Bram Dijkstra Explained

Bram Dijkstra (born Abraham Dijkstra on 5 July 1938) is an American author, literary critic and former professor of English literature. Dijkstra wrote seven books on various literary and artistic subjects concerning writing. He also curates art exhibitions and writes catalog essays for San Diego art museums.

Early life and education

Dijkstra was born on a small island in Indonesia but spent his formative years in the Netherlands. His father had been interned in a Japanese concentration camp and died soon after World War II.^{[1] [2]} Dijkstra later moved to the United States, where he attended San Diego State University. After completing his undergraduate studies, Dijkstra earned his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Berkeley.^[3]

Career

He joined the faculty of the University of California, San Diego in 1966 and taught there until he retired and became an emeritus professor in 2000. He has written seven books including Idols of Perversity: Fantasies of Feminine Evil in Fin-de-siècle Culture (1986) and Evil Sisters: The Threat of Female Sexuality and the Cult of Manhood (1996).^{[4] [5]}

Personal life

Dijkstra is married to Sandra Dijkstra, a prominent literary agent known for representing numerous acclaimed authors. He lives in Del Mar, California.

Art and music collecting

Dijkstra and his wife Sandra Dijkstra are avid collectors of art, literary works, and music; in 2023, they made a significant gift to Stanford University, donating a major collection of materials related to Black music, including rare recordings on vinyl disc documenting the history of Black music.^{[6] [7]}

The Dijkstras have also contributed to San Diego State University, gifting a collection of rare pulp fiction magazines that provide insight into mid-20th-century popular culture.^[8] Additionally, they have donated rare artwork to The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, where their contributions have enriched the museum's holdings in American and European art.^{[9] [10]}

Publications

• Faces in Skin: Poems and Drawings (Oyez, 1965)
• Hieroglyphics of a New Speech: Cubism, Stieglitz and the Early Poetry of William Carlos Williams (Princeton University Press, 1970)
• Idols of Perversity: Fantasies of Feminine Evil in Fin-de-siècle Culture (Oxford University Press, 1986)^[11]
• Evil Sisters: The Threat of Female Sexuality and the Cult of Manhood (Knopf, 1996)
• Georgia O'Keeffe and the Eros of Place (Princeton University Press, 1998)^[12]
• American Expressionism: Art and Social Change 1920–1950 (Harry N. Abrams, 2003)^[13]
• Naked: The Nude in America (Rizzoli, 2010)^[14]

External links

• Interview with Bram Dijkstra

Notes and References

1. News: Gable . Mona . February 16, 1987 . Professor's Work Examines Negative Images of Women . Los Angeles Times . November 12, 2024.
2. News: Lacher . Irene . November 24, 1996 . The Thinker and the Doer: He writes feminist books; She's an agent for 'humane' writers; Keeping their activist ideals intact, Bram and Sandy Dijkstra have forged a literary way of life . Los Angeles Times . November 13, 2024.
3. News: Karampelas . Gabrielle . January 24, 2023 . Stanford Libraries receives major Black music collection, supporting new department and expanding possibilities for research . Stanford Libraries News . September 24, 2024.
4. News: Weben . Eugene . December 21, 1986 . Idols of Perversity . Los Angeles Times . November 13, 2024.
5. News: Marienthal . Hal . November 24, 1996 . Kisses Sweeter Than Wine . Los Angeles Times . November 13, 2024.
6. News: Zhang . Andrew . March 5, 2023 . University receives vast Black music collection — what does this mean for Stanford? . Stanford Daily . Palo Alto, California . November 13, 2024.
7. News: Varga . George . January 25, 2023 . A $2.3 million collection of rare albums, once bound for SDSU, is headed to Stanford University . San Diego Union-Tribune . November 13, 2024.
8. News: Robbins . Gary . Varga . George . February 28, 2022 . Del Mar couple claims 'donor abuse' in dispute with SDSU over rare music collection . San Diego Union-Tribune . September 24, 2024.
9. Web site: Dijkstras and The Huntington: A Wonderful Romance . . The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens . September 24, 2024.
10. News: Ng . David . July 8, 2014 . Huntington acquires paintings by Robert S. Duncanson, Charles White . Los Angeles Times . November 13, 2024.
11. Alessandra Comini, "Posters from the War Against Women", review of Idols of Perversity (The New York Times, Books section, Feb. 1, 1987)
12. Michael Berry, Georgia O'Keeffe and the Eros of Place, 1999, sff;org
13. News: Hamill . Pete . July 6, 2003 . The rhetoric changes, yet the art endures . Los Angeles Times . November 13, 2024.
14. Web site: Carone . Angela . Looking At Nudity In American Art | KPBS . M.kpbs.org . 2016-11-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120916065023/http://m.kpbs.org/news/2010/oct/26/looking-nudity-american-art/ . 2012-09-16 . dead .