biography
| name: |
Brandt Corstius, Hugo
|
pronunciation:
[brahnt kaw(r)stius]
| sex:
| male
|
| lived:
| (1935– )
|
| biography:
| Computational linguist, columnist, and writer, born in Eindhoven, S Netherlands. His various pseudonyms include Battus, Piet Grijs, Stoker, Jan Eter, and Maaike Helder. In 1957–9 he was editor of the literary magazine Propria Cures, but is best known for his columns in Vrij Nederland magazine and De Volkskrant newspaper. His columns touch upon a wide range of subjects and are uncompromising. In 1984 he was awarded the P C Hooft-prijs but the then Minister of Culture refused to sanction this award because he regarded his work as offensive, and Brandt Corstius did not actually receive the prize until 1987. A milestone in his work is Opperlandse taal- en letterkunde (1981, Opperlandse Language and Literature), compiled under the pseudonym of Battus; it is a discourse about the potential of Opperlands, symbol of a language which is not intended to convey, in the strict sense, but especially to enjoy and play with. |
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