Louis Couperus Museum: Spellbound by Japan

Following the richly illustrated reissue of the book Het snoer der ontferming (The Cord of Redemption) by Louis Couperus, there is currently an exhibition that is about Couperus and Japan. The location of this exhibition is the Louis Couperus Museum in The Hague.

In October 1921 Louis Couperus travelled with his wife for a year as ‘special correspondent’ of the weekly Haagsche Post by the Dutch East Indies and Japan. The resulting travel letters were issued in two bundles after Couperus’ death: Oostwaarts (1923) and Nippon (1925). In the winter of 1922/23, Couperus also wrote a series of stories entitled Het snoer der ontferming (The Cord of Redemption) and Japansche legenden (Japanese Legends) (1924). For this, he was inspired by, among other things, prints by famous Japanese painters such as Utamaro, Hiroshige, Motonobu and Hokusai. Nippon has been translated into English (in 1926). A Japanese translation, by Yumiko Unimoro, is in the making.

The exhibition is centred around four themes: nature, the Tokyo Yoshiwara, the power of fate and Japanese myths and legends. On show are the relevant Japanese prints in combination with Couperus’ text.

The exhibition is on display until 20 May 2019. The museum is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 12.00 to 17.00.

Source: Louis Couperus Museum