Justus Hiddes Halbertsma
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Justus Hiddes Halbertsma ( ; ; 23 October 1789 – 27 February 1869)Breuker 1993, p. 588.Breuker 2016, p. 1126.Rademaker-Helfferich. was a Frisian writer, poet, minister,
lexicographer Lexicography is the study of lexicons and the art of compiling dictionaries. It is divided into two separate academic disciplines: * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionary, dictionaries. * The ...
and
linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...
. Today, he is primarily known for the
poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
and
short story collection A short story collection is a book of short stories and/or novellas by a single author. A short story collection is distinguished from an anthology of fiction, which would contain work by several authors (e.g., '' Les Soirées de Médan''). Th ...
''De Lapekoer fan Gabe Skroar'', which he wrote with his brother Eeltsje, publishing the first edition in 1822.Breuker 1993, p. 594.Dykstra and Oldenhof, p. 37. Afterwards, this work was continually expanded, and also came to include contributions by a third brother, Tsjalling, until all the Halbertsma Brothers'
prose Prose is language that follows the natural flow or rhythm of speech, ordinary grammatical structures, or, in writing, typical conventions and formatting. Thus, prose ranges from informal speaking to formal academic writing. Prose differs most n ...
and poetry was posthumously collected in 1871 to become the famous work '' Rimen en Teltsjes''.Breuker 1993, pp. 603–606. Although the
literary Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, plays, and poems. It includes both print and digital writing. In recent centuries, ...
value of this collection was later disputed by some
critics A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governme ...
,Breuker 1993, pp. 594–596. it is undeniable that ''Rimen en Teltsjes'' played a role of crucial importance in the development of a new literary tradition after Western Frisian had been used almost exclusively as a
spoken language A spoken language is a form of communication produced through articulate sounds or, in some cases, through manual gestures, as opposed to written language. Oral or vocal languages are those produced using the vocal tract, whereas sign languages ar ...
for three centuries.Jensma, p. 197.


Life


Youth and background

Justus Hiddes
Halbertsma Halbertsma is a Frisian patrician family that originates from Dokkum's surrounding area. Family members traditionally occupy positions in the legal field, academia, medicine, business, and public administration. The family is mostly know ...
was born on 23 October 1789 in the village of
Grou Grou () is a town in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and had around 5655 citizens in January 2017. Since 2014 Grou is part of the municipality of Leeuwarden. The town is located on the lake and the Prinses Margriet Canal. Heineken op ...
, in the central part of the Dutch province of
Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...
,Dykstra and Oldenhof, p. 38. in the house of his parents on Kowemerk ("Cow Market") street.Wiersma, p. 7. He was the eldest son of the baker and small-time
merchant A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...
Breuker 1993, p. 587.Oppewal and Boorsma, p. 16. Hidde Joasts Halbertsma (1756–1809)Terpstra, p. 317. and his wife Ruerdtsje (or Riurtk) Tsjallings Binnerts (1767–1809). He had three younger brothers: Tsjalling (1792–1852),Terpstra, p. 316. Binnert (1795–1847), and Eeltsje (1797–1858). Two children who were born later died in early childhood, the little boy in 1803, and the little girl in 1805. The four brothers were very close, possibly as a consequence of the fact that both their parents died at a relatively young age in 1809, when Justus was just twenty years of age and the others were even younger. Justus, Tsjalling and Eeltsje, who, as authors, became known as the Brothers Halbertsma later in life,Hemminga, p. 56. were much like their father, while Binnert more resembled their mother. Ruerdtsje Binnerts was a scion of a prominent family in Grou. Her people were
Mennonites Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...
, and although her husband had been raised a
Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...
, he converted after marrying her. From Justus' letters Ruerdtsje emerges as a smart businesswoman, a loving mother, and a deeply religious person.Wiersma, p. 8. About Hidde Halbertsma, the father, much less is known. It is thought that he might have been a
mariner A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. While the term ''sailor' ...
before his marriage. He is described as a gentle soul, who was, however, apt to take offence, and could be quite sharp-tongued in such cases. In 1784, he published a long
Dutch-language Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language and is the List of languages by total number of speak ...
poem under the title ''Schrikkelijke IJsgang en Overstroominge in Gelderland'' ("Terrible Ice-drift and Flooding in
Gelderland Gelderland ( , ), also known as Guelders ( ) in English, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands, located in the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Nethe ...
"). From this intriguing work it is clear that his sons' literary talents were a family trait. In 1858, Justus Halbertsma explained the difference between his parents' families when he wrote: "One cannot deny the Halbertsmas a greater skillfulness, speed of thought, a greater adroitness, quickness, and talent than the family of Ruerdtsje Tsjallings; but wat help was that to them against the poverty which overcame most of them, while Ruerdtsje Tsjallings' family for the most part maintain prosperity to this day as part of the dignified middle class?" Against the superior power of those who calmly and calculatedly grew rich, he wrote somewhere else, the Halbertsmas could only "avenge themselves through satire."


