Books by Louis Couperus

Louis Couperus (1863 - 1923) is one of the most loved and widely read Dutch authors. From 1872 to 1878 he lived with his parents in Batavia in former Dutch Indies, now Indonesia. This left a lasting impression and the Dutch Indies were used as the backdrop for some of his most famous books. In 1887 Couperus wrote the novel that he hoped would fufil his writing potential: Eline Vere. It was serialised in Het Vaderland, one of the main papers based in The Hague. It made his name and it was so popular that the last instalment was the topic of discussion everywhere in the city- have you heard what happened to Eline? When he was pressed to reveal on whom Eline was modelled, he simply said: 'Eline - that is me'. Couperus went on to write many famous novels and he was so successful that many were translated into English during his lifetime. Such was his fame that when he visited London he was invited for a meeting with the then Prime Minister Herbert Asquith and the Opposition Leader.