Eeden, Frederik van

Eeden, Frederik van

(frā`dərĭk vän ā`dən), 1860–1932, Dutch novelist and poet, a practicing physician. He founded a cooperative farm colony (1898). His work is pervaded by deep mysticism; best known is the novel trilogy De kleine Johannes (1885–1906, tr. The Quest, 1907). His dramas include the tragicomedy Ijsbrand (1908, tr. Ysbrand, 1910).

Eeden, Frederik Van

 

Born Apr. 3, 1860, in Haarlem; died June 16,1932, in Bussum. Dutch writer.

Eeden, one of the “men of the eighties,” was a founder and editor of the journal De nieuwe gids. His most significant work is his Little Johannes (also known as The Quest; parts 1–3, 1887–1906; Russian translation, 1914). Eeden’s enthusiasm for Christian socialism was reflected in the plays The Brothers (1894) and Lioba (1897); however, the play The Promised Land expresses disenchantment with social reconstruction. Eeden’s enthusiasm for Catholicism is reflected in his collection To My Guardian Angel and Other Poems.

WORKS

Gedichten: Een bloemlezing. Amsterdam-Antwerp, 1949.
Dagboek, 1878–1923. vols. 1–4. Culemborg [1971–72].

REFERENCES

Tricht, H. W. van. Frederik van Eeden: Denker en strijder. Amsterdam, 1934.
Verwey, A. Frederik van Eeden. Santpoort, 1939.
Duinkerken, A. “Frederik van Eeden.” De Gids, 1960, no. 5.