Frank Martinus Arion (born Frank Efraim Martinus; 17 December 1936 – 28 September 2015) was a

Curaçao Curaçao, officially the Country of Curaçao, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea (specifically the Dutch Caribbean region), about north of Venezuela. Curaçao includ ...

an poet,

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

, and language advocate. He wrote in both

Papiamentu Papiamento () or Papiamentu (; ) is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean. It is the most widely spoken language on Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao (ABC islands (Leeward Antilles), ABC Islands). The language, spelled ...

and Dutch.

Early life

Frank Efraim Martinus was born on 17 December 1936 in Curaçao, a

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

island then under Dutch rule.

Career

Martinus changed his name to Frank Martinus Arion at some point. He moved to the Netherlands in 1955 and in 1981 returned to

, where he became head of the Curaçao Language Institute that promotes the use of the

language. His works include ''The Last Freedom (De laatste vrijheid)'' and ''Double Play'' (''Dubbelspel)''. The latter novel is considered to be his

magnum opus A masterpiece, , or ; ; ) is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, skill, profundity, or workmanship. Historically, ...

and was published in 1973. He wrote in

and Dutch.

Death

Arion died on 28 September 2015.

Works

* 1957 - ''Stemmen uit Afrika'' (gedichten) * 1972 - ''Bibliografie van het Papiamentu'' * 1973 - '' Dubbelspel - awarded the (''Double Play'', translated from Dutch by Paul Vincent; London) * 1974 - ''Sisyphiliaans alpinisme tegen miten'' * 1975 - '' Afscheid van de koningin'' * 1977 - ''Albert Helman, de eenzame jager'' * 1979 - '' Nobele wilden'' * 1993 - ''De ibismensmuis'' * 1995 - '' De laatste vrijheid'' * 1996 - ''The Kiss of a Slave'' * 2001 - ''De eeuwige hond'' * 2005 - ''Eén ding is droevig'' * 2006 - '' De deserteurs'' * 2006 - ''Drie romans''

Adaptations

Arion's 1973 Dutch-language novel ''Double Play'' was adapted into the 2017 English-language film '' Double Play'', directed by Ernest R. Dickerson.

References

1936 births 2015 deaths Curaçao poets Curaçao novelists Papiamento-language writers Papiamento-speaking people 20th-century poets 20th-century novelists 21st-century poets 21st-century novelists Male poets Male novelists 20th-century Dutch male writers 21st-century Dutch male writers {{Curaçao-bio-stub