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An exceptional manuscript, a factual autobiography, written by Gerrit Achterberg (1905-1962), one of the greatest Dutch poets of the 20th century, at the request of his psychiatrist when forcibly hospitalised by court order after his trial for murdering his lover and landlady in 1937. Achterberg describes, in short and clear sentences, the main facts of his life and of his poetic career. However, at the end he admits that he can not write about the the events that brought about his stay in the clinic for psychotics. "Het bovenstaande is alleen juist wat betreft de feiten op zichzelf. Het is geen levensbeschrijving: m'n leven moge waarneembaar zijn uit m'n verzen.." Gerrit Achterberg's poetry is considered to be by far the greatest of his time. And even when in the clinic, he stood out among all poets around the literary periodical "Criterium" (1939-1942) for depth, sincerity and style. In 1943 Achterberg was allowed to leave the clinic, but he remained under treatment for most of his life. He published several books of poetry, contributed to numerous literary periodicals, and maintained an extensive correspondence. After her death in 1989, his widow left all Achterberg's personal material - spanning the period from 1925 to 1961 - to the "Letterkundig Museum" in The Hague. The large "Achterberg Collection" is considered to be one of most prized collections of the museum. Even today, there is a separate literary society devoted to Achterberg's work. The present autograph originates from the files of the "Rijksasyl voor Psychopaten" in Avereest, Overijssel, now part of Hardenberg. Good copy.
€ 5,500.00 item: 6436
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