L. A. J. (Leendert Alexander Johannes) Burgersdijk

Leendert Alexander Johannes Burgersdijk was born in Alphen aan den Rijn on March 11, 1828, and died in Apeldoorn on January 15, 1900. Dutch reference sources describe him as both a biologist and a translator, showing how comfortably he moved between science and letters.

He is especially remembered for becoming the first translator to bring the complete works of William Shakespeare into Dutch. That achievement gave him a lasting place in Dutch literary history, and later studies of his work still point to the scale and importance of that project.

Burgersdijk also worked in education, and a later biographical notice about his son identifies him as the well-known Shakespeare translator who had earlier served as a professor at the Royal Military Academy in Breda before taking teaching posts in Deventer. He was also connected with the Royal Academy for Dutch Language and Literature, reflecting the respect he earned in literary circles as well as in scholarship.