ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Nineteenth-century Dutch literature

Okay kiddo, let's talk about nineteenth-century Dutch literature. Back in the olden days, people in the Netherlands wrote stories, poems, and other things that we call literature. This happened during a time called the nineteenth century, which means the years from 1800 to 1899.

During this time, Dutch literature had some really important writers who made a big impact on the world of literature. Do you know what a writer does? A writer is someone who makes up stories or writes down things about what is happening in the world. They use their words to create pictures in our minds of what they are talking about.

One very famous Dutch writer from the nineteenth century was named Multatuli. That's a funny name, isn't it? Multatuli actually means "I have suffered a lot" in Latin. His real name was Eduard Douwes Dekker, but he used Multatuli as his pen name. He wrote a book called Max Havelaar that was all about how the people in the Dutch colonies were being treated unfairly by the Dutch government. It was an important book because it showed the problems with how the colonies were being run.

Another famous Dutch writer from that time was Louis Couperus. He wrote stories about how people lived during the nineteenth century in the Netherlands. He wrote about people's relationships, their feelings, and what they did for fun. His books are still read today because they show us what life was like back then.

There were also some Dutch poets who were really famous during the nineteenth century. A poet is someone who writes poems. One of these poets was called Piet Paaltjens. His real name was Francois Haverschmidt, but most people know him by his pen name. He wrote funny poems about serious things, like death and sadness. His poems are still read today because of the way he uses humor to talk about things that are usually sad.

So, to sum it up, nineteenth-century Dutch literature was all about the stories, poems, and other things that people in the Netherlands wrote during the years from 1800 to 1899. They had some really important writers like Multatuli and Couperus, who wrote books that are still read today. They also had poets like Piet Paaltjens who used humor to talk about sad things.