Education, clerical career, and family

Halbertsma's mother Ruerdtsje was the main force behind the thorough education her sons received. Justus she sent to the French school in the provincial capital of
Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; ; ; ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 127,073 (2023). It is the provincial capital and seat of the Provin ...
for a year, and after that, she enrolled him in the
Latin school The Latin school was the grammar school of 14th- to 19th-century Europe, though the latter term was much more common in England. Other terms used include Lateinschule in Germany, or later Gymnasium. Latin schools were also established in Colon ...
in Leeuwarden from 1801 to 1806. At the advice of his mother and the Mennonite minister Jan Brouwer, from Leeuwarden, Justus Halbertsma chose a
clerical Clerical may refer to: * Pertaining to the clergy * Pertaining to a clerical worker * Clerical script, a style of Chinese calligraphy * Clerical People's Party See also

* Cleric (disambiguation) * Clerk (disambiguation) {{disambiguation ...
career, for which he studied theology at the Mennonite Seminary in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
from 1807 to 1813.Wiersma, p. 9. In that period he also immersed himself in the study of the
North Germanic languages The North Germanic languages make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages—a sub-family of the Indo-European languages—along with the West Germanic languages and the extinct East Germanic languages. The language group is also r ...
. In 1814, Halbertsma became minister in
Bolsward Bolsward (, West Frisian: ''Boalsert'') is a city in Súdwest-Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. Bolsward has a population of just under 10,200. It is located 10 km W.N.W. of Sneek. History The town is founded on th ...
, where he remained until 1821. Afterwards, he served the Mennonite congregation in the city of
Deventer Deventer (; Sallaans dialect, Sallands: ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Salland historical region of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Overijssel, ...
, in the province of
Overijssel Overijssel (; ; ; ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name comes from the perspective of the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht, Episcopal principality of Utrecht ...
, from 1822 to his retirement in 1856. Halbertsma married Johanna Iskjen Hoekema (1794–1847), a Mennonite minister's daughter from Workum, who came from a well-to-do middle-class family, on 10 May 1816. Through his wife Halbertsma attained possession of the
farmstead A farmstead refers to the buildings and service areas associated with a farm. It consists of a house belonging to a farm along with the surrounding buildings. The characteristics of a specific farmstead reflect the local landscape, which provides ...
Westerein, near Workum, where he and his family often spent a couple of weeks in summer. Apart from those holidays, he lived out his entire life in Deventer. Halbertsma and his wife had five sons from a good marriage, which was however not without its share of problems. Of these sons Petrus, Hidde, and Tsjalling studied
linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...
or medicine, while Watse en Binnert became
mariner A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. While the term ''sailor' ...
s. As a father, Halbertsma experienced a large amount of grief, as his son Petrus died in 1851 in a
psychiatric hospital A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe Mental disorder, mental disorders. These institutions cater t ...
, while Binnert passed away in 1861, and Hidde took his own life in 1865.


