The German journalist, writer and politician Bodo Uhse (1904 – 1963) would have completely disappeared in the mist of history, had not his one decision - to leave Hitlers NSDAP and to join the KPD... Show moreThe German journalist, writer and politician Bodo Uhse (1904 – 1963) would have completely disappeared in the mist of history, had not his one decision - to leave Hitlers NSDAP and to join the KPD in 1931 – saved him from oblivion. His determined and apparently spectacular step, did provide him, from the very moment he returned to East Germany in 1948, with a prosperous career and a reputation of being one of the more heroic antifascists in the country. This study – formally a biography - describes the development of Uhses political stance, from about 1921 till the moment he left the NSDAP and became a member of the KPD, and tries to shed a fresh light on why he made his move in the first place, why the despised communist party suddenly ended up as a welcome home for his political ideas. A clarification of the “Konservative Revolution”, a generic term for a number of right wing groups propagating similar ideas on how German society should be changed, and an analysis of the change of direction set in by the KPD in 1930, by issuing a manifesto, introducing a national and social agenda into her program helps us to understand Uhses ‘switch’, and, similarly, putting it in perspective. Show less
This work presents a political biography of nineteenth century lawyer and statesman Dirk Donker Curtius. Donker advocated freedom of religion, speech and press through lawsuits, brochures and... Show moreThis work presents a political biography of nineteenth century lawyer and statesman Dirk Donker Curtius. Donker advocated freedom of religion, speech and press through lawsuits, brochures and articles and found himself at the centre of power amidst the 1848 political and societal developments. This dissertation reveals that Donker had a larger role than assumed in the Dutch liberal discourse in development of the liberal movement prior to 1848 and practical implementation of reformist ideas thereafter. Specifically, this study of Donker’s career argues that through his skilful and pragmatic service as Minister of Justice in the first years after the creation of the 1848 liberal constitution, he played a pivotal role in its consolidation and perpetuation. Show less
One of the tasks of the Royal Netherlands Navy in Tydeman's lifetime was the hydrographic survey of the seas at home and in the colonial waters. The hydrographic expertise of naval officers could... Show moreOne of the tasks of the Royal Netherlands Navy in Tydeman's lifetime was the hydrographic survey of the seas at home and in the colonial waters. The hydrographic expertise of naval officers could also be applied to other endeavours like scientific expeditions.In the second half of the nineteenth century private scientific societies took the initiative to engage in maritime research. Contact between scientists and the Navy resulted in naval assintance in scientific research. The Navy took part in polar expeditions and in scientific explorations in the tropics. As a junior officer Gustaaf Tydeman was involved in hydrographic surveij in the East Indies and in Dutch coastal waters. Tydeman was commanding officer of H. Neth. MS Siboga during the oceanographic expedition in the East Indian Archipelago in 1899-1900. He continued his years in the Navy as commanding officer of the Royal Naval College, of large ships and of a squadron of ships in teh East Indies. He was promoted to flagofficer in his command of the Naval establishment in Amsterdam. His achievements as hydrographer and commanding officer of a ship on a scientific expedition and author of several publications made his naval career exceptional. Show less
'The scar of death. The biography of Jan Wolkers' contains the rebellious life story of Jan Wolkers (1925-2007), one of the most famous, loved ánd controversial writers and artists (also a... Show more'The scar of death. The biography of Jan Wolkers' contains the rebellious life story of Jan Wolkers (1925-2007), one of the most famous, loved ánd controversial writers and artists (also a painter and sculptor) of the Low Countries. Wolkers was obsessed with love and death, also the two most important themes of his work. No one stayed closer to the truth than I, stated Wolkers. His work and art' the biographer concludes, 'are one.' Show less
