Multilingualism of Constantijn Huygens (1596-1687)

Dutch, French, Latin, Greek, Italian, English, Spanish, and German: those are the eight languages in which Dutch Golden Age poet Constantijn Huygens (1596—1687) wrote his poetry and correspondence. He also knew a bit of Hebrew and Portuguese. Examining a wide range of Huygens’s writings“including personal letters, state correspondence, and poetry“Christopher Joby explores how Huygens tested the boundaries of language with his virtuosity as a polyglot. From Huygens’s multilingual code switching to his writings on architecture, music, and natural science, this comprehensive account is a must-read for anyone interested in this Dutch statesman and man of letters.

'If you love languages, Joby's book is a pleasure to read: a very careful reconstruction of the multilingualism of a special individual in the seventeenth century.' -Marc van Ostendorp, Meertens Institute, Leiden University

Dr. Christopher Joby is Associate Professor of Dutch, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul, South Korea. He is the author of 'The Multilingualism of Constantijn Huygens (1596-1687)' (AUP, 2014), and 'The Dutch Language in Britain (1550-1702)' (Brill, 2015). Professor, Department of Dutch, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul, Korea. He has published many articles on the work of Huygens and Vondel, and on Dutch language and literature in early modern Britain.