Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate

Who was Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate?

Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate was a Dutch divine, prose writer and poet. He was born at The Hague.

He started in life as a lawyer's clerk. It was his friend, Dr Heldring, pastor at Hemmen, in Gelderland, who, discovering in Ten Kate the germs of poetical genius, enabled him to study theology at the University of Utrecht.

Having completed his studies, Ten Kate became pastor at Middelburg, Amsterdam, and other places, meanwhile developing well-nigh ceaseless activity, both in prose and lyric poetry. Among his prose works may be mentioned the travel papers, Christelijke Overdenkingen, and other religious studies.

His early poetry was in the main original. The best known of his poems were:

Ahasverus op de Grimsel

Zangen des Tijds

Legenden en Mengelpoëzie

In den Bloemkof

De Schepping

De Planeten

De Jaargetijden

De Psalmen

De Vrouw in het Nederlandsch Lied