Kris Steyaert

The tremors of genre in G.J. Resink’s poetry

Abstract Born in Java, the Dutch Indonesian writer Gertrudes Johannes (Han) Resink published his first volume of poetry Op de breuklijn (On the Fault Line) in 1952. In this collection, which consists mainly of sonnets and Persian quatrains, Resink presents himself as an interstitial writer, occupying a precarious position between the Indonesian culture of his native country on the one hand, and the Dutch literary tradition he chose to embrace on the other. His subsequent volumes display a similar in-betweenness, simultaneously looking east and west. Whereas contemporary critics, in deference to the prescriptive rules of the western canon, took issue with his seemingly cavalier attitude towards generic conventions, the article demonstrates how Resink’s experiments are intimately linked to his anxieties as a postcolonial writer. The journey from sonnet, to eastern quatrain, to the so-called quintain of his final years, is interpreted as part of his lifelong search to define and articulate his own place in the periphery, from both a Dutch and an Indonesian point of view.

Batavia as Patria: Literary Representations of Batavia in W. J. Hofdijk’s Work

Abstract The depiction of Batavia is examined in W. J. Hofdijk’s long epic poem In ’t harte van Java (In Java’s Heart) published in 1881; a detailed description of the city was incorporated into his narrative, showing Batavia as seen through Javanese eyes, and thus turning the city into an emblem of the fatherland itself. Founded on the northern coast of Java in 1619, the city of Batavia was admired for its picturesque beauty and its overall European character. The qualities for which it was praised hint at Batavia’s curiously hybrid nature: whilst in many respects it differed dramatically from the Netherlands, it was at the same time portrayed as quintessentially Dutch. It was an exotic, far-away place and yet an integral part of the nation. This dichotomy represented an obvious complication for writers in the Netherlands eager to extol its virtues.

Kleine gedichten voor 'kleine discipelen'. Johannes Kinker bemiddelt bij een geschil over kopijrecht (1824)

A hitherto unknown letter written by Johannes Kinker in 1824 has turned up in the Bibliotheek van het Boekenvak (‘Library of the Booktrade’), University of Amsterdam. The letter is not only of interest from a biographical point of view but illustrates the confusing state of affairs surrounding copyright law in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. King William I had reserved an important role for Dutch language teaching, Dutch literature and the national book trade in the integration process between the Northern and Southern parts of the realm. However, Kinker’s letter makes plain on a very practical level the deficiencies of the new copyright rules, which the King had signed into law in 1817, and the obstacles that hindered their implementation in the Southern provinces.