Description
Book SynopsisDutch, 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.
Trade Review'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 UniversityTable of Contents1: 'Multilingualism: An Introduction' 2: 'Huygens' Language Acquisition' 3: 'The "multidimensionality" of Huygens' Multilingualism' 4: 'Huygens' multilingualism in music, science and architecture' 5: 'Huygens and Translation' 6: 'Code Switching in Huygens' work' 7: 'The multilingualism of Huygens' children' Epilogue
