Nicolaas Beets (13 September 1814 – 13 March 1903) was a Dutch theologian, writer and poet. He published also under the pseudonym Hildebrand.
Nicolas Beets | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 13 September 1814 Haarlem, Netherlands |
| Died | 13 March 1903 (aged 88) Utrecht, Netherlands |
| Pen name | Hildebrand |
| Occupation | Protestant minister |
| Subject | Short autobiographical stories |
| Notable works | Camera Obscura |
Life
editNicolaas Beets was born in Haarlem, the son of a pharmacist. From 1833 till 1839 he studied theology at the university of Leiden where he received his doctorate.
In 1840 he became a minister at the Dutch Reformed Church in Heemstede. In 1848 he became correspondent of the Royal Institute of the Netherlands, when that became the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1851 he joined as member.[1] In 1854 he moved to Utrecht where from 1874 till 1884 he was a professor in church history at the University of Utrecht.
He wrote prose, poetry and sermons. As a poet, Beets came under the influence of Byronism.[2]
His most famous work is Camera Obscura, which he wrote under his pseudonym during his student years.[2] Of his poems, "De moerbeitoppen ruischten" is well-known and popular;[3][4] it is heavily anthologized, and even called "immortal" by one critic.[5]
The archive of Nicolaas Beets is available at Leiden University Library and digitally accessible through Digital Collections.[6]
Personal life
edit
In 1840 he married Aleida van Foreest, granddaughter of Johannes Hendricus van der Palm, with whom he had 9 children. In 1859 he remarried with Jacoba Elisabeth, a sister of Aleida, with whom he had another 6 children. Beets had a sister, Dora Beets, who was also a writer.
Beets died of a brain haemorrhage at age 88, in Utrecht.
References
edit- ^ "Nicolaas Beets (1814 - 1903)". Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ a b Chisholm 1911.
- ^ Hellman, Noor (22 November 2015). "Joost Prinsen: 'Mijn tranen zitten losser dan vroeger'". Trouw. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ "De moerbeiboom". Friesch Dagblad. 19 February 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ Schutter, Freddy de (2000). Het verhaal van de Nederlandse literatuur: Verlichting. Romantiek. Realisme-naturalisme. Multatuli en Gezelle. DNB/Pelckmans. p. 161. ISBN 9789028416826. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ ‘’Beets Papers’’, in Digital Collections (Leiden University Library)
- Attribution
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Wood, James, ed. (1907). The Nuttall Encyclopædia. London and New York: Frederick Warne.
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External links
editMedia related to Nicolaas Beets at Wikimedia Commons
- Inventory Nicolaas Beets archive Leiden University Libraries
- Beets Papers. Papers of the Dutch theologian, writer and poet Nicolaas Beets (1814-1903) and his family Digital Collections Leiden University Libraries
- Exhibition about Beets Leiden University Libraries
- Works by Nicolaas Beets at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Nicolaas Beets at the Internet Archive
- Works by or about Hildebrand at the Internet Archive
- Works by Nicolaas Beets at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- Works by Nicolaas Beets (Dutch texts) on DBNL