As a literary figure

Halbertsma had been greatly influenced in his student years by his acquaintance with the well-to-do and influential Amsterdam merchant Jeronimo de Vries, who championed a national art, inspired by the
Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands which roughly lasted from 1588, when the Dutch Republic was established, to 1672, when the '' Rampjaar'' occurred. During this period, Dutch trade, scientific development ...
. These ideas flew in the face of more modern notions advocated by writers such as Hiëronymus van Alphen and Johannes Klinker. For Halbertsma, who was first and foremost a Frisian, and only secondly a Dutchman, this meant an orientation towards national Frisian ideals, from which emanated two goals he set himself in life.Breuker 1993, p. 589. Firstly, he wanted to preserve the Western Frisian language by using it for writing again after it had been used almost exclusively as a
spoken language A spoken language is a form of communication produced through articulate sounds or, in some cases, through manual gestures, as opposed to written language. Oral or vocal languages are those produced using the vocal tract, whereas sign languages ar ...
for three centuries.Boelens et al., p. 116.Wiersma, p. 11. From that it followed that he had to get the Frisians to read in their own language (otherwise, writing it would not be of much use), and that he should record the Frisian
vocabulary A vocabulary (also known as a lexicon) is a set of words, typically the set in a language or the set known to an individual. The word ''vocabulary'' originated from the Latin , meaning "a word, name". It forms an essential component of languag ...
in a
dictionary A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged Alphabetical order, alphabetically (or by Semitic root, consonantal root for Semitic languages or radical-and-stroke sorting, radical an ...
, which would be the first dictionary ever of the Frisian language. And secondly, Halbertsma wanted to put renowned Frisian people from the past in the spotlight, to serve as an example for his contemporaries. To attain his first goal, Halbertsma had to use his writings to penetrate the daily life of the Frisian people. This he achieved by authoring
folk literature Oral literature, orature, or folk literature is a genre of literature that is spoken or sung in contrast to that which is written, though much oral literature has been transcribed. There is no standard definition, as anthropologists have used va ...
with his brother Eeltsje. The state and social status of the Western Frisian language at that time becomes clear if one observes the fact that Halbertsma and his brothers, though they laboured tirelessly for the use of Frisian as a written language for poetry and
prose Prose is language that follows the natural flow or rhythm of speech, ordinary grammatical structures, or, in writing, typical conventions and formatting. Thus, prose ranges from informal speaking to formal academic writing. Prose differs most n ...
, lapsed into Dutch for their correspondence with each other, and apparently did not feel that was in any way strange. As Halbertsma remained the editor of Eeltsje's work for his entire life, their poetry and
short fiction A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...
were strongly connected and published together from the very beginning. For that reason the linguist Foeke Buitenrust Hettema would describe Halbertsma later as the '
literary agent A literary agent is an agent who represents writers and their written works to publishers, theatrical producers, film producers, and film studios, and assists in sale and deal negotiation. Literary agents most often represent novelists, screenwr ...
' of his brothers Eeltsje and Tsjalling. In 1822, their early works were collected under the title ''De Lapekoer fan Gabe Skroar'' ("Gabe Tailor's Rag Basket"; original, archaic
spelling Spelling is a set of conventions for written language regarding how graphemes should correspond to the sounds of spoken language. Spelling is one of the elements of orthography, and highly standardized spelling is a prescriptive element. Spelli ...
: ''De Lape Koer fen Gabe Skroor''), a booklet consisting of 36 pages, and including six poems and one short story. This publication was attributed to the fictional 'Gabe Skroar', a lame farmer's son who became a tailor and a writer, but died young.Breuker 1993, p. 597.Twerda, p. 297. This character was in all probability a creation of Eeltsje's. Hiding behind such a fictional author was fairly normal at that time. The first edition of ''De Lapekoer fan Gabe Skroar'', published in 1822, consisted of 200 copies only.Terpstra, p. 313. Those were not sold, however, but at the expense of Halbertsma presented to acquaintances of his all over Friesland.Twerda, p. 298. In that way he awoke among his public a desire for more reading-matter of this nature. These stories and poems were in fact something entirely different from what the readers were used to, not only as to what language they were written in, but also and especially concerning their informal style. The copies of the booklet often were shared around through entire networks of family and friends, and not seldom the stories and poems were transcribed by hand before the booklet