Famous Dutch Poets

Karel Appel was a Dutch poet, painter, and sculptor. He is credited with co-founding COBRA, a European avant-garde movement that was active from 1948 to 1951. He is also credited with establishing the Karel Appel Foundation, which aims at preserving his artworks. Many of his works are displayed at museums all over the world, including the Museum of Modern Art.

Born to Belgian migrants who had moved to Germany and then to the Netherlands, because of their Mennonite origins, Joost van den Vondel grew up to be one of the most celebrated Dutch authors and dramatists. He not only translated Greek tragedies such as Electra, but also penned masterpieces such as Lucifer.

One of the first Dutch authors to come out as gay, Gerard Reve was known for his ironic and humorous manner of writing about homosexuality. Known for works such as The Evenings, he used the format of epistolary autobiography and won many awards such as the P.C. Hooft Prize.

Best known for his Pegasus Prize-winning novel Rituals, Dutch author Cees Nooteboom has also been an oft-mentioned candidate for the Nobel Prize. He has also worked as a travel columnist for various Dutch periodicals. Roads to Santiago remains one of his best travel-oriented works and has inspired a musical.

Part of the Dutch Golden Age, Constantijn Huygens was at the same time a composer and a poet. A diplomat, too, he went to England multiple times, where he was introduced to New Science by Francis Bacon, which he then popularized in the Netherlands. He also translated John Donne’s poems.

Dutch Literature Prize-winning author Willem Frederik Hermans was one of his country’s most versatile writers and one of the most significant from the post-war era. His satirical works focused on social evils. An Untouched House and The Darkroom of Damocles remain 2 of his best-known works.

Author Louis Couperus was one of the most significant figures of the Dutch literary revival in the 1880s. Born in the Dutch East Indies, he later lived in Italy, the Netherlands, and parts of Asia and Africa. He experimented with styles and themes such as French realism, the occult, and Oriental culture.

A respected diamond merchant, moral philosopher and poet, Joseph de la Vega spent most of his life in Amsterdam, occupying important positions in several literary academies.  Author of seven published works, most significant of which is Confusion of Confusions, a book based on Amsterdam Stock Exchange, he is also credited with writing more than 200 letters to different European statesman.

Dutch painter and poet Karel van Mander was a significant part of the Mannerist movement. Best known for his Het Schilder-boeck, or The Book of Painters, a biographical work on artists and painters of northern Europe, he was patronized by the Haarlem city council.

A professional engraver and lithographer like his father, Jan Luyken illustrated books such as Martyrs Mirror with his etchings. He later had a spiritual awakening and focused on religious poetry, writing pieces such as Jesus and the Soul. He died a poor man, in spite of his talent.

Dutch poet Herman Gorter was part of the literary revival of the 1880s and of the group Tachtigers, or the Eightiers. He is best remembered for his epic poem Mei, which consisted of 4,000 verses. He later deviated to communism, which is clearly reflected in his epic poem Pan.

Isabelle de Charrière was born to a Dutch noble family but later married her brother’s Swiss teacher and settled in Switzerland. A fine novelist, known for works such as Trois Femmes and Caliste; ou, lettres écrites de Lausanne, she critiqued social conventions and aristocratic privilege.

A 15-time Nobel Prize nominee, Dutch author Simon Vestdijk was known for his cerebral novels, such as Mr. Visser’s Journey Through Hell and Back to Ina Damman. Initially a doctor, he later switched to writing permanently. Part of the modernist movement, he mostly wrote psychological and historical novels.

One of the most significant Dutch authors of the 20th century, J. Slauerhoff was also a qualified doctor who worked on ships. His work at sea and in South East Asia inspired much of his work, which spoke about the sea, loneliness, and love. The Forbidden Kingdom remains his best-known work.

Dirck Volckertszoon Coornhert, or Theodore Cornhert, was the man who introduced Humanism in Dutch literature. Known for works such as Liedekens, De wellevenskunste, and Comedie van Israël, he was an engraver in Haarlem and also worked for the city’s government. He also created the manifesto of William the Silent, Prince of Orange.

Gerbrand Bredero was a Dutch playwright and poet who played an important role during the Dutch Golden Age. His works include the famous De klucht van de koe, which can be translated as Farce of the Cow. A memorial to Gerbrand Bredero can be seen in Amsterdam.

Willem Kloos was a Dutch poet remembered for his involvement in the Movement of Eighty, where he was a leader. He also served as the editor in chief of a Dutch illustrated literary called De Nieuwe Gids, which played a major role in supporting the literary movement of the 1880s. Kloos received five nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Hendrik Marsman was a Dutch writer and poet best remembered for his expressionistic and vitalistic poetry. He wrote many poems, including the famous Herinnering aan Holland, before his untimely death while trying to escape to Great Britain onboard S.S. Berenice which sank in the Bay of Biscay. In 2000, Herinnering aan Holland was named Dutch Poem of the Century.

Isaäc da Costa was a Jewish poet best known for his association with the famous Dutch poet Bilderdijk. Da Costa is widely regarded as Bilderdijk's successor among Dutch poets. Apart from his 53 shorter and longer poems, Isaäc da Costa also wrote on theological subjects.

Willem Bilderdijk was a Dutch poet, lawyer, historian, and linguist. He is best known for his association with Louis Bonaparte, who appointed him as the president of the Royal Institute. Willem Bilderdijk is credited with founding a spiritual movement called Het Réveil and among his students were Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer, Willem de Clercq, and Abraham Capadose.

