and "de heer van der Hóogen" (the bombastic character in "De
Familie Kegge")»
The Camera is the most popular work in the whole of Dutch
literature, despite the fact that it is now somewhat "dated"»
The 25th edition appeared in 1909s "the 30th in 1919 and the
42nd in 1942» The work has been translated into most European
languages and I have, inter alia, a Norwegian translation of
"De Familie Kegge" which appeared in 1924»Unfortunatelythere
has been no complete translation into English, althoughsections
of the work appeared in translation in Frazer's Magazine and
Chamber's Magazine in the 1850's,
Very reminiscent of Dickens' Sketches are also many of the
writing of Justus van Maurik (1846-1904) which give us a good
picture of middle- and lower-class life in Amsterdam sixty
years ago, much as Dickens did for the London of a hundred
years ago or so, and Henry Mayhew for the London of the 1850's»
Several of Beets' fellow-students at Leiden also wrote works
along the same lines as the Camera, and strangely enough they
were also almost entirely "one book" authors writing under
pseudonyms» The most important were Johannes Kneppelhout 1814
-85) whose Studententypen appeared in 1839-41 under the pseu
donym "Klikspaan" (sneak) ana JP.Hasebroek (1812~96) whose
Waarheid en Droomen (Truth and Dreams) appeared in 1840 under
the pseudonym "Jonathan"» In a similar vein are also the
Schetsen uit de Pastorie te Mastland 1843by C„E„ van Koets
veld (1807-73)»
In 1840 there appeared under the pseudonym "Vlerk", Bernard
Gewin's 1812-73) Reis ontmoetingen van Joachim Polsbroekerwoud
en zijn vrienden (Travelling Experiences of Joachim Polsbroeker
woud and His Friends), a rather perfunctory imitation of Pick
wick Papers. Its chapters have headings such as "A chapter in
which the inquisitive reader, wishing to know how travellers
go via Frankfurt to the watering-places, is very disappointed",
and -which is moreover very suitable to be omitted by those who
do not wish to make the acquaintance of' Frankfurt families."
The work was the result of a long journey begun by the author
in 1837 and ending, like that of the hero Polsbroekerwoud, in
Milan. Like Pickwick, the hero has four companions - the
quibbling Jan Veervlug, the sentimentalist August Holstaff,the
coquettish Eduard. van Tortel tak and the peevish Dionysius den
(voor voortzetting zie pag. 239)
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