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Herman Benjamins

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Not to be confused with Herman Benjamin.
Herman Benjamins
Born
Herman Daniël Benjamins

(1850-02-25)25 February 1850
Paramaribo, Surinam
Died25 January 1933(1933-01-25) (aged 82)
The Hague, Netherlands
NationalityDutch
Occupation(s)educator, editor, writer
Notable workEncyclopaedie van Nederlandsch West-Indië (1914-1917)
De West-Indische Gids (1919)

Herman Daniël Benjamins (25 February 1850 – 25 January 1933), was a Surinamese educator, editor and writer. He is best known as the founding editor of De West-Indische Gids,[1] and editor of the Encyclopaedie van Nederlandsch West-Indië (1914-1917).[2]

Biography

Herman Daniël Benjamins was born in Paramaribo on 25 February 1850.[1] Benjamins went to the Netherlands to study mathematics and physics at the University of Leiden. He received his doctorate on 2 July 1875, and returned to Suriname.[3]

In 1877, Benjamins was appointed as the principal of a high school. The school opened on 15 November 1877, but closed again in March 1878[3] due to lack of students.[1] On 1 June 1878, Benjamins was appointed Inspector of Education,[3] and served in this capacity until 1910.[1] In 1882, the Geneeskundige School, a non-academic medical school, was founded and Benjamins was among the first teachers.[4]

During the first nine years, he doubles the number of students and teachers in Suriname.[5] Benjamins propagated the use of Dutch over Sranan Tongo, the English-based Creole spoken throughout the colony.[6] In 1893, he was awarded as Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion.[7] In 1910, he asked for retirement, and retired to the Netherlands.[8]

In 1914, Benjamins and Johannes Snelleman embarked on an encyclopaedia about the Dutch West-Indies. On 27 February 1917, the Encyclopaedie van Nederlandsch West-Indië was published.[9] In 2008, the Digital Library for Dutch Literature compiled the Canon of Dutch Literature, a list of 1,000 culturally important publications which includes the Encyclopaedie van Nederlandsch West-Indië.[10]

In 1919, Benjamins founded De West-Indische Gids, a magazine with topics about Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles.[11] In 2012, the magazine was acquired by Brill Publishers and is nowadays known as New West Indian Guide.[12] In 1898, Benjamins first started to write about the border dispute between Suriname and British Guiana. He extensively used his magazine to resolve the issue.[13] Benjamins was also fascinated by Aphra Behn, and often wrote about her.[14] In the translation of Oroonoko, Benjamins added a foreword casting doubt whether Behn had actually lived in Suriname, or whether the story is fictitious.[15]

Benjamins died 25 January 1933 in The Hague at the age of 82.[1]

Legacy

On 25 February 1930, the Westerschool was renamed Dr H.D. Benjaminsschool.[16] The H.D. Benjaminsstraat in Paramaribo has named in his honour.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Herman Daniël Benjamins". Suriname.nu (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  2. ^ Benjamins & Snelleman 1917.
  3. ^ a b c De Gids 1935, p. 6.
  4. ^ "Medical Care in Suriname" (in English and Dutch). Suralco Magazine. 2004. p. 14.
  5. ^ De Gids 1935, p. 8.
  6. ^ Snelleman 1933, pp. 127–128.
  7. ^ "Binnenlandsche Berichten". De West-Indiër via Delpher (in Dutch). 20 September 1893. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  8. ^ De Gids 1935, p. 15.
  9. ^ Snelleman 1933, p. 128.
  10. ^ "Basisbibliotheek". Digital Library for Dutch Literature (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  11. ^ Snelleman 1933, p. 134.
  12. ^ "Brill Completes Acquisition of KITLV Press". Info Today. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  13. ^ Snelleman 1933, p. 128, As of 2021, the border issue is still unresolved
  14. ^ Snelleman 1933, p. 130.
  15. ^ W. R. Menkman (1945). Suriname in Willoughby's tijd en eenige merkwaardige verschijnselen met de negerslavernij annex. New West-Indian Guide (in Dutch). p. 1. doi:10.1007/978-94-015-6737-4_1. ISBN 978-94-015-5284-4. S2CID 183079564.
  16. ^ "Dr. Benjamins-school". Suriname: koloniaal nieuws- en advertentieblad via Delpher (in Dutch). 18 February 1930. Retrieved 9 March 2021.

Bibliography

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