On Monday afternoon, King Willem-Alexander received a Dutch translation of “The Correspondence of Desiderius Erasmus” at Noordeinde Palace.
The King received the text from publisher Ms Exler-Donker who he spoke to about how the book was translated from Latin and what Erasmus wrote about. They also discussed why it was decided to translate the book from Latin to Dutch. King Willem-Alexander donated his translated copy to the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation of which he is the patron.
“The Correspondence of Desiderius Erasmus” is a collection of 20 volumes that contain 3,141 letters that range in topics from his travel experiences to his observations to his friendships. Erasmus corresponded with people throughout Europe between 1484 and 1536. The correspondence was published in chronological order.
Desiderius Erasmus was a Dutch philosopher and Christian scholar during the Renaissance period. He has had a significant influence on literature, culture, science, politics, education and religion. He was born in the Holy Roman Empire in 1469 and died in what is now Switzerland in 1536.
The Royal House stressed that all health recommendations due to the pandemic were adhered to during the meeting on Monday.
As the patron of Praemium Erasmianum Foundation, the King usually presents the Erasmus Prize at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam each year. However, this year’s award presentation has been postponed until 2021. The Royal House explained that the prize is given “to a person or institution that, within the framework of the cultural traditions of Europe, has made a significant contribution in the fields of the humanities, social sciences and the arts.”