was given back or passed on. A second, expanded edition of ''De Lapekoer fan Gabe Skroar'', consisting of 237 pages, was published in 1829, followed by a third, further expanded edition in 1834, running to almost 500 pages of a larger size. After that, additions were published separately in 1836 (''De Noarger Rún oan Gabe Skroar''), 1840 (''Twigen út in Alde Stamme''), 1854 (''Leed en Wille en de Flotgerzen''), and 1858 (''De Jonkerboer'' and ''Teltsjes fan de Wize Mannen fan Esonstêd''). By the end of his life, Halbertsma assisted in the editing of a portion of '' Rimen en Teltsjes'' (''Rhymes and Tales''), the comprehensive publication in which all the Halbertsma Brothers' literary works were collected. He even wrote some new pieces for it, such as the short story ''It Grouwe Pak'' ("The Thick Suit").Breuker 2016, p. 1127. As a writer, Halbertsma strongly sensed what the public needed, but at the same time he was a somewhat distant and cerebral author, which tended to have an averse effect on his poetry, especially compared to the poems of his brother Eeltsje, who was a much more emotional writer. Nevertheless, at least some of Halbertsma's poems, for instance ''Sibbel fan De Ryp'' ("Sibbel from De Ryp") and ''Nacht'' ("Night") have made a lasting impression. That said, Halbertsma's short stories were much more acute thanks to his limber use of language, his lively style of writing, and the fact that he refused to mince his words, leading to a rough, scoffing, and sometimes darkly grim atmosphere. His subject-matter Halbertsma collected from various sources, including German and French
oral literature Oral literature, orature, or folk literature is a genre of literature that is spoken or sung in contrast to that which is written, though much oral literature has been transcribed. There is no standard definition, as anthropologists have used v ...
, which he matchlessly revised and placed in Friesland. He was a non-conformist, whose sharp judgments of the works of others made him far from universally loved. Before everything else, Halbertsma as a writer was an essayist and a
satirist This is an incomplete list of writers, cartoonists and others known for involvement in satire – humorous social criticism. They are grouped by era and listed by year of birth. Included is a list of modern satires. Early satirical authors *Aes ...
, who liked to include
topical A topical medication is a medication that is applied to a particular place on or in the body. Most often topical medication means application to body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes to treat ailments via a large range of classes ...
political and social questions in his literary works. From the
anecdote An anecdote is "a story with a point", such as to communicate an abstract idea about a person, place, or thing through the concrete details of a short narrative or to characterize by delineating a specific quirk or trait. Anecdotes may be real ...
s of people who knew or met him, he emerges as a sharp-witted and extremely diligent man of capacious erudition who was a droll story-teller. ''It Boalserter Nut'' ("The
Bolsward Bolsward (, West Frisian: ''Boalsert'') is a city in Súdwest-Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. Bolsward has a population of just under 10,200. It is located 10 km W.N.W. of Sneek. History The town is founded on th ...
Utility" – the name of a gentlemen's club), which was published in ''De Lapekoer'', was Halbertsma's first short story of a more extended length. As is often the case with Halbertsma's stories, it consists of a
frame-story A frame story (also known as a frame tale, frame narrative, sandwich narrative, or intercalation) is a literary technique that serves as a companion piece to a story within a story, where an introductory or main narrative sets the stage either fo ...
in which several other more or less stand-alone components are absorbed, such as the essay ''It Jild'' ("The Money").Dykstra and Oldenhof, p. 40. ''Miswier'' ("Continuously Bad Weather") and ''De Twadde Jûn'' ("The Second Evening") are also extensive frame-stories, and ''De Skearwinkel fan Joutebaas'' ("Boss Joute's Barbershop") is a
dialogue Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American and British English spelling differences, American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literature, literary and theatrical form that depicts suc ...
, which includes the intriguing and completely stand-alone story ''Heksershol'' ("Hole of Witchcraft" – an old nickname for the village of Molkwerum). The only time Halbertsma wrote a literary work entirely without the participation of Eeltsje, was in 1837, when he published ''Oan Eölus'' ("To
Aeolus In Greek mythology, Aiolos, transcribed as Aeolus (; ; ) refers to three characters. These three are often difficult to tell apart, and even the ancient mythographers appear to have been perplexed about which Aeolus was which. Diodorus Siculus m ...
"),Breuker 1993, s. 591. a story inspired by a great storm in 1830, in which a
tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...
has blown thoughts and motifs together like whirling leaves. ''Oan Eölus'' could perhaps be seen as a clue that Halbertsma harboured greater literary aspirations than would fit in the ''De Lapekoer fan Gabe Skroar''.


