Frisian literature

Frisian literature, the literature that is written in West Frisian, a language closely related to Old English, and now spoken primarily by the inhabitants of Friesland, a northern province of the Netherlands. (The languages known as East Frisian and North Frisian made little contribution to Frisian literature. See Frisian language.) Frisian literature, as it is known today, began with Gysbert Japicx (also spelled Japiks; 1603–66) in the 17th century. Friesland’s incorporation into the Dutch Republic...