Felix Ortt

Born in Groningen in 1866, Felix Louis Ortt trained as a civil engineer and worked in hydraulic engineering before becoming better known for his writing and public ideas. Sources on his life describe him as a writer, translator, and social reformer, and as one of the most important voices in the development of Christian anarchism in the Netherlands.

Ortt was active across several progressive movements of his time. He helped found the Dutch Vegetarian Association in 1894, supported animal welfare and antimilitarism, and was associated with the magazine Vrede. His interests were unusually wide, reaching from social and religious questions to psychology and dreams.

His published work includes both literary and reflective writing, with titles listed by the Digital Library for Dutch Literature ranging from Naar het groote licht to later books such as De droom. For listeners coming to him today, he stands out as a thoughtful, unconventional figure whose books were closely tied to the ideals he tried to live by.