Voor ’t gewone leven ongeschikt. A biography of Clare Lennart, is a literary and historical biography of author Clare Lennart (Clara Helena van den Boogaard-Klaver, 1889-1972). Her work contains... Show moreVoor ’t gewone leven ongeschikt. A biography of Clare Lennart, is a literary and historical biography of author Clare Lennart (Clara Helena van den Boogaard-Klaver, 1889-1972). Her work contains many recognisably autobiographical elements, especially from her youth. An extensive overview of the life of this 'forgotten author' is the basis for this critical and interpretive biography. In addition it shows Clare Lennart's unique position in her time, the unusual choices she made and ‘the roads not taken’ in her life. The main focus of the research is the question of how Clare Lennart gained an economic position as a woman of letter. A second question focuses on the concepts of posture and self-fashioning. The thesis demonstrates that Clare Lennart was aware of her image as a 'poetic nature lover' and that she openly presented herself as a hack writer. Clare Lennart's poetic style nowadays seems more dated than the sober language used by contemporary authors. Nevertheless, she had a large audience between 1945 and 1972 and the reception was nearly always positive. The biography discusses the contemporary reception of her work in detail and why Clare Lennart's work is omitted from the Dutch canon, using the concept of ‘middle-brow’ literature. Show less
What is it like to be imprisoned, to spend months or even years in solitary confinement? Apart from the answers that psychology, criminology of philosophy may hold, the biographical-historical... Show moreWhat is it like to be imprisoned, to spend months or even years in solitary confinement? Apart from the answers that psychology, criminology of philosophy may hold, the biographical-historical study The Hour of Truth. On Imprisonment as a Literary Experience looks at what answers literature has to offer to this question. Concentrating on the period roughly between the French Revolution up to and including the Second World War, this book mainly concerns itself with three European writers who have written about their own prison experiences: Silvio Pellico, Oscar Wilde and Albrecht Haushofer. How did those extreme experiences shape and influence the descriptions of their prison life? What does one write about in the ‘the hour of truth’, when life has been reduced to four walls and a barred window, and when all that remains of one’s authorship is a scrap of paper and a pencil? Do these three writers succeed in adequately conveying this ultimate experience to the reader? In a comparative analysis of three examples of imaginative literature (by Stendhal, Charles Dickens and the Dutch poet Jan Campert) Maarten Asscher suggests that the extreme truth of prison experience is better served by literary imagination than by autobiographical testimony. Show less
Drift en koers (Passion and control) is the first scientific biography on the Dutch socialist, sociologist and feminist Hilda Verwey-Jonker (1908-2004). She is best known for the introduction of... Show moreDrift en koers (Passion and control) is the first scientific biography on the Dutch socialist, sociologist and feminist Hilda Verwey-Jonker (1908-2004). She is best known for the introduction of the word allochtonen (foreigner/alien) in the Dutch discourse and has very been influential in improving the (legal) status of especially married women. The questions her autobiography provoke were the starting point of my research. I present the results of my investigations into her lives as a passionate socialist, Protestant, intellectual, governor, expert in the field of refugee and migrant issues, ‘grey panther’ and mother of four children in fourteen chapters and fifty images. In the epilogue I present answers to the questions Verwey-Jonkers memoires raise and connect them with the notion that women are not supposed to fight in public. I thus present a new explanation for the very slow entry of women into Dutch parliamentary politics Show less
De Leidse hoogleraar theoretische fysica Paul Ehrenfest (1880-1933) was goed bevriend met Niels Bohr en Albert Einstein. In tegenstelling tot zijn beroemde tijdgenoten lag zijn kracht niet bij het... Show moreDe Leidse hoogleraar theoretische fysica Paul Ehrenfest (1880-1933) was goed bevriend met Niels Bohr en Albert Einstein. In tegenstelling tot zijn beroemde tijdgenoten lag zijn kracht niet bij het doen van grote ontdekkingen. Wel had hij een uitzonderlijk talent voor het verhelderen van complexe vraagstukken in de fysica. Het leven en werk van Ehrenfest biedt een intrigerend perspectief op de manier waarop wetenschappers uit dat tijdsgewricht hun weg probeerden te vinden in een periode van roerige wetenschappelijke, maatschappelijke en politieke ontwikkelingen. Behalve dat Ehrenfest een bloeiende onderzoeksschool opbouwde droeg hij ook bij aan de ontwikkeling en internationalisering van de Nederlandse natuurkunde, het universitaire onderwijs, en het ontstaan van een nieuw vakgebied __ de econometrie. Hij stimuleerde de ontwikkeling van de Russische en Amerikaanse theoretische fysica en versterkte de band tussen universiteit en industrie. Zijn tijdgenoten kenden Ehrenfest als een invloedrijk persoon die veel had bereikt. Tragisch is dat iedereen, behalve hij zelf, dat zag. Show less
