Bram Dijkstra (born Abraham Dijkstra on 5 July 1938) is an American author, literary critic and former professor of

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

. Dijkstra wrote seven books on various literary and artistic subjects concerning writing. He also curates art exhibitions and writes catalog essays for

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

art museums.

Early life and education

Dijkstra was born on a small island in Indonesia but spent his formative years in the Netherlands. His father had been interned in a Japanese concentration camp and died soon after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Dijkstra later moved to the United States, where he attended

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...

. After completing his undergraduate studies, Dijkstra earned his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

Career

He joined the faculty of the

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...

in 1966 and taught there until he retired and became an

emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

professor in 2000. He has written seven books including ''Idols of Perversity: Fantasies of Feminine Evil in Fin-de-siècle Culture'' (1986) and ''Evil Sisters: The Threat of Female Sexuality and the Cult of Manhood'' (1996).

Personal life

Dijkstra is married to Sandra Dijkstra, a prominent literary agent known for representing numerous acclaimed authors. He lives in

Del Mar, California Del Mar (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Of the Sea") is a beach city in San Diego County, California, located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Established in 1885 as a seaside resort, the city incorporated in 1959. The population was 3,954 ...

Art and music collecting

Dijkstra and his wife Sandra Dijkstra are avid collectors of art, literary works, and music; in 2023, they made a significant gift to

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

, donating a major collection of materials related to Black music, including rare recordings on vinyl disc documenting the history of Black music. The Dijkstras have also contributed to

, gifting a collection of rare pulp fiction magazines that provide insight into mid-20th-century popular culture. Additionally, they have donated rare artwork to The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, where their contributions have enriched the museum's holdings in American and European art.

Publications

* ''Faces in Skin: Poems and Drawings'' (Oyez, 1965) * ''Hieroglyphics of a New Speech: Cubism, Stieglitz and the Early Poetry of William Carlos Williams'' (Princeton University Press, 1970) *''Idols of Perversity: Fantasies of Feminine Evil in Fin-de-siècle Culture'' (Oxford University Press, 1986) *''Evil Sisters: The Threat of Female Sexuality and the Cult of Manhood'' (Knopf, 1996) * ''Georgia O'Keeffe and the Eros of Place'' (Princeton University Press, 1998)Michael Berry
Georgia O'Keeffe and the Eros of Place
1999, sff;org * ''American Expressionism: Art and Social Change 1920–1950'' (Harry N. Abrams, 2003) * ''Naked: The Nude in America'' (Rizzoli, 2010)

References

External links

Interview with Bram Dijkstra
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dijkstra, Bram 1938 births Living people American literary critics American people of Dutch descent University of California, San Diego faculty American academics of English literature