As a man of science

And yet, for all that, Halbertsma's literary works did not take centerstage in his life: that place was reserved for his scientific non-fiction books.Breuker 1993, p. 590. More than fifty years he laboured to complete his dictionary of Western Frisian titled ''Lexicon Frisicum'', for which he chose
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
as the descriptive language, but it remained unfinished. He organised it along the lines of the German dictionary by the
Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob Grimm, Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm Grimm, Wilhelm (1786–1859), were Germans, German academics who together collected and published folklore. The brothers are among the best-known storytellers of Oral tradit ...
, but became enmeshed in the addition of insertions and in reworkings, and in writing long
semantic Semantics is the study of linguistic Meaning (philosophy), meaning. It examines what meaning is, how words get their meaning, and how the meaning of a complex expression depends on its parts. Part of this process involves the distinction betwee ...
etymologies Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...
, a part of the work for which he especially had a predilection. In the end, he never got past the letter F, and the dictionary remained a
manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...
, which was published in its unfinished form after Halbertsma's death, in 1872. In the 20th century, the material Halbertsma gathered for his ''Lexicon Frisicum'' was used by de Frisian Academy to develop several Western Frisian dictionaries, notably the 25 part ''Wurdboek fan de Fryske Taal'' ("Dictionary of the Western Frisian Language"; published 1984–2011). Furthermore, Halbertsma was the driving force behind the commemoration of the life of the famous 17th century Frisian poet Gysbert Japiks in 1823, which is seen by some as the starting point of the Frisian Movement. Afterwards he published an extensive literary history work under the title ''Hulde aan Gysbert Japiks'' ("Hail to Gysbert Japiks") in two parts in 1824 and 1827. In 1829 Halbertsma wrote ''Het Geslacht der Van Harens'' ("The Lineage of the Van Harens"), in which he primarily described the lives and literary works of the brothers and 18th century Dutch-language writers from Friesland Onno Zwier van Haren and Willem van Haren, whose work he admired greatly. Halbertsma was also the author of an 1836 biography of the Frisian poet Jan Cornelis Pieters Salverda (1783–1836), which almost has a naturalistic feel to it. In 1843 he published a historical work about the
Mennonites Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...
, called ''De Doopsgezinden en Hunne Herkomst'' ("The Mennonites and Their Origins"), and in 1851 he followed this up with ''Aanteekeningen op het Vierde Deel van den Spiegel Historiael van Jacob van Maerlant'' ("Notes on Part Four of the Spiegel Historiael by
Jacob van Maerlant Jacob van Maerlant (c. 1230–40 – c. 1288–1300) was a Flemings, Flemish poet of the 13th century and one of the most important Middle Dutch authors during the Middle Ages. Biography Jacob van Maerlant was born near Bruge ...
). Furthermore, in 1858, at the request of Prince Louis Lucien Bonaparte, whom he had met in London, Halbertsma published ''It Ewangeelje fen Matthewes'', which was the first Frisian translation of the
Biblical The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...
Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells the story of who the author believes is Israel's messiah (Christ (title), Christ), Jesus, resurrection of Jesus, his res ...
(or of any
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
for that matter). This translation evoked a great deal of criticism from Halbertsma's contemporaries, who thought it was much too realistic; today, it still has an almost modern feel to it, showing that Halbertsma was far ahead of his time. Halbertsma had a reputation of being an erudite man, which he won at a young age. He was especially known as a scholar of the
Germanic languages The Germanic languages are a branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family spoken natively by a population of about 515 million people mainly in Europe, North America, Oceania, and Southern Africa. The most widely spoke ...
, and to the present day he is widely acknowledged to have been a larger-than-life figure in the field of
linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...
. Shortly after returning to Friesland from his study in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
, friends from his student years who by then were occupying important posts within the civil service, introduced him to the social circles around the Frisian-minded provincial governor jonker Idsert Aebinga van Humalda. Later in life Halbertsma was acquainted with prominent Dutch literary figures, such as
Willem Bilderdijk Willem Bilderdijk (; 7 September 1756 – 18 December 1831) was a Dutch poet, historian, lawyer, and linguist. Life Willem Bilderdijk was born on 7 September 1756 in Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic.Joris van Eijnatten,Bilderdijk, W., ''Bio- en bi ...
, and what's more, he maintained a lively correspondence with European greats, like the Danish linguist
Rasmus Rask Rasmus Kristian Rask (; born Rasmus Christian Nielsen Rasch; 22 November 1787 – 14 November 1832) was a Danish linguist and philologist. He wrote several grammars and worked on comparative phonology and morphology. Rask traveled extensively ...
, the English poet
Robert Southey Robert Southey (; 12 August 1774 – 21 March 1843) was an English poet of the Romantic poetry, Romantic school, and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate from 1813 until his death. Like the other Lake Poets, William Wordsworth an ...
, and the German linguist and fairytale-collector
Jacob Grimm Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm (4 January 1785 – 20 September 1863), also known as Ludwig Karl, was a German author, linguist, philologist, jurist, and folklorist. He formulated Grimm's law of linguistics, and was the co-author of the ''Deutsch ...
. Moreover, he was invited to join learned historical and linguistic societies in
Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...
,
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, Berlin,
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en Halle-Wittenberg. Hence Halbertsma expected to be appointed professor of Dutch language and literature, and several times such an appointment seemed almost within his grasp, but each time it slipped away. His sharp pen probably played a role in this, but there were other reasons, too. In 1830, he lost out from the surplus of applicants washing over the Netherlands from the universities of
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
, which at that time had just seceded from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, and after 1840 a different type of scientist was called for, with a more specialised knowledge than Halbertsma commanded. That in 1837 he was awarded an honorary doctorate in literature by the
University of Leiden Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange as a Protestant institution, it holds the distinction of being the oldest university in the Neth ...
, was scant consolation to him. In part because of these disappointments, Halbertsma balanced on the edge of a burn-out for a long time, and especially in 1839, when he was passed over yet again, he went through a deep crisis. It was only in the 1860s, when he was in his seventies, that he seems to have achieved a state of mental composure. In part because of his linguistic erudition, Halbertsma has been named as the author of the infamous '' Oera Linda Book'', a falsified work which emerged in 1867 and was written in imitated
Old Frisian Old Frisian was a West Germanic language spoken between the late 13th century and the end of 16th century. It is the common ancestor of all the modern Frisian languages except for the North Frisian language#Insular North Frisian, Insular North ...
. It pretended to be an early history of Friesland and the
Frisian people The Frisians () are an ethnic group indigenous to the coastal regions of the Netherlands, north-western Germany and southern Denmark. They inhabit an area known as Frisia and are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen a ...
, and for a while it was considered authentic, until it was exposed as a
hoax A hoax (plural: hoaxes) is a widely publicised falsehood created to deceive its audience with false and often astonishing information, with the either malicious or humorous intent of causing shock and interest in as many people as possible. S ...
. However, it is considered much more likely that the true author of the ''Oera Linda Book'' was the librarian Eelco Verwijs, who lead the Provincial Library of Friesland and who had befriended Halbertsma,Breuker 1993, s. 589.Breuker 2016, s. 1957. or possibly the writer François Haverschmidt or the ship carpenter and self-taught freethinker Cornelis over de Linden. If Verwijs was the culprit, it is not thought to be impossible that Halbertsma tacitly or even openly provided him with advice.


Death

After his retirement, on 26 October 1856, which Halbertsma applied for himself because his heart was not in his duties as a minister anymore, he withdrew into his upstairs apartment, where from that point on he became increasingly more lonely as his family members and friends died away, although his foreign contacts through correspondence remained intact. Justus Hiddes Halbertsma died in Deventer on 27 February 1869, when he was 79 years of age. By that time he had been a
widower A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died and has usually not remarried. The male form, "widower", is first attested in the 14th century, by the 19th century supplanting "widow" with reference to men. The adjective for ...
for 22 years. He was survived by his sons Watse and Tsjalling. In 1947, the Dr. Joast Halbertsma Award, the highest provincial decoration in the field of historical (and later more general scientific) research concerning the province of
Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...
was named in his honour.


