Frank Martinus Arion

Who is Frank Martinus Arion?

Frank Martinus Arion, pseudonym of Frank Efraim Martinus, was born on December 17, 1936 in Curaçao in the Netherlands Antilles. He is a poet and a novelist, and a language advocate.

He moved to the Netherlands in 1955 and in 1981 returned to Curaçao, where he became head of the Curaçao Language Institute that promotes the use of the Papiamento language. His works include The Last Freedom and Double Play. The latter novel is considered to be his magnum opus and was published in 1973. He currently heads the Curaçao Language Institute promoting the use of Papiamento, the local creole language.