Genus Bilderdykia

For Willem Bilderdyk (Bilderdijk) (1756–1831), Dutch poet, prolific author and polyglot; familiar with 25–30 languages, modern, ancient and exotic. He studied at Leiden, obtained his doctorate in law in 1782 and practised as an advocate at The Hague. From 1795–1806 he was forced into exile because of his strong monarchical and political beliefs, living in Germany and London. On his return Louis-Napoléon made him his librarian and later president of the Royal Institute (1809–1811); a job he lost on Napoleon’s abdication. He endured great poverty and ended his career a history tutor at Leiden. He published 300 000 lines of poetry and books on geology, national history, literary perspectives, architecture and 30 volumes on linguistics.