Adriaan Roland Holst
A Dutch poet whose mystical, symbolist verse earned him the regal nickname and the enduring voice of his nation's literary conscience.
1888–1976 (age 88)·Dutch writer·Birthday: May 23·The Lost Generation
Biography
Adriaan Roland Holst, often referred to simply as 'A. Roland Holst', crafted a poetic universe distinct from the everyday. His work, steeped in Celtic mythology and a profound sense of melancholy, sought a higher, timeless beauty. Living a reclusive life for periods, he became a central, almost mythical figure in Dutch literature, his voice echoing with themes of isolation, art, and a longing for a heroic past. This earned him the unofficial but deeply resonant title 'Prince of Dutch Poets'. While his complex, symbolic style never sought mass appeal, it commanded immense respect, solidifying his position as a essential, if solitary, pillar of the Dutch cultural landscape throughout the mid-20th century.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Adriaan was born in 1888, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Adriaan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1888
Adriaan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1888Born
President: Grover Cleveland
1893Started school
World's Columbian Exposition dazzles Chicago
President: Grover Cleveland
1901Became a teenager
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1904Could drive
New York City opens its first subway line
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1906Could vote
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1909Turned 21
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1918Turned 30
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1928Turned 40
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1938Turned 50
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1948Turned 60
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1958Turned 70
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 80
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1976Died at 88
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
Key Achievements
- Awarded the prestigious Constantijn Huygens Prize in 1948 for his body of poetic work.
- Nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1961.
- Served as the president of PEN International's Dutch centre.
- His collected poems were published in a definitive volume in 1956.
Did You Know?
He was a cousin of the Dutch artist Richard Roland Holst.
He initially studied to become a businessman before turning to literature.
He spent significant time living in England and was influenced by English poets like William Blake and W.B. Yeats.
He refused several official honors offered by the Dutch state later in his life.
“Poetry is the language in which man explores his own amazement.”
