Justus van Effen
Encyclopedia
Justus van Effen was a Dutch
author
, who wrote chiefly in French
but also made crucial contributions to Dutch literature
. A journalist, he imitated The Spectator
with the publication of Dutch language
Hollandsche Spectator
. He gained international fame as a writer of French periodicals and a translator from English
into French, and he is also recognized as one of the most important Dutch language writers of the 18th century and an influential figure of the Dutch Enlightenment.
, and later, served as a clerk in the Dutch government warehouses (1732).
What gained him fame, however, were his literary and journalistic endeavours. A translator from English to French, he translated Swift
's "Tale of a Tub" into Dutch and Defoe
's Robinson Crusoe
, and is credited with a significant influence in the bringing of English literature
to continental Europe
.
An enthusiast for English periodicals, and in particular, the The Spectator
of Joseph Addison
and Richard Steele
, soon after first issues of The Spectator he launched Le Misanthrope (1711–1712) (a widely read journal referred to as "the first moralist periodical on the continent"), Le Bagatelle (1718–1719), Le Spectateur Français (1725) and then in his native language, the Hollandsche Spectator
(1731–1735).
The Hollandsche Spectator was one of the most notable papers inspired by The Spectator. Its topics consisted of everything a coffeehouse
audience would be interested in: politics, religion and morality, fashion, and humor. Socially conservative, written in a pleasing tone and style, it raised important issues, questioning the reasons behind the waning position of the Dutch Republic on the international scene, and served as literary and moral guide for the bourgeoisie
. The Hollandsche Spectator is considered one of the achievements of the late 18th century Dutch literature
, and an inspiration to much Dutch journalism and literature.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, who wrote chiefly in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
but also made crucial contributions to Dutch literature
Dutch literature
Dutch literature comprises all writings of literary merit written through the ages in the Dutch language, a language which currently has around 23 million native speakers...
. A journalist, he imitated The Spectator
The Spectator (1711)
The Spectator was a daily publication of 1711–12, founded by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele in England after they met at Charterhouse School. Eustace Budgell, a cousin of Addison's, also contributed to the publication. Each 'paper', or 'number', was approximately 2,500 words long, and the...
with the publication of Dutch language
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
Hollandsche Spectator
Hollandsche Spectator
The Hollandsche Spectator was an important Dutch language newspaper of the Enlightenment period....
. He gained international fame as a writer of French periodicals and a translator from English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
into French, and he is also recognized as one of the most important Dutch language writers of the 18th century and an influential figure of the Dutch Enlightenment.
Life and works
He was the second child of Melchior and Maria van Effen. Justus van Effen planned a scholarly career, and around 1699 he began his studies at the University of Utrecht, but after the early death of his father (on 6 May 1706) he was forced to became a private tutor, taking responsibilities for his mother and sister. He had made acquaintances among French emigrés, in connection with whom he began literary life in 1713 by editing a French journal. From 1715 to 1727 he was a secretary at the Netherlands embassy in London, where he also became a member of the Royal SocietyRoyal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
, and later, served as a clerk in the Dutch government warehouses (1732).
What gained him fame, however, were his literary and journalistic endeavours. A translator from English to French, he translated Swift
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
's "Tale of a Tub" into Dutch and Defoe
Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe , born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain and along with others such as Richardson,...
's Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe is a novel by Daniel Defoe that was first published in 1719. Epistolary, confessional, and didactic in form, the book is a fictional autobiography of the title character—a castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island near Trinidad, encountering cannibals, captives, and...
, and is credited with a significant influence in the bringing of English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
to continental Europe
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
.
An enthusiast for English periodicals, and in particular, the The Spectator
The Spectator (1711)
The Spectator was a daily publication of 1711–12, founded by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele in England after they met at Charterhouse School. Eustace Budgell, a cousin of Addison's, also contributed to the publication. Each 'paper', or 'number', was approximately 2,500 words long, and the...
of Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was a man of letters, eldest son of Lancelot Addison...
and Richard Steele
Richard Steele
Sir Richard Steele was an Irish writer and politician, remembered as co-founder, with his friend Joseph Addison, of the magazine The Spectator....
, soon after first issues of The Spectator he launched Le Misanthrope (1711–1712) (a widely read journal referred to as "the first moralist periodical on the continent"), Le Bagatelle (1718–1719), Le Spectateur Français (1725) and then in his native language, the Hollandsche Spectator
Hollandsche Spectator
The Hollandsche Spectator was an important Dutch language newspaper of the Enlightenment period....
(1731–1735).
The Hollandsche Spectator was one of the most notable papers inspired by The Spectator. Its topics consisted of everything a coffeehouse
Coffeehouse
A coffeehouse or coffee shop is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages. It shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on...
audience would be interested in: politics, religion and morality, fashion, and humor. Socially conservative, written in a pleasing tone and style, it raised important issues, questioning the reasons behind the waning position of the Dutch Republic on the international scene, and served as literary and moral guide for the bourgeoisie
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
. The Hollandsche Spectator is considered one of the achievements of the late 18th century Dutch literature
Dutch literature
Dutch literature comprises all writings of literary merit written through the ages in the Dutch language, a language which currently has around 23 million native speakers...
, and an inspiration to much Dutch journalism and literature.
Further reading
- P. J. Buijnsters, Justus van Effen (1684-1735). Leven en Werk. (Utrecht: HES, 1992). ISBN 9789061940586
- W.J.B. Pienaar, English influences in Dutch literature and Justus van Effen as intermediary : an aspect of eighteenth century achievement, Cambridge : University Press, 1929
- James L. Schorr, The life and works of Justus van Effen, Publications of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages of the University of Wyoming, 1982