Is. Querido
1872–1932
Biography
Israël Querido (1872–1932) was a Dutch writer of naturalist novels, born and died in Amsterdam. He came from a poor Jewish family and had to earn his living young, working as a watchmaker, violinist, diamond worker, jeweller and journalist before he became known as an author.
He first published poems in 1893 under the pen name Theo Reeder, with Verzen, followed by Gedichten in 1894. His first prose was harshly naturalist, and Émile Zola was his model for Levensgang (1901). Menschenwee (1903), the book listed on this site under his name, comes from this early naturalist period.
Later he moved away from strict naturalism. His four-volume De Jordaan cycle (1912–1925) is set in Amsterdam's Jordaan district, and after the example of Louis Couperus he wrote a three-part historical cycle, De oude waereld, het land van Zarathustra (1918–1921), about King Xerxes and the Persian empire. His novels are sympathetic to workers and the socialist movement, and he was popular in socialist circles, partly through his column in the daily Het Volk. He had a weak heart for years, and his death in 1932, at the age of 59, came unexpectedly.
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Books
Menschenwee: Roman van het land
by Is. Querido
In the market gardens and bulb fields near the Dutch coast, labourers like Dirk dig, plant and harvest through wind and rain for very little. Querido's long naturalist novel follows the families who work the land through the seasons of toil, hunger, drink and quarrels. This book…
Summary written by Claude Opus 5.5.