The Last Illusion

Letters from Dutch Immigrants in the "Land of Opportunity" 1924-1930

Edited and translated by Herman Ganzevoort
Categories: Literature & Language Studies, Auto/biography & Memoir, Regional & Cultural Studies, Canadian Studies
Series: Legacies Shared
Publisher: University of Calgary Press
Paperback : 9781552380130, 238 pages, November 1999
Ebook (PDF) : 9781552383810, 238 pages, November 1999
View Table of Contents

Table of contents

Introduction
De Vrije Socialist (The Free Socialist) 2 July 1924
De Arnhemsche Courant (The Arnhem Journal) 17 January 1925
De Avondpost (The Evening Mail) 12, 14, 15 January 1925—Emigration to Canada, by a Canadian Immigrant
Hoogeveenshe Courant (The Hoogeeven Journal) 23 Dec 1925
De Niewe Tilburgshe Courant (The New Tilburg Journal) 29 December 1925, 16 March 1926, 25 March 1926, 26 March 1926
Haagshe Post (The Hauge Mail) 24 April 1926—The Canadian in a Higher Vocation
De Arnhemsche Courant (The Arnhem Journal) 4 February 1928—A Word of Warning
Het Vaderland (The Fatherland) 10 March 1929 to 3 January 1930—ON Canada's Devil's Island
De Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant (The New Rotterdam Journal) 19 October to 13 November 1927—Lost Amoung the Ruthenians
Dagplad Van Arheim (The Arnhem Daily) 1 December to 15 December 1928—An American Scene in the Far North
Schuitemaker's Purmerender Courant (Schuitemaker's Purmerender Journal) 18 April 1925 to 12 November 1927—J.R. van der Meulen: Canada is a Funny Country
Leeuwarder Nieuwsblad (The Leeuwarden News) 4 April 1927 to 11 April 1929—Frans van Waeterstadt: The Last Illusion
De Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant (The New Rotterdam Journal 28 September 1929 to 1 June 1930—Toronto the Beautiful

Description

Until now, information about Dutch immigration to Canada has been scarce as much was lost during the German occupation of Holland during World War II. However, Herman Ganzevoort was able to unearth and translate rare letters and articles written by Dutch immigrants during the 1920s, which offer new insight into the struggles the Dutch faced to fit into their new country.

The letters opened up the inner dimensions of the immigrants: the reasons for their emigration, their hopes, their fears, and, best of all, their experiences in Canada. These images are not reminiscences screened and filtered by the passage of time but are immediate and compelling.

The writers of The Last Illusion: Letters from Dutch Immigrants in the "Land of Opportunity" 1924-1930 shared their feelings and showed an openness that was uncommon in their culture and time. Their words describe the pain caused by separation and loss, and the sense of shared joy and exhilaration when goals were reached.