A. C. C. de Vletter

Antony Cornelis Christiaan de Vletter was born on September 17, 1866, in Scheveningen and died on November 9, 1935, in The Hague. He spent most of his working life in education, beginning as a teacher in The Hague in 1886 and remaining in primary schooling until his retirement in 1931.

He began publishing children’s books in the 1890s, debuting with In de vacantie in 1893. After that came a long, productive career: reference sources credit him with roughly fifty children’s books, along with hundreds of short stories for young readers. Titles such as In dagen van spanning, Paljas, Admiraal Snor, and De stad van karton helped make him a familiar name in Dutch children’s literature.

De Vletter also worked with children’s magazines, briefly succeeding P. Louwerse as editor of Voor 't jonge volkje in 1908, and later serving for years as an editor of Jong Leven. Beyond books, he loved the stage: in 1899 he co-founded the theater society Kunst En Anders Niets with his brother Antoine, and he wrote, directed, and acted in plays. His work places him among the generation of Dutch schoolmasters who also became influential writers for young readers.