The sonnets of Perk, like those of Bowles with us a hundred years ago,
were the heralds of a whole new poetic literature. The resistance made
to the young writers who now began to express themselves, and their
experience that all the doors of periodical publication in Holland were
closed to them, led to the foundation in 1885 of _De Nieuwe Gids_, a
rival to the old Dutch quarterly, _De Gids_. In this new review, which
has steadily maintained and improved its position, most of the
principal productions of the new school have appeared. The first three
numbers contained _De Kleine Johannes_ (Little Johnny), of Dr. Frederik
van Eeden, the first considerable prose-work of the younger generation.
This is a charming romance, fantastic and refined, half symbolical, half
realistic, which deserves to be known to English readers. It has been
highly appreciated in Holland. To this followed two powerful books by L.
van Deyssel, _Een Liefde_ ("A Love") and _De Kleine Republiek_ ("The
Little Republic"). Van Deyssel has written with great force, but he has
hitherto been the _enfant terrible_ of the school, the one who has
claimed with most insolence to say precisely what has occurred to him to
say. He has been influenced, more than the rest, by the latest French
literature.
While speaking of the new school, it is difficult to restrain from
mentioning others of those whose work in _De Nieuwe Gids_ and elsewhere
has raised hopes of high performance in the future. Jacques van Looy, a
painter by profession, has published, among other things, an exquisitely
finished volume of _Proza_ (Prose Essays). Frans Netscher, who
deliberately marches in step with the French realists, is the George
Moore of Holland; he has published a variety of small sketches and one
or two novels. Ary Prins, under the pseudonym of Coopland, has written
some very good studies of life. Among the poets are Willem Kloos Albert
Verwey, and Herman Gorter, each of whom deserves a far more careful
critical consideration than can here be given to him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account