Martinus Nijhoff
Illustration — Martinus Nijhoff (1913) Martinus Nijhoff (20 April 1894, in The Hague – 26 January 1953, in The Hague) was a Dutch poet and essayist. He studied literature in Amsterdam and law in Utrecht. His debut was in 1916 with his volume De wandelaar ('The Wanderer').
Martinus Nijhoff
unknown photographer (no name in catalogue of Literatuurmuseum either) · Literatuurmuseum Den Haag · Public domain
- Born
- 1894 · The Hague.
- Died
- 1953 · The Hague.
- Nationality
- Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Occupation
- poet · writer · translator · literary critic · resistance fighter · philologist
- Fields
- poetry · literature
- Education
- Utrecht University
- Honours
- Constantijn Huygens Prize · Prijs van Amsterdam
- Languages
- Dutch
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Illustration — Martinus Nijhoff (1913) Martinus Nijhoff (20 April 1894, in The Hague – 26 January 1953, in The Hague) was a Dutch poet and essayist. He studied literature in Amsterdam and law in Utrecht. His debut was in 1916 with his volume De wandelaar ('The Wanderer').
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Martinus Nijhoff. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
gnd · 2019149-2 · wikidata · Q889001 · wikipedia · Martinus Nijhoff
In this article
Identity
Identity
He then gradually expanded his reputation by his unique style of poetry: not experimental, like Paul van Ostaijen, yet distinguished by the clarity of his language combined with mystical content. He was a literary craftsman who employed skillfully various verse forms from different literary periods. • Illustration — Dutch stamp (1954) Some of his best-known works include Het Uur U ('The U Hour', 1936) and the long poem Awater (1934). A number of individual sonnets also rose to fame, particularly De Moeder de Vrouw ('The Mother the Woman') commemorating the opening of a bridge over the river Waal near Zaltbommel. Joseph Brodsky considered the poem Awater one of the grandest poems of the 20th century. Nijhoff was awarded Constantijn Huygens Prize posthumously in 1953. In 1969, the new road bridge at Zaltbommel, that replaced the one in his poem, was named the "Martinus Nijhoff Bridge".
Martinus Nijhoff is recorded as poet, writer, translator, literary critic and resistance fighter.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
Explore 1894–1953
The full dated record · 3 entries
1894
Martinus Nijhoff born at The Hague.
1901
Livres anciens et modernes en vente au prix marqués chez Martinus Nijhoff: manuscrits du 13e au... (1901) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
1953
Martinus Nijhoff died at The Hague.
Primary material
Digitised editions and texts
Livres anciens et modernes en vente au prix marqués chez Martinus Nijhoff: manuscrits du 13e au
Holdings and surviving copies
Where the work is held
Holdings and surviving copies
Where material relating to Martinus Nijhoff is held. Livres anciens et modernes en vente au prix marqués chez Martinus Nijhoff: manuscrits du 13e au.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q889001: Martinus Nijhoff
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 2019149-2, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
reference work
- “Martinus Nijhoff”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Literature
Literature
Martinus Nijhoff’s Standard Catalogue 1961–1962, 1962.
Martinus Nijhoff, de literaire vertaler, Acta Neerlandica, 2024
Nijhoff, Martinus, Lexikon des gesamten Buchwesens Online
Mexico and the Law of the Sea, Contributions and Compromises, Boston Massachusetts, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2011, 544 pp
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q889001: Martinus NijhoffWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witnessauthority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 2019149-2, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
39,499 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Martine L. JacquotAuthor
- Martinez de PasquallyAuthor
- Martino da ComoAuthor
- Mārtiņš FreimanisAuthor
- Martinus von BiberachAuthor
- Martiros of CrimeaAuthor
- Márton Szepsi CsomborAuthor
- Martti HaavioAuthor
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Martinus Nijhoff?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.