author
Melis Stoke
1892–1942
A Dutch journalist, poet, and novelist who published much of his fiction under the pen name Melis Stoke, he brought wit and sharp observation to his writing. His life was cut short after arrest under the Nazi occupation, and he was killed in Mauthausen in 1942.
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About the author
Born in Amsterdam on March 24, 1892, Herman Salomonson wrote fiction mainly under the pseudonym Melis Stoke, a name borrowed from a medieval Dutch writer. He became known as a Dutch journalist, writer, and poet, and his work is still remembered through editions and recordings published under that pen name.
The surviving biographical sources describe him as a Jewish Dutch author whose career included journalism as well as literary writing. A 1922 portrait survives on his Wikipedia page, and reference sources consistently identify Melis Stoke as the name under which he published much of his creative work.
His life ended tragically during the Second World War. After the German occupation of the Netherlands, he was arrested and was killed in Mauthausen concentration camp on October 7, 1942.