Albert Verwey was born in Amsterdam in 1865 as son of a furniture maker. In 1890, he married Kitty van Vloten (1867-1945), thereby becoming the brother-in-law of writer Frederik van Eeden and painter and photographer Willem Witsen. Albert and Kitty had seven children; one of them, Mea Nijland-Verwey, became a publisher. Albert Verwey passed away in 1937 in Noordwijk aan Zee.

Verwey appeared to be predestined for a career in trade, but he chose for a career in literature. During his years at secondary school he met the slightly older men of letters Frank van der Goes and Willem Kloos. Especially Kloos encouraged Verwey to pursue his writing but he quickly followed his own path. He went on to become an influential poet, an authoritative critic and a respected man of letters.

Read more about Albert Verwey as:
poet and translator
editor and critic
man of letters and professor