Nicolaas Beets was a Dutch author, professor, poet, and preacher. He is credited with founding a Protestant school, which is now known by the name, Nicolaas Beetsschool. Nicolaas Beets is also remembered for his magnum opus Camera Obscura, which continues to be celebrated even today.

Martinus Nijhoff was a Dutch essayist and poet. His unique style of poetry, which glorified mystical content, was appreciated by many other writers. Nijhoff's poem, Awater, is often considered his best work; Russian and American poet Joseph Brodsky called the work one of the 20th century's grandest poems. Martinus Nijhoff was honored with the Constantijn Huygens Prize in 1953.

Gerrit Achterberg was a Dutch poet whose entire body of work earned him the prestigious Constantijn Huygens Prize in 1959. Achterberg was also known for his occasional violent outbursts caused by a mental disorder. He was even imprisoned for three years for shooting and killing his landlady when she tried to stop him from raping her 16-year-old daughter.

Jacob van Lennep was a Dutch novelist and poet best remembered for producing patriotic songs during the Belgian revolution. In 1832, he was made a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Jacob van Lennep is also remembered for translating the works of popular English poet Byron.

Jan van Hout served as the secretary of the city of Leiden and its university. He played a key role in the development of Leiden by bringing in craftsmen from the Walloon regions and Flanders to modernize the Leiden textile industry and reorganizing the poor relief sector. An award to honor civil servants in Leiden has been named after him.

E. du Perron was a Dutch poet and author best remembered for his magnum opus Land van herkomst. An influential figure, du Perron is credited with co-founding the literary magazine Forum, which was influential even though it was short-lived. Tilburg University awards an annual cultural prize which is named in his honor.

Astrid Roemer is a Surinamese-Dutch teacher and author who writes in the Dutch language. Roemer, who has published many poems and novels, was honored with the prestigious P. C. Hooft Award in May 2016. In 2021, Astrid Roemer became the first Surinamese writer to receive the Prijs der Nederlandse Letteren. 

Roemer Visscher was a Dutch merchant and writer who played an important role during the Dutch Golden Age. A specialist in the epigram, Visscher also wrote emblemata, a genre where one or two rhyming sentences are accompanied by pictures. Roemer Visscher is also remembered for producing works that contain moralistic and humanistic content.

Janus Dousa was a Dutch statesman, historian, poet, jurist, and philologist. He is best remembered as the Leiden University Library's first Librarian. Dousa is credited with drawing many illustrious professors and teachers to Leiden University, thanks to his friendships with foreign scholars. As a poet, he published a few collections of poems.

Aagje Deken was a Dutch writer best remembered for her association with famous novelist Betje Wolff. Deken and Wolff lived together and published many popular epistolary novels like Willem Levend and Sara Burgerhart.

Albert Verwey was a Dutch poet, translator, and essayist. He is credited with founding a bimonthly magazine called De Nieuwe Gids for which he also served as an editor. Albert Verwey also worked at the University of Leiden where he served as a professor from 1924 to 1935. He is also credited with translating the works of Byron and Shelley.

Anna Visscher was a Dutch artist, translator, and poet. Highly admired by artists around her, Visscher was among the group of musicians, artists, and writers who formed the Muiden Circle, which was originally called Muiderkring. Many elite artists like Constantijn Huygens, Jacob Cats, and P. C. Hooft called Anna Visscher a muse and dedicated several of their works to her.

Jacobus Revius was a Dutch poet, preacher, church historian, and translator. He is counted among the few 17th-century poets whose poems are still read widely today. Seven of his poems can be seen in the Songbook for the Churches. Such is his popularity that many streets are named in his honor.

Herman Schaepman was a Dutch priest, poet, politician, and orator. Although he is known for his abilities as a poet and orator, Schaepman was also an excellent leader who possessed the qualities of a statesman. He was also the first priest to serve the States General of the Netherlands. A leading orator, Schaepman is remembered for his Park Speech (1871).

Everhardus Johannes Potgieter was a Dutch poet and prose writer. Along with Bakhuizen van den Brink and Heije, Potgieter is credited with founding a literary review called De Muzen, which soon became a leading monthly magazine called De Gids. Potgieter went on to become a role model of the golden age of the Netherlanders during the 16th and 17th centuries. 

J. H. Leopold was a Dutch classicist and poet. He also worked as a teacher at the Gymnasium Erasmianum where he taught classical languages. After his demise, the school commemorated him with a stone and bronze monument along with one of his poems and his portrait.

Pieter Cornelis Boutens was a Dutch poet, mystic, and classicist. Boutens, whose works reflect the idea of attaining a "higher reality," taught classical languages at the renowned Noorthey boarding school for boys. He also served as the president of the Association of Writers and was the recipient of the Tollens Prize for Lifetime Achievement, Award for Mastery, and Nieuwe Gids-prijs.

Lodewijk van Deyssel was a Dutch novelist, literary critic, and prose-poet. He is best remembered as one of the most influential members of the Movement of Eighty also known as the Tachtigers. As a critical and an original writer, Lodewijk van Deyssel had a major influence on Dutch literature of the late-19th and early-20th centuries.

Jan van der Noot was a Netherlandish writer best remembered as the very first Renaissance poet in Dutch. He is also credited with influencing the German and English poets of his time. Many of his works like Het theatre oft toon-neel defends the virtues of Calvinism.

André Henri Constant van Hasselt was a Dutch-Belgian poet and writer who wrote predominantly in French. His first book of poems, Primevères, is widely regarded as the first prominent collection of poems in the history of modern Belgium. Interestingly, Primevères is also considered an awkwardly written work.