Back 26 January 2019

Het bezwaarde hart – The Burdened Heart

Poetry Day, next Thursday (31 January), is the start of Poetry Week in the Netherlands. Countless activities will be held to celebrate and encourage poetry. M.C. Escher was not a poet, but he did have a brother who met that description: Johan George Escher (usually called George, 1894-1969), the eldest son of the second marriage of George Arnold Escher with Sara Adriana Gleichman. He published two poetry collections. The first one, Het bezwaarde hart (The Burdened Heart), was published by Van Dishoeck in 1937. The second, Oude en nieuwe gedichten (Old and New Poems), appeared just before his death in 1969. Brother Maurits created the title page for George’s debut.

M.C. Escher, Het Bezwaarde Hart: vignette for cover and page 3, woodcut, September 1937

Marriage in Viareggio, 16 June 1924. Johan George Escher is standing 3rd from right. Father and mother Escher are to his right.

Johan George Escher and his wife Emilie Nemitz are visiting Maurits and Jetta in Rome. Jetta is on the right, her eldest son George is sitting center. 28 March 1929.

Article about the book in 'Het Bloemendaalsch Weekblad', 7 January 1938

From the book, the poem Somnus

Erik Kersten Editor

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