Huizinga, Johan << HOY zihng ah, yoh HAHN >> (1872-1945), was a noted Dutch historian. He was especially interested in portraying the spirit of an entire age or civilization. His fame rests on the range and quality of his writings and on his ability to capture the very flavor of life. Huizinga’s most famous work, Autumntide of the Middle Ages (1919), is a study of life in the Netherlands during the 1300’s and 1400’s.
Huizinga was born on Dec. 7, 1872, in Groningen, the Netherlands. He taught at universities in Groningen and in Leiden, the Netherlands. His major works include In the Shadow of Tomorrow (1935), a collection of essays on the cultural condition of people in modern society; and Homo Ludens (1938), a study of human culture as seen in play. Huizinga was jailed by the Nazis during World War II (1939-1945). He died on Feb. 1, 1945, shortly after being released.
