Despite the comparatively small market for Dutch publications, the Netherlands has a rich literary heritage and has produced major writers. Poetry is a particularly popular genre: only Japan and Iceland publish more volumes of poetry each year.
In the Middle Ages, Dutch literature was part of a broad Western European tradition, which found expression in epic tales of chivalry such as Floris ende Blancefloer and Karel ende Elegast, and allegories such as Van den Vos Reynaerde (Reynard the Fox) and Elckerlyk (Everyman). The 16th century saw the rise of humanism. Erasmus of Rotterdam was one of its leading exponents. His Praise of Folly, a satire on the church and society, has been translated from Latin into many languages.
Among the literary highlights of the 17th century, Hollandís Golden Age, were Spinoza's philosophical treatises. Dutch literature flourished during this period, which produced writers such as Vondel, Hooft, Huygens and Bredero. The Bible was also translated into Dutch in the 17th century, and the publication of De Statenbijbel - the authorised version - in 1637 is considered a milestone in the evolution of the Dutch language.
The most distinguished writer of the 19th century was Multatuli, whose novel Max Havelaar was an indictment of Dutch rule in the Netherlands East Indies (present-day Indonesia).
Post-war literature was long dominated by three eminent novelists, Willem Frederik Hermans, Harry Mulisch and Gerard Reve. The war plays an important role in the works of Hermans and Mulisch. Other distinguished post-war writers include Hella Haasse, Jan Wolkers, Cees Noteboom, Maarten ët Hart, Adri van der Heijden, Arnon Grunberg, Mensje van Keulen and Connie Palmen. More and more books by Dutch writers are being translated into other languages. In recent decades, Dutch literature has gained increasing popularity abroad.
The Foundation for the Production and Translation of Dutch Literature plays an important role in propagating Dutch literature abroad. Its aim is to ensure that a wide range of good Dutch literature is available, both in the original and in translation.
