Awater
The poetry of Martinus Nijhoff (1894-1953) was distinguished by clarity of language combined with mystical content. His masterpiece Awater, written in 1934, is the most important Dutch poem of the 20th century.
This edition of "Awater" features three English translations – by Daan van der Vat, James S. Holmes and David Colmer – made at different periods, for comparison. As well as the Dutch text, it includes excerpts from a lecture by the poet on the origins of "Awater", an essay on the first translation of the poem by Daan van der Vat, which quotes from his fascinating correspondence about the poem with Nijhoff; and an essay by the most recent translator, David Colmer. It concludes with an essay by the leading Nijhoff specialist, Wiljan van den Akker, which illuminates key elements of the poem in the context of modernism.
This edition of "Awater" features three English translations – by Daan van der Vat, James S. Holmes and David Colmer – made at different periods, for comparison. As well as the Dutch text, it includes excerpts from a lecture by the poet on the origins of "Awater", an essay on the first translation of the poem by Daan van der Vat, which quotes from his fascinating correspondence about the poem with Nijhoff; and an essay by the most recent translator, David Colmer. It concludes with an essay by the leading Nijhoff specialist, Wiljan van den Akker, which illuminates key elements of the poem in the context of modernism.
About the author
Martinus Nijhoff was born in The Hague. He grew up in a literary atmosphere, his father being a bookseller and publisher. He studied literature in Amsterdam and law in Utrecht and began to publish in 1916 with "De wandelaar" ("The Wanderer"). He was a prominent critic and editor from 1926-1933 and from 1941-1946 of the influential journal De gids. He also translated from Euripides, Shakespeare, T. S. Eliot and some psalms for the Dutch Hymnal.