Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft (16 March 1581 – 21 May 1647) - Knight in the

Order of Saint Michael , status = Abolished by decree of Louis XVI on 20 June 1790Reestablished by Louis XVIII on 16 November 1816Abolished in 1830 after the July RevolutionRecognised as a dynastic order of chivalry by the ICOC , founder = Louis XI of France ...

- was a Dutch

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

who lived during the

Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( nl, Gouden Eeuw ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands, roughly spanning the era from 1588 (the birth of the Dutch Republic) to 1672 (the Rampjaar, "Disaster Year"), in which Dutch trade, science, and art and ...

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to ...

Life

Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, often abbreviated to ''P.C. Hooft'', was born in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

as the son of the town's mayor,

Cornelis Hooft Cornelis Pietersz. Hooft (1547 – 1627 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch statesman and Amsterdam regent during the Golden Age. Life and Work Hooft was the son of the merchant Pieter Willemsz Hooft, and grandson of Pieter Willemsz. Hooft, a Zaanse ...

. Hooft was also uncle to

Cornelis Cornelis is a Dutch form of the male given name Cornelius. Some common shortened versions of Cornelis in Dutch are Cees, Cor, Corné, Corneel, Crelis, Kees, Neel and Nelis. Cornelis (Kees) and Johannes (Jan) used to be the most common given na ...

and

Andries de Graeff Andries de Graeff (19 February 1611 – 30 November 1678) was a powerful member of the Amsterdam branch of the De Graeff - family during the Dutch Golden Age. He became a mayor of Amsterdam and a powerful Amsterdam regent after the death of his ...

. In 1598, in preparation for his career as a

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

, his father sent him to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, but Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft was more interested in art and was deeply impressed by the

Italian renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...

.Dautzenberg. J. ''Nederlandse literatuur, geschiedenis, bloemlezing en theorie tot 1916''. Den Bosch: Malmberg, p. 83-88 In 1609, he was appointed

bailiff A bailiff (from Middle English baillif, Old French ''baillis'', ''bail'' "custody") is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. Bailiffs are of various kinds and their o ...

Muiden Muiden () is a city and former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It lies at the mouth of the Vecht and is in an area called the Vechtstreek. Since 2016, Muiden has been part of the new municipality of Gooise Mere ...

and the

Gooiland The Gooi () is an area around Hilversum, in the centre of the Netherlands. It is a slightly hilly area characterised by its green landscape, its historical charm, the wealth of its inhabitants, and its villas. The Gooi is known in the Netherlan ...

. He founded the Muiderkring, a literary society located at his home, the ''

Muiderslot Muiden Castle (Dutch: ''Muiderslot'', ) is a castle in the Netherlands, located at the mouth of the Vecht river, some 15 kilometers southeast of Amsterdam, in Muiden, where it flows into what used to be the Zuiderzee. It is one of the better kn ...

'', the castle of Muiden, in which he got to live due to his appointment as sheriff of Muiden. Among the members were the poets and playwrights

Constantijn Huygens Sir Constantijn Huygens, Lord of Zuilichem ( , , ; 4 September 159628 March 1687), was a Dutch Golden Age poet and composer. He was also secretary to two Princes of Orange: Frederick Henry and William II, and the father of the scientist Ch ...

Maria Tesselschade Maria Tesselschade Roemers Visscher, also called Maria Tesselschade Roemersdochter Visscher or Tesselschade (25 March 1594 – 20 June 1649) was a Dutch poet and glass engraver. Life Tesselschade was born in Amsterdam, the youngest of thre ...

, G.A. Bredero and

Joost van den Vondel Joost van den Vondel (; 17 November 1587 – 5 February 1679) was a Dutch poet, writer and playwright. He is considered the most prominent Dutch poet and playwright of the 17th century. His plays are the ones from that period that are still mos ...

, as well as the Portuguese singer

Francisca Duarte Francisca Duarte (Antwerp, 1595 – Gest Alkmaar, 1640) was a Portuguese singer. She was active as a court singer at the court of the governor in the Spanish Netherlands. She was the daughter of the banker and jeweler Diego Duarte (1545? -1628 ...

. Hooft, Bredero, and Vondel were also founders of the

First Nederduytsche Academy The First Dutch Academy (Dutch: ) was an institution set up by Samuel Coster (with the important support of Bredero and Hooft) in Amsterdam. The institution was set up to offer better theatre than the old rederijkerskamers could then manage. ...

Work

Hooft was a prolific writer of

plays Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

poem Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meaning ...

s and

letters Letter, letters, or literature may refer to: Characters typeface * Letter (alphabet), a character representing one or more of the sounds used in speech; any of the symbols of an alphabet. * Letterform, the graphic form of a letter of the alpha ...

, but from 1618 onwards he concentrated on writing a history of the Netherlands (''Nederduytsche Historiën''), inspired by Roman historian

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...

. His focus was primarily on the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Ref ...

between the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

and though he tried to be as impartial as possible, he did succeed. As a poet, he was influenced by his

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

contemporaries in France and Italy.

Plays

Gerard van Honthorst - Granida and Daifilo - Google Art Project

* ''Geeraerdt van Velsen'' ( 1613) * ''Achilles en Polyxena'' (1614) * ''Theseus en Ariane'' (1614) * '' Granida'' (1615) * ''Warenar'' (1616) * ''Baeto, oft oorsprong der Holanderen'' (1626)

Poems

* ''Emblemata amatoria: afbeeldingen van minne'' (1611)

History

* ''Nederduytsche Historiën'' (1642-1656)

Present-day legacy

In present-day

, Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft gives his name to

P.C. Hooftstraat The P.C. Hooftstraat is a shopping street in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In 1876 it was named after Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft (1581–1647), a Dutch historian, poet and playwright. The street is located in the ''stadsdeel'' Amsterdam Oud-Zuid and ...

, the city's main destination for expensive designer clothes shopping. The south-western end of P. C. Hooftstraat runs into the city's main park, the Vondelpark, named for his friend

(see Life above). In many other Dutch cities, there are other streets named after Hooft, many of them also called P. C. Hooftstraat or Pieter C. Hooftstraat. In 1947, 300 years after P.C. Hooft died in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

, a literary prize in his name was instituted by the Dutch government. An independent foundation annually awards the prize. Initially it was awarded for specific works, but in recent years it is awarded based on the entire collection of a writer.

Gallery

Image:Sculptuur PCHooft Binnenplaats Muiderslot maart2003.jpg, Sculpture of P.C. Hooft in the castle

file:IISG AHF 01334 Frits Sieger 1947-03-22.jpg, Sculptor Frits Sieger with bust of P.C. Hooft. Amsterdam; 22 March 1947 File:Pieter C. Hooft.JPG,

Gable stone Gable stones (Dutch ''gevelstenen'') are carved and often colourfully painted stone tablets, which are set into the walls of buildings, usually at about 4 metres from the ground. They serve both to identify and embellish the building. They are al ...

of P.C. Hooft above his former house. Eduard Colinet, 1881

References

External links

Works of Hooft in the Laurens Janszoon Coster project (Dutch)

P.C. Hooft (1581-1647)
- pictures of P.C. Hooft * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hooft, Pieter Corneliszoon 1581 births 1647 deaths 17th-century Dutch dramatists and playwrights 17th-century Dutch poets Dutch Golden Age writers 17th-century Dutch historians Dutch male poets Dutch male dramatists and playwrights Muiderkring Writers from Amsterdam