Simon Vestdijk (ˈsimɔn ˈvɛs̬dɛi̯k; October 17, 1898-March 23, 1971) was a Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 writer.

Born in the small town of Harlingen

Harlingen, Netherlands

Harlingen is a municipality and a city in the northern Netherlands, in the province of Friesland at the Wadden Sea. Harlingen is an old town with a long history of fishing and shipping....

, Vestdijk studied medicine in Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

, but turned to literature after a few years as a doctor. He became one of the most important 20th-century writers in the Netherlands. His prolificness as a novelist was legendary, but he was at least as important as an essayist on e.g., literature, art, music and religion. He also wrote poetry and short stories. His work has been translated into most Western European languages.

External links

• http://www.svestdijk.nl/al/wpengels.html
• http://www.vestdijk.com (Dutch)