M. Kruijff

The May Project

A first English-language edition of the epic Dutch classic masterpiece "Mei" by Herman Gorter (1889).

Initiative: Michan Biesbroek

Translation: M. Kruijff

Illustrations: Cisca Baars

Cover design and illustration: Eva Polakovičová

Redacted by: Myrte Leffring, Vicky Francken and Anne Walter

Published by Arimei Books.

Herman Gorter (1864-1927)

Gorter was born into a simple family in Wormerveer, a rural town in the northwestern Netherlands. His father, a pastor, died when he was only six years old. Still, Gorter received a good education, studied classical languages in Amsterdam and became a teacher at a Gymnasium.

In 1889, after three years of work on his epic poem 'Mei' (May), Gorter finally could proclaim “the thing is done”. 'Mei' was published in three parts in the contemporary periodical De Nieuwe Gids (“The New Guide”), a retrospection of Gorter’s youth through nature, love, idealism, disillusion and melancholic reflection. Spontaneous and full of vibrant imagery, 'Mei' quickly became a landmark for the 1880 literary movement in The Netherlands, that attempted to reclaim aesthetics for the art (the “Tachtigers”).

In 1890, Gorter married the girl that stood model for Mei. That same year his “Verzen” was published, celebrating his spiritual and sensual experiences of these emotionally rich years. Gorter would gradually distance himself from the “Tachtigers” movement. He became increasingly politically engaged, and turned to express his Marxist ideals through his work. The metaphysical longing expressed in Book 2 of 'Mei' turned out to be a prelude to his more utopian work of this time, such as Pan (1916). Like Mei, Gorter eventually became disillusioned about the attainability of his ideals and had to deal with recurring depressions. Love remained a key theme in Gorter’s work until his death.