author
H. J. (Hindrik Jan) Bulthuis
1865–1945
A Dutch writer, translator, and early Esperanto champion, he helped build a literary life for the language through novels, stories, and many translations. His work reached far beyond his day job in customs, and one of his novels later earned a place on a notable Esperanto reading list.
1 Audiobook
Idoj de Orfeo
by H. J. (Hindrik Jan) Bulthuis
About the author
Born in Warffum on September 15, 1865, Hindrik Jan Bulthuis was a Dutch customs official who became an important figure in Esperanto literature. He wrote original fiction and translated more than thirty works into Esperanto, helping give readers of the language a wider and richer body of books.
Before embracing Esperanto, he was active in Volapük, another international language movement. Later, he published novels, stories, and translations, and his novel Idoj de Orfeo (Children of Orpheus) was noted on William Auld's Basic Esperanto Reading List.
Bulthuis died on April 27, 1945, in Noordbroek. He is also remembered as part of a literary family: Dutch sources identify him as the father of writer Rico Bulthuis.