M. Vasalis

M. Vasalis (pseudonym for Margaretha "Kiekie" Droogleever Fortuyn-Leenmans; 13 February 1909 – 16 October 1998) was a Dutch poet and psychiatrist.

[1] When, through Simon Vestdijk (a Dutch novelist), she had the chance to debut in the literary magazine "Groot Nederland," they did not allow her to sign her work with merely her initials.

Margaretha (known as Kiekie or Kiek to friends[2]), grew up on the outskirts of Scheveningen, and studied medicine and anthropology at Leiden University.

In 1940, Vasalis made her debut with the poetry collection Parken en Woestijnen, or "Parks and Deserts."

Her work has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Constantijn Huygens Prize in 1974 and the Lucy B. and C.W.

Ton Anbeek, a Dutch writer and literary scientist, described her poems as "seemingly banal facts that may lead to a flash of insight."

There is a bed and breakfast in 'House de Zulthe' in Roden, the Netherlands, the house where Vasalis lived during the latter part of her life.

The portrait was placed on the initiative of the Society of Dutch Literature, following the publication of the Vasalis biography by Maaike Meijer.