Pierre Lauffer
Born
Pierre Antoine Lauffer[1]

(1920-08-22)22 August 1920
Curaçao
Died14 June 1981(1981-06-14) (aged 60)
Willemstad, Curaçao[2]
Occupation(s)Writer and poet
Notable workKumbu (1955)
Kantika pa Bientu (1964)

Pierre Lauffer (22 August 1920 – 14 June 1981) was a Curaçaoan writer and poet who mainly wrote in Papiamentu. He is considered one of the greatest poets of Curaçao.[1][3][4][5]

Biography

Lauffer was born on 22 August 1920 as Pierre Antoine Lauffer.[1] He graduated from the Mulo (junior high school) in 1936, and started various jobs as a civil servant, a military policeman, and an undertaker. During this time, he was writing stories and poetry as a hobby.[4] His first publication was a story in Dutch for the magazine De Stoep.[6]

In 1944 Patria, his first poetry collection in Papiamentu, was published. It received a negative review from De Stoep who questioned the usefulness of a poetry book which a mere 100,000 people could read.[7] In 1950, Lauffer co-founded the magazine Simadán written entirely in Papiamentu in order to compete with De Stoep.[8] The magazine would only have three editions. In 1955, he published Kumbu[7] with rhythmic poetry.[4] It was the first publication of modernist poetry in Papiamentu with an emphasis on the emotional value of the words.[9]

In 1964, Lauffer published Kantika pa Bientu for which he was awarded a prize by the Cultural Centre Curaçao.[7] The publications were not a commercial success given the limited market,[10] and in 1965, Lauffer became an English school teacher.[4] At the age of 47, he fell in love with an 18-year-old woman, and married for the second time. The marriage didn't last, and his poetry became more melancholic.[10] In 1969, Lauffer was awarded the Cola Debrot Prize for his poetry.[11] In 1970, he became a Papiamentu teacher at the Pedagogical Academy.[4]

In his later years, Lauffer started to write children's books in Papiamentu, because he felt that children were being neglected by the few Papiamentu writers.[12] Lauffer died on 14 June 1981, at the age of 60.[2]

Legacy

On 16 July 1981, Fundashon Pierre Lauffer was established in his honour to promote Papiamentu. The Premio Bienal Pierre Lauffer is a biannual prize for people who have earned merits for the advancement of Papiamentu.[13] In 1982, the Mgr Zwijssen College where Lauffer used to teach was renamed Kolegio Pierre Lauffer.[14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Olga E. Rojer, Joseph O. Aimone and Pierre Antoine Lauffer (2007). "Pierre Antoine Lauffer". Journal of Caribbean Literatures. 5 (1): 97–103. JSTOR 40986321.
  2. 1 2 "Pierre Antoine Lauffer". Amigoe via Delpher.nl (in Papiamento). 18 June 1981. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  3. ↑ "Pierre Lauffer Ensemble". Writers Unlimited. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Wim Rutgers. "Pierre Lauffer: nationaal auteur" (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  5. ↑ Anton Korteweg, Kees Nieuwenhuijzen, Max Nord (1980). Schrijversprentenboek van de Nederlandse Antillen (in Dutch). Amsterdam: De Bezige Bij. p. 16.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ "In Memoriam Pierre Laufer". Amigoe via Delpher.nl (in Dutch). 15 June 1981. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 Ezra de Haan. "Zoeken naar onbereikbaar geluk". Hebban (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  8. ↑ Wim Rutgers (2002). Europa buitengaats (in Dutch). Amsterdam: Bert Bakker. p. 267. ISBN 90-351-2397-2.
  9. ↑ Henry Habibe. "Vaderlandsliefde en melancholie in de poëzie van Pierre Lauffer (IV en slot)". Werkgroep Caraibische Letteren (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  10. 1 2 Albert Hogeweij. "Biografie van Curaçaose dichter Pierre Lauffer". Literair Nederland (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  11. ↑ Wim Rutgers (1994). Schrijven is zilver, spreken is goud (Thesis) (in Dutch). University of Utrecht. p. 324. ISBN 9990492107.
  12. ↑ "Lezing over Pierre Lauffer als nationale dichter". Amigoe via Delpher.nl (in Dutch). 19 April 1990. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  13. ↑ Wim Rutgers (1996). Beneden en boven de wind. Amsterdam: De Bezige Bij. p. 332. ISBN 90-234-3530-3.
  14. ↑ "Fundashon Pierre Laufer". Amigoe via Delpher.nl (in Papiamento). 3 September 1982. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
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