Joan de Haes en de Poëtenoorlog

Abstract

At the beginning of the eighteenth century Joan de Haes, a rather unkown Dutch poet, played an important role in the so- called ‘Poëtenoorlog’. The main issue was whether the famous poet Vondel ought to be the guiding author of the Dutch poets or the poets of the ‘doctrine classique’, such as Corneille. Joan de Haes was an admirer of Vondel. He hated ‘French’ interference which he regarded as a danger to Dutch poetry. In several pamphlets he attacked his opponents. One time he parodied his adversary, the other time he used irony as a weapon. The conflict between these poets sometimes got very personal. Swearwords often were used. De Haes played an active role in the ‘Poëtenoorlog’. His main concern was defending Vondel and stopping the frenchifying of Dutch literature. In spite of all his efforts he did not succeed in his mission.