Top Naeff (1878-1953) is in Nederland beroemd om haar meisjesboek School-Idyllen. Verder schreef ze romans en novellen. Minder bekend is dat ze een toonaangevend toneelcritica was.Dit proefschrift... Show moreTop Naeff (1878-1953) is in Nederland beroemd om haar meisjesboek School-Idyllen. Verder schreef ze romans en novellen. Minder bekend is dat ze een toonaangevend toneelcritica was.Dit proefschrift geeft niet alleen een beeld van Naeff als schrijfster van meisjesboeken en proza voor volwassenen, maar vooral van een vrouw met een hevige passie voor toneel, die streed voor de belangen van de acteur en regisseur Willem Royaards. De biografie beschrijft ook de geheime liefde van Naeff voor Royaards, en toont aan dat het overgrote deel van Naeffs romans en verhalen de literaire verwerking is van haar dubbelleven, haar frustraties en de uiteindelijke acceptatie van alle tekort. Daarmee biedt deze biografie, zoals een schrijversbiografie dient te doen, een verhelderend inzicht in het oeuvre van Top Naeff.Vrijwel alle vrouwelijke auteurs van het interbellum werden door met name de Forum-generatie denigrerend betiteld als auteurs van ‘damesromans’. De biografie nuanceert dit beeld wat Top Naeff betreft overtuigend; criticus Menno ter Braak had respect voor Naeff en haar werk en bewonderde naar ‘superieure ironie’.Deze biografie biedt veel nieuwe feiten en inzichten, een analytisch beeld van Naeff als toneelcritica, een positiebepaling in haar tijd, een verband tussen leven en werk en een nuancering waar het de beeldvorming in literaire handboeken en encyclopedieën betreft. Show less
The Wende results in two opposite effects: the university maintains its continuity and quickly starts to thrive in the newly unified German state, while the professional practice of most professors... Show moreThe Wende results in two opposite effects: the university maintains its continuity and quickly starts to thrive in the newly unified German state, while the professional practice of most professors suffers from discontinuity and a lack of connection to the new social circumstances. This antithesis, continuity for the university versus discontinuity for professorial practice, is the central theme. Relatively minor differences between biographies that had developed in the GDR op untill the Wende can be used to explain why the unification of Germany has widely divergent effects for the five hunderd professors of the Humboldt-Universit_t Show less
Jona Willem te Water (1740-1822), a professor at Leiden University, was a man of influence in the Dutch Reformed Church, in many learned societies, in academic theology, and in Dutch historiography... Show moreJona Willem te Water (1740-1822), a professor at Leiden University, was a man of influence in the Dutch Reformed Church, in many learned societies, in academic theology, and in Dutch historiography. He started his career as a Reformed minister in the province of Zeeland. His main historiographical work was a book on the history of the Dutch noblemen who had offered the petition to governess Margaret of Parma in 1566, requesting increased autonomy for their dominions, as well as freedom of religion. Throughout all his publications, Te Water chose the Orangists' side and showed a keen eye for the role of freedom and of Providence in Dutch history. In his theological publications, he favoured moderation in all things. He tenaciously clung to the teachings of the Reformed Church but did keep an open mind to any new theological developments. He attempted to show that the very use of the critical method of the so-called neologians could only lead to orthodox conclusions, if only it was applied objectively and carefully enough. As a member of several committees instituted to reform the organisational structure of the Dutch Reformed Church around 1810, Te Water invariably chose to conserve as much as possible. Show less
This political biography analyzes the political influence of, and methods used by, P.W.A. Cort van der Linden (1846-1935), Dutch Prime-Minister from 1913 to 1918. While he was a Professor of... Show moreThis political biography analyzes the political influence of, and methods used by, P.W.A. Cort van der Linden (1846-1935), Dutch Prime-Minister from 1913 to 1918. While he was a Professor of Economics he developed a view of liberalism based on German idealism which also included a progressive use of Social Darwinism. This view was what he called “the theory of a higher sense of justice.” The application of this theory is evident in his legislation to protect children (1901) as well as in the constitutional revision of 1917. According to Van der Linden’s views, it was ‘a political necessity’ to introduce general male suffrage. He also made the future introduction of female suffrage possible, and, in spite of criticism from Kuyper, the leader of the Calvinistic antirevolutionary party, he made possible the equal treatment of private, denominational, and state schools. The non-partisan attitude of the Prime-Minister was also important for the maintenance of neutrality in the Netherlands during the First World War. Van der Linden stayed in close contact with Germany while Foreign Secretary Loudon spoke to the French. In addition to all these efforts, the Prime-Minister had to settle disputes within his cabinet, with commander-in-chief Snijders and with Queen Wilhelmina. Show less