Legacy

After the death of all three Brothers Halbertsma, their short fiction and poetry was gathered under the supervision of librarian and archivist Gerben Colmjon and bookseller and historian Wopke Eekhoff.Wiersma, p. 5. In 1871, it was published by the firm of J. de Lange in Deventer, under the title of '' Rimen en Teltsjes'' ("Rhymes and Tales"). This work is now thought of as the national book of Western Frisian literature, and although the
literary Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, plays, and poems. It includes both print and digital writing. In recent centuries, ...
value of this collection was later disputed by some
critics A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governme ...
, it is undeniable that ''Rimen en Teltsjes'' and its predecessor ''De Lapekoer fan Gabe Skroar'' played a role of crucial importance in the development of a new literary tradition after Frisian had been used almost exclusively as a spoken language for three centuries. Justus Hiddes Halbertsma's influence on subsequent Western Frisian literature was enormous and of incalculable value. In 1949, author and literary critic Anne Wadman wrote that the Halbertsmas gave "the Western Frisian people a literary monument, in which it saw its own life as a nation ..reflected." As of today ''Rimen en Teltsjes'' still occupies the first slot in the ranking of Western Frisian literary classics. On his travels to England,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, and Ireland, in 1852 and 1853, Halbertsma was impressed by the number of museums and cabinets of
antiquities Antiquities are objects from antiquity, especially the civilizations of the Mediterranean such as the Classical antiquity of Greece and Rome, Ancient Egypt, and the other Ancient Near Eastern cultures such as Ancient Persia (Iran). Artifact ...
there were. This provided him with the idea to transfer his own collection of antiquities (originating for a major part in Hindeloopen, while the remainder came mostly from excavations of Frisian ''
terp A ''terp'', also known as a ''wierde, woerd, warf, warft, werf, werve, wurt'' or ''værft'', is an artificial dwelling mound found on the North European Plain that has been created to provide safe ground during storm surges, high tides and ...
s'') to the Province of Friesland. In 1853, the Cabinet of Antiquities of Friesland was formed out of his collection, which in 1881 became the Frisian Museum.Schroor, p. 873. Halbertsma also gave to the Province of Friesland, in part when he was still alive, his extensive library of scientific books, which was added to the Provincial Library of Friesland, en is to this day available for scientific research purposes at
Tresoar Tresoar (West Frisian for "treasure") is the short name for the ''Frysk Histoarysk en Letterkundich Sintrum'' ("Frisian History and Literature Center") in Leeuwarden. Tresoar manages digital archives about Friesland and its literature. There is a ...
. A large collection of
letters Letter, letters, or literature may refer to: Characters typeface * Letter (alphabet), a character representing one or more of the sounds used in speech or none in the case of a silent letter; any of the symbols of an alphabet * Letterform, the g ...
written by and to Halbertsma, including hundreds to his brothers Eeltsje en Tsjalling, long remained in the custody of the Halbertsma family, until they were given, in the course of the 20th century, on permanent loan to the Frisian Literary Museum and Documentation Centre (FLMD), which became part of Tresoar in 2002.


Bibliography


Literary works

(for the most part in Western Frisian) * 1822 – ''De Lapekoer fan Gabe Skroar'' ("Gabe Tailor's Rag Basket"; collection of poetry and short stories, with Eeltsje Hiddes Halbertsma) * 1829 – ''De Lapekoer fan Gabe Skroar'' (collection of poetry and short stories, with Eeltsje Hiddes Halbertsma; expanded version) * 1830 – ''In Nij Liet op Grouster Merke'' ("New Song about the Fair in Grou"; poem) * 1831 – ''In Skotsk Miel'' ("A Scottish Meal"; short story) * 1834 – ''Foeke Sjoerds'' (short story about the historical 18th century Frisian writer Foeke Sjoerds) * 1834 – ''Grêfskrift fan in Wynsûper op Him Selme'' ("Epitaph of a Wine-guzzler for Himself"; poem) * 1834 – ''De Lapekoer fan Gabe Skroar'' (collection of poetry and short stories, with Eeltsje Hiddes Halbertsma; further expanded version) * 1834 – ''Sûn Ferstân'' ("Sane of Mind"; short story) * 1835 – ''De Skearwinkel fan Joutebaas'' ("Boss Joute's Barbershop"; frame-story with several poems and short stories, with Eeltsje Hiddes Halbertsma en Tsjalling Hiddes Halbertsma) * 1836 – ''De Noarger Rún oan Gabe Skroar'' ("The Gelding from Norg to Gabe Tailor"; short story with a poem by Eeltsje Hiddes Halbertsma, including commentary by Justus Hiddes Halbertsma) * 1836 – ''De Treemter fan it Sint-Anthonygasthûs'' ("The Conversation Room of St. Anthony's Hospital"; short story by Eeltsje Hiddes Halbertsma, including commentary by Justus Hiddes Halbertsma) * 1837 – ''Oan Eölus'' ("To Aeolus"; short story) * 1837 – ''Eölus, Grewa fan Stoarm en Onwaar'' ("Aeolus, Lord of Storm and Thunder"; collection of poetry and short stories, with Eeltsje Hiddes Halbertsma) * 1840 – ''Twigen út in Alde Stamme'' ("Twigs from an Old Trunk"; collection of poetry and short stories, with Eeltsje Hiddes Halbertsma) * 1841 – ''Oan Petrus, Doe't er Doktor Waard'' ("To Petrus, When He Took His Doctor's Degree"; poems by Eeltsje Hiddes Halbertsma and Ferdinand Hanthal, with commentary by Justus Hiddes Halbertsma) * 1854 – ''Leed en Wille en de Flotgerzen'' ("Grief and Pleasure and Down Upon the Lee Shore"; collection of poetry and short stories, with Eeltsje Hiddes Halbertsma) * 1871 – ''It Grouwe Pak'' ("The Thick Suit"; short story) * 1871 – '' Rimen en Teltsjes'' ("Rhymes and Tales"; collection of poetry and short stories, with Eeltsje Hiddes Halbertsma en Tsjalling Hiddes Halbertsma) * 18?? – ''De Geboarteleppel'' ("The Birth Spoon"; short story) * 18?? – ''De Fûgel fan Bearn-poep'' ("German Bearn's Bird"; short story) * 18?? – ''De Bear op Reis'' ("The Bear on a Journey"; short story)


