Jacques Perk

Dutch writer

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July 1, 2026

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Jacques Perk was a Dutch poet whose posthumously published sonnet cycle, Mathilde (1882), is considered to have initiated a new era in Dutch literature. He was influenced by the style of Eduard Douwes Dekker, also known as Multatuli.1

Willem Kloos, a prominent figure in the 1880 Dutch literary revival, published Perk's poetry in 1882 and wrote an influential introduction that declared, "poetry alone makes life worth living." This statement became a manifesto for the movement. Kloos, an admirer of English Romantic poets, championed beauty and individual expression in art.2

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Dutch literature
Romanticism
…the new generation, such as Jacques Perk, who wrote sketches in Dekker’s humorous style before composing a sonnet cycle, Mathilde (published posthumously in 1882), which opened a new epoch in Dutch literature.
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…the new generation, such as Jacques Perk, who wrote sketches in Dekker’s humorous style before composing a sonnet cycle, Mathilde (published posthumously in 1882), which opened a new epoch in Dutch literature.
Read More