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Simon Vestdijk
Vestdijk1940.jpg
Born (1898-10-17)17 October 1898
Harlingen, Netherlands
Died 23 March 1971(1971-03-23) (aged 72)
Utrecht
Occupation Novelist
Essayist
Poet
Translator
Period 1930-1971
Genre Historical novel, Psychological novel
Literary movement Modernism
Notable works Back to Ina Damman, Anton Wachter Cycle [8 novels; 1934-1960], The Garden Where the Brass Band Played, De kellner en de levenden
Notable awards Constantijn Huygens Prize (1955)
Simon Vestdijk - Dorpsplein - Doorn 03
Statue of Simon Vestdijk in Doorn. Sculptor: Jaap te Kiefte.

Simon Vestdijk (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈsimɔɱ ˈvɛzdɛik]; 17 October 1898 – 23 March 1971) was a Dutch writer.

He was nominated for the Nobel prize in literature fifteen times.

Life

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

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.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Simon Vestdijk para niños

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