Eeuwigduurende liefdes almanak
- Type:
- boek
- Titel:
- Eeuwigduurende liefdes almanak
- Jaar:
- 1721
- URL:
- https://books.google.be/books?id=YUBaAAAAcAAJ Google Books
- Onderwerp:
- 18th Century (1701-1800)
Poetry
Emblem
Almanac
Mythology
Netherlands - Taal:
- Nederlands
- Uitgever:
- Cyprus [sic] Mirtillo 1721
- Plaatsnummer:
- ORPH.KTS1 C3.30 X1A02 (Orpheus Instituut)
- Paginering:
- engraved frontispiece and title page, leather bound, gild embossed spine, illustrations 129 pages
- Nota:
- certainly not published in Cyprus
ms. note in the cover revealing Philokalus as the Leiden student Albertus van Twist
frontispiece engraving depicting "La Naissance de Venus" (3 naked sea Nymphs and Venus)
"Van Twist, geboren te Hulst in 1699, had zich in 1718 ingeschreven als rechtenstudent te Leiden, waar hij, als we de pamfletten mogen geloven, meer interesse toonde voor lessen in de liefde dan voor colleges. Deze pamfletten zijn blijkbaar geschreven door medestudenten of anderen die getuige waren van de pogingen tot vrijages van Van Twist. De Eeuwigduurende liefdes almanak is dus een sleutelalmanak: achter de fictieve namen in de gedichten gaan echte personen schuil. Daarmee neemt het een unieke positie in temidden van andere Nederlandse almanakken." (kb.nl)
engravings on frontispiece, title-page and at pages 36, 37-59, 88, 90, 92, 94, and 122
The Eeuwigduurende liefdes almanak is one of the first almanacs that is playfully aimed by the writer and publisher who called himself by the antique name Philomúsus Philokaus, admirer of muse and beauty, and thus puts himself in the mythological tradition. This cheeky man placed elements from traditional calendars in amatory/amorous context, like the twelve months of the year of love ‘de twaelf maenden van ‘t jaer der liefde’. Visit is the first month, Hope the fifth, the eight month is called Connection, Regret the eleventh which is followed by Indifference. Also other elements of life and cycles from the year of love are described in the same style as noted above.
The frolic author of this richly illustrated work hid his real identity behind the pseudonyms Philomúsus Philokaus and Philander Mirtillo from Cyprus (which is known as the place where the Roman goddess Venus first touched land after she was born on open sea). Revealing the person behind the almanac became an obsession short after its publication in 1721. Contemporaries tried to light the veil of mystery by spreading pamphlets. This quest ended at the student Albertus van Twist, who aimed to immortalize his impossible love for Johanna Susanna Alensoon. Van Twist, born in Hulst in 1696, registered as a law student in Leiden in 1718. If the pamphlets are right, he paid more interest about lessons of love than the actual law classes. These pamphlets are written by fellow students and other witnesses of Van Twists flirts. The Eeuwigduurende liefdes almanak is thus a key almanac, there are real people behind the fictive names in the poems, which makes this book extraordinary amid other Dutch almanacs. Besides the unusual content, there are more reasons for this book to be very special. Already in the early eighteenth century, right after publishing, this book was rare, concluding by the fact that in later years the author himself bought copies of the book. In the end everything luckily turned out well for the romantic Mister Van Twist. He promoted in 1721, the year of publishing, and moved back to Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, where he got married twice, gave life to a lot of children and finally made it to bailiff. - Permalink:
- https://cageweb.be/catalog/orp01:000005000