oa ‘Lieveling, je hebt te doen met iemand die streeft.’

‘Darling, you are dealing with some someone who strives.’ Herman Gorter’s epistolary posture

Letters from poets to their loved ones are an interesting source for research into their literary and epistolary posture. Studying the 366 letters Herman Gorter wrote to his secret lovers Ada Prins and Jenne Clinge Doorenbos between 1901 and 1927 reveals the interconnectedness of poetry, politics and love in Gorter’s authorial self-presentation. By tracing the individuals who were involved in the distribution and publication of these letters and by investigating their motives and interests, this article addresses the question who is the actual author of the myths surrounding an author’s posture.