickinson: ''Gedichten''. Transl. by S. Vestdijk. Den Haag, Bert Bakker, 1969. * Emily Dickinson: ''Selected poems''. (Chosen by Simon Vestdijk). Amsterdam, Balkema, 1940 (=1944) * Simon Vestdijk: ''Rum Island'', Transl. by B.K. Bowes of the novel ''Rumeiland''. London, John Calder, 1963 * Simon Vestdijk : ''My brown friend'' & Miodrag Bulatović : ''Lovers'' & Keith Johnstone: ''The return'' & Robert Pinget: ''La manivelle. The old tune'' (English adapt. by Samuel Beckett). London, Calder, 1962

References

External links

*http://www.svestdijk.nl/al/wpengels.html *http://www.vestdijk.com (Dutch) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vestdijk, Simon 1898 births 1971 deaths 20th-century Dutch novelists 20th-century male writers Dutch male poets Dutch medical writers Dutch essayists University of Amsterdam alumni People from Harlingen, Netherlands Constantijn Huygens Prize winners P. C. Hooft Award winners Prijs der Nederlandse Letteren winners Translators of Edgar Allan Poe Dutch male novelists 20th-century essayists