Gerbrand Adriaensz Bredero
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gerbrand Adriaensz. Bredero (* March 16, 1585 - † August 23, 1618) was a Dutch poet and playwright in the period known as the Dutch Golden Age.
[edit] Life
In 1585 Bredero was born in Amsterdam, where he lived his whole life. He called himself "G.A. Bredero, Amstelredammer", and sometimes he is called Breero or Brederode. He was the third child of Marry Gerbrants and Adriaen Cornelisz. Bredero, who was a shoemaker and a successful real estate agent. Bredero was born on the Nes, nowadays number 41, and in 1602 he and his family moved to a house on Oude Zijds Voorburgwal, nowadays number 244, which his father bought. Bredero lived in this house the rest of his life. Both houses are now restaurants.
In school Bredero learned French and possibly also some English and Latin. Later he was educated as an artist by the Antwerp painter Francesco Badens, but none of his paintings have survived. In 1611 he became a member of the rederijkerskamer d'Eglantier, where he was an active member and met friends like Roemer Visscher and P.C.Hooft. Together with Hooft he joined Costers Nederduytsche Academie. In this period he wrote the play "De Spaanschen Brabander Ierolimo".
The only public position Bredero had was vaandrig or standard bearer of the civic guard. In the year 1618, on the age of 33, Bredero suddenly died, shortly after he had recovered from pneumonia that he had gotten from falling through some ice. He was never married.
[edit] External links
- G.A. Bredero - digital versions of a major part his oeuvre (in Dutch)
- Bredero song text page - English translations of several songs of Bredero
- G.A. Bredero 1585-1618 - pictures of Bredero
- Newly discovered poems of Bredero and Starter - digital versions of in 2004 discovered poems (in Dutch)
