Thomas Asselijn

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Thomas Asselijn , sometimes also written Asselyn or Asselÿn (* around 1620 in Dieppe , France , † in July 1701 (buried on July 27, 1701) in Amsterdam , Netherlands ) was a Dutch poet of French origin.

Life

Asselijn's Calvinist family was actually called Asselin and lived in the port city of Dieppe in Normandy . In 1621, shortly after his birth, they, like many other Huguenots , fled to the Netherlands. They settled in Amsterdam and adopted the Dutch spelling of their name.

There Thomas Asselijn learned the bookbinding trade and wrote poetry. He was the youngest of three brothers: the painter Jan Asselijn (1610–52) and Abraham Asselijn (1609–97), who became a gold wire manufacturer.

In 1639 Thomas Asselijn acquired the citizenship of the city of Amsterdam. His parents died before 1644. On April 24, 1644 he married in Amsterdam Walenkerk 13 years older Lijsbet Reijers, he moved to the Amsterdam Warmoesstraat.

His wife died in 1655; the marriage had remained childless. In 1656 he married Iannetie van Westerhof († 1704), who was 18 years his junior and with whom he had at least one son (Lodewijk). Shortly after his second marriage, he must have begun larger works, his first tragedy, The Grooten Kurieen , from 1657, which was followed at longer intervals by others: Mas-Anjello (1668), De Moort tot Luyk (1671), De Dood van de Graaven van Egmond en Hoorne (1685), Juliaan de Medicis (1691), Debelering en Hongersnood van Samaria (1692). After not getting enough recognition with the tragedies, he switched to comedies.

Little is known about his later life. In 1656 he lived on Rozengracht, later on Keizersgracht and in 1671 on Bloemgracht. The last years of his life he was registered with his son Lodewijk on the Heeregracht, in whose house he also died. He was buried at the Leids Kerkhoff. His wife Iannetie van Westerhoff survived him by three years. She was buried next to him on January 6, 1704.

Asselijn was not successful professionally. After he had failed as a bookbinder, he tried his hand at a crimson dyer . In 1678 he had to file for bankruptcy and in 1685 he pledged his house furniture to secure a loan. On November 10, 1678 the furniture was inventoried and valued at "181 gulden en 15 stuivers" .

But he became known relatively quickly with poetic works; after all, in 1653, when Joost van den Vondel was honored by the Guild of St. Luke at a festival , a poem by Asselijn was recited and / or printed. A year later, on October 21, 1654, Asselijn wrote the poem Broederschap der Schilderkunst on the occasion of the establishment of a painters' guild .

His comedies, most of which were set to music and performed in the Amsterdamsche Schouwburg during his lifetime , are judged as his best work, while his tragedies and tragedies are considered rather weak. He achieved his greatest success with the comedy Jan Klaasz of gewaande dienstmaagt (Jan Klaasz or the alleged maid), the first Dutch play that was forbidden for a time, as especially Dutch Mennonites were influenced by the "frivolous content" and the protagonist Jan Klaasz , a Mennite preacher accused of hypocrisy in the play, felt offended. This also led to a dispute with the poets' association Nil Volentibus Arduum . However, this did not detract from the success of his piece, so that Asselijn wrote two sequels ( Kraambedt of kandeelmaal van Zaartje Jans, vrouw van Jan Klaazen and Echtscheiding van Jan Klaasz en Saartje Jans ) that were also highly regarded in 1683 and 1685 . These pieces developed into the most popular Dutch comedies and were also performed abroad, especially in Germany and there in Hamburg. Around 1740 they were considered the "most famous cultural export products of the Dutch"

Thomas Asselijn is judged to succeed Jan Vos and is considered one of the leading comedy writers of the Golden Age .

Around 1740 Cornelis Troost (1697–1750) painted a scene from the play Jan Klaasz of gewaande dienstmaagt . The picture is now in the Mauritshuis .

Work (selection)

  • The Great Curias (1657)
  • Op- en ondergang van Mas Anjello, of Napelse beroerte (1668)
  • De Moort dead Luyk (1671)
  • De stiefmoer (1684)
  • Echtscheiding van Jan Klaasz en Saartje Jans (1685)
  • De Dood van de Graaven van Egmond en Hoorne (1685)
  • De stiefvaar (1690)
  • Juliaan de Medicis (1691)
  • De kwakzalver (1692)
  • De schoorsteenveger door liefde (1692)
  • Debeling en Hongersnood van Samaria (1692)
  • De spilpenning, of entwining vrouw (1693)
  • Jan Klaasz of gewaande dienstmaagt (first performance: 1682, first print edition: 1683)
  • Kraambedt of kandeelmaal van Zaartje Jans, vrouw van Jan Klaazen (first performance: 1683, first print edition: 1684)

further reading

  • Dickjan Braggaar: Nederlandse letterkunde voor dummies. Pearson Education, 2006. ISBN 9043010499
  • F. Jos. van den Branden, JG Frederiks: Biographical woordenboek of Noord- en Zuidnederlandsche letterkunde (1888-1891).
  • Willem Frijhoff: Dutch Culture In A European Perspective Frijhoff.
  • Gerrit Kalff: Geschiedenis der Nederlandsche letterkunde. Part 5.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ On the question of notation see IJ and Ÿ
  2. ↑ Kerk-Inteeken-Register (church register), 26 Maart 1644: Thomas Asselyn van Diepe Boekebinder woont OZ Armsteeg oud 25 geen ouders hebbende en Lysbet Reyers van Cockengen oud 38 Jaren woont in de Warmoesstraat. Page 47, note 4 (translation: Thomas Asselyn from Dieppe, Buchbinder, resident OZ Armsteeg, 25 years old, orphan and Lybet Reyers from Cockengen, 38 years old, residing in Warmoesstraat.)
  3. ^ G. Kalf: Geschiedenis der Nederlandsche letterkunde. Part 5. Page 114 ff.
  4. ↑ http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/_tij003188501_01/_tij003188501_01_0004.htm#135T
  5. ↑ JAWorp (1885): Nog iets over Thomas Asselyn , page 63
  6. ↑ The exact circumstances and backgrounds are presented differently, in particular it is disputed whether the poem was performed at the festival itself or was written by him afterwards, see DBNK , [1] or also: Frijhoff, Willem et al .: Dutch Culture In A European Perspective. Vol. 5 - 1650-2000. Uitgeverij Van Gorcum. ISBN 90-232-3967-9 . Page 446. The fact that the poem is, however, seems beyond dispute.
  7. ↑ Dickjan Braggaar: Nederlandse letterkunde voor dummies. Pearson Education, 2006. ISBN 9043010499 , page 141.
  8. ^ Jan Konst et al .: Dutch-German cultural relations 1600-1830. Volume 7. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2009. ISBN 3899715500 , page 171
  9. ^ G. Kalf: Geschiedenis der Nederlandsche letterkunde. Part 5. Page 120.
  10. ↑ Illustration of the picture by Troost
personal data
SURNAME Asselijn, Thomas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Dutch playwright and poet
DATE OF BIRTH around 1620
PLACE OF BIRTH Dieppe , France
DATE OF DEATH July 1701
Place of death Amsterdam