Son of a wealthy art connoisseur and -dealer, Adama van Scheltema studied medicine for two years before dropping out to pursue his artistic interests.

Allowed to concentrate upon literature, Adama van Scheltema started writing poetry and abandoned the naturalist prose which had until then been his main affection.

The marriage, while childless, was happy, and the couple moved between different European cities before settling down in the small Dutch town of Bergen, North Holland.

[2] World War One, however, triggered an emotional crisis, and Adama van Scheltema's poetry took on a darker, religious undertone.

This development reached its apogee in the epical poem "De Tors" (The Torso), which was published in its entirety after the author's sudden death in 1924.