Partner Ida Gerhardt
Queer Places:
Bilderdijklaan 14, 3723 DC Bilthoven, Netherlands
Zutphenseweg 120, 7211 EE Eefde, Netherlands
Marie Helene van der Zeyde (Rotterdam, 23 August 1906 - Eefde, 8 March 1990) was a Dutch literary scholar and translator. She was the life companion of the poet Ida Gerhardt. The translation of the Bible book of Psalms in the first edition of the Willibrord translation (1978) is partly by her hand.
Marie Helene van der Zeyde was the daughter of Karel van der Zeyde and Francisca Bakker.
Ida Gerhardt and Marie van der Zeyde wrote a "bucket full of mail" almost every day to all kinds of people and institutions . They often did that together, especially from the time they lived together in Bilthoven (1957) and Eefde (1967). If they had trouble with the radiators in Soesterberg, then they climbed into the pen. Did they hate the transformation of nature, idem dito. The women were inseparable. It was January 16, 1978, when they received a circular letter from the Reformed Church of Eefde with the request to give 2% of their income. There was a big deficit. Now Isa and Marie used to give money regularly, but this time they did not participate. First they apologise that their joint letter was so late due to serious family circumstances (Marie's sister Nannie had a brain tumor, had fallen in the shower and was found helpless only after two days). In the letter, they said the church could sell the parish in Eefde and invest the money and find another house for the new preacher. They also noted that as elderly intellectual workers, they took a vulnerable middle position between the 'common man' and the wealthy. They were often presented with high bills, while receiving little help from the church as elders, unlike for example Catholic, secular and reformed side. They end their letter in annoyance over a rich church councilor. When a truck overturned part of their garden section, the man offered to help. But in the next breath he had mentioned a high amount for wire and pole. The church council did not keep the letter.
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