The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Vestdijk, Simon
(s´mûn vst´dyk) (KEY) , 18981971, Dutch writer. His nearly 100 books include 38 novels, over 20 volumes of poetry, and works on astrology, religion, and music. One of his best-known works, The Garden Where the Brass Band Played (1950, tr. 1965) is an eight-volume treatment of the life of Anton Wachter. Vestdijk was known for his psychoanalytical approach and his depiction of empty provincial lifestyles and tragic love affairs.