Scientific works

(for the most part in
Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...
) * 1824 – ''Hulde aan Gysbert Japiks'' ("Hail to Gysbert Japiks"; part 1; about life and works of the 17th century Frisian poet Gysbert Japiks) * 1827 – ''Hulde aan Gysbert Japiks'' (part 2) * 1829 – ''Het Geslacht der Van Harens'' ("The Lineage of the Van Harens"; primarily about the life and works of the 18th century Frisian (Dutch-language) poets and writers Onno Zwier van Haren and Willem van Haren) * 1834 – ''Friesche Spelling en Proeve van Vergelijking tusschen de Boven Ontworpene Spelling en Die van Gysbert Japicx'' ("Frisian Spelling and Comparison of the Newly Developed Spelling and That of Gysbert Japicx"; about the
spelling Spelling is a set of conventions for written language regarding how graphemes should correspond to the sounds of spoken language. Spelling is one of the elements of orthography, and highly standardized spelling is a prescriptive element. Spelli ...
of the Western Frisian language)
* 1836 – ''Friesic: Ancient and Modern Friesic Compared with Anglo-Sacon'' * 1836 – ''Jan Cornelis Pieters Salverda'' (biography of the 18th century Friesian poet Jan Cornelis Pieters Salverda) * 1836 – ''De Toenemende Wansmaak van de Nederlanders voor het Toneel'' ("The Increasingly Bad Taste of the Dutch in Their Theatre"; about the quality of Dutch theatre drama) * 1840 – ''Letterkundige Naoogst'' ("Literary After-Harvest"; part 1) * 1843 – ''Het Buddhisme en Zijn Stichter'' ("Buddhism and Its Founder"; about
buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
)
* 1843 – ''De Doopsgezinden en Hunne Herkomst'' ("The Mennonites and Their Origins"; about the
mennonites Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...
)
* 1845 – ''Letterkundige Naoogst'' (part 2) * 1846 – ''De Tongvallen in Nederland'' ("Dialects in the Netherlands"; about
dialect A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...
s spoken in the Netherlands)
* 1851 – ''Aanteekeningen op het Vierde Deel van den Spiegel Historiael van Jacob van Maerlant'' ("Notes on the Part Four of the Spiegel Historiael by Jacob van Maerlant"; about the '' Spiegel Historiael'', by
Jacob van Maerlant Jacob van Maerlant (c. 1230–40 – c. 1288–1300) was a Flemings, Flemish poet of the 13th century and one of the most important Middle Dutch authors during the Middle Ages. Biography Jacob van Maerlant was born near Bruge ...
)
* 1858 – ''It Ewangeelje fen Matthewes'' ("The Gospel of Matthew"; translation of the
Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells the story of who the author believes is Israel's messiah (Christ (title), Christ), Jesus, resurrection of Jesus, his res ...
to Western Frisian)
* 1861 – ''Levensberigten der in Dit Jaar Afgestorvene Medeleden: Bericht wegens Rinse Posthumus, in Leven Kerkleeraar bij de Hervormde Gemeenten van Waaxens en Brantgum in Friesland'' ("Biographical Notices of the Members Who Died This Year: Notice for Rinse Posthumus, in Life Minister of the Reformed Congregations of
Waaxens Waaxens () is a small village in Noardeast-Fryslân municipality in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of only 35 in January 2017. Before 2019, the village was part of the Dongeradeel municipality. The village was fi ...
and Brantgum in Friesland", in: ''Jaarboek van de Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde'', "Yearbook of the Dutch Literary Society"; obituary of the poet Rinse Posthumus)
* 1869 – ''Biografie van Deventer'' ("Biography of Deventer"; sarcastic description of the city of
Deventer Deventer (; Sallaans dialect, Sallands: ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Salland historical region of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Overijssel, ...
and its inhabitants)
* 1872 – ''Lexicon Frisicum'' (unfinished dictionary of the
Western Frisian language West Frisian (; ), or simply Frisian ( ; ), is a West Germanic language spoken mostly in the province of Friesland () in the north of the Netherlands, mostly by those of Frisian ancestry. It is the most widely spoken of the Frisian languages ...
)
* 1969 – ''Kent Gij Halbertsma van Deventer? In Tal Net Utjowne Hânskriften'' ("Knowest Thou Halbertsma from Deventer? A Number of Unpublished Manuscripts"; collection of unpublished works)


References


Sources

* , ''Twataligens: Ynlieding yn Underskate Aspekten fan de Twataligens'', Leeuwarden (Afûk), 1981, . * , ''Oer Skriuwers, Boek en Utjeften'', in: , ''Rimen en Teltsjes'', Drachten (A.J. Osinga Utjouwerij), 1993, , pp. 587–613. * , ''Halbertsma, Justus (Joost Hiddes)'', in: , ''Nieuwe Encyclopedie van Fryslân'', Gorredijk/Leeuwarden (Utjouwerij Bornmeer/Tresoar), 2016, , pp. 1126–1127. * , ''Lyts Hânboek fan de Fryske Literatuer'', Leeuwarden (Afûk), 1997, . * , ''Rimen en Teltsjes'', Bolsward/Leeuwarden (A.J. Osinga Utjouwerij/R. van der Velde), 1958, no ISBN. * , ''Rimen en Teltsjes'', Drachten (A.J. Osinga Utjouwerij), 1993, . * , ''Fryslân: Fêstens en Feroaring'', in: , ''De Fryslannen'', Leeuwarden (Frisian Council/Afûk), 2008, . * , ''Cultuur in Friesland en Friese Cultuur, 1795–1917'', in: , ''Geschiedenis van Friesland 1750–1995'', Amsterdam/Leeuwarden (Uitgeverij Boom/Fryske Akademy), 1998, , pp. 172–212. * , ''Spiegel van de Friese Poëzie: Van de Zeventiende Eeuw tot Heden'', Amsterdam (J.M. Meulenhoff B.V.), 1994, .
, ''Joost Hiddes Halbertsma (1789–1869)'', in: ''Overijselse Biografieën''.
* , ''Nieuwe Encyclopedie van Fryslân'', Gorredijk/Leeuwarden (Utjouwerij Bornmeer/Tresoar), 2016, . * , ''Tweeduizend Jaar Geschiedenis van Friesland'', Leeuwarden (Uitgeverij M.Th. van Seyen), no year, no ISBN. * , ''Fan Fryslâns Forline'', Bolsward (A.J. Osinga N.V.), 1968, no ISBN. * , ''Frieslands Dichters'', Leiden (L. Stafleu), 1949, no ISBN. * , ''Foarwurd'' and ''De Bruorren Halbertsma'', in: , ''Rimen en Teltsjes'', Bolsward (A.J. Osinga N.V.), 1958, pp. 5–14.


Further reading

* , ''J.H. Halbertsma, Gysbert Japicx en de Fryske Dialekten'', Leeuwarden (Fryske Akademy), 1973, no ISBN. * , ''De Collectie van J.H. Halbertsma in het Fries Museum'', in: ''De Vrije Fries'', 1969, pp. 17–32. * , ''J.H. Halbertsma als Lexicograaf'', Leeuwarden (Afûk), 2011, . * , ''Knooppunt Halbertsma: Joast Hiddes Halbertsma (1789–1869) en andere Europese geleerden over het Fries en andere talen, over wetenschap en over de samenleving'', Hilversum (Uitgeverij Verloren), 2009, . * , ''Joost Halbertsma 1789-1869: Triomfen en Tragedies van een Uitmiddelpuntig Man: Een biografie'', Grou (Uitgeverij Louise), 2018, . * , ''Joast Hiddes Halbertsma, Brekker en Bouwer'', Drachten (Drukkerij J. Laverman N.V.), 1969, no ISBN. {{DEFAULTSORT:Halbertsma, Justus Hiddes 1789 births 1869 deaths 19th-century Dutch male writers Dutch Protestant ministers and clergy Linguists from the Netherlands Dutch short story writers 19th-century Dutch poets Dutch non-fiction writers Dutch essayists 19th-century Dutch translators West Frisian-language writers Translators to West Frisian Translators of the Bible into Frisian People from Boarnsterhim People from Bolsward People from Deventer Dutch male poets 19th-century short story writers 19th-century essayists Male non-fiction writers