Het beloofde land by Ina Boudier-Bakker

"Het beloofde land" by Ina Boudier-Bakker is a novel written in the early 20th century. It centers on Eli Bag, heir to a fierce heathland clan, who tries to transform the impoverished village of Lode by reclaiming the barren moor while carrying the burden of his lineage and a yearning for love. Around him move the loyal hermit Adam Feke, his estranged mother Maria, and Hester Ross, whose quiet devotion meets his restless idealism. The opening of the novel charts the Bags’ history on the harsh heath, Jelle Bag’s riotous generosity and ruin through drink, Maria’s flight, and Adam Feke’s lifelong sorrow and fidelity. We follow Eli’s sensitive childhood, his move to Brogs, years of aimless unrest, and then a formative apprenticeship in land reclamation that inspires his mission to revive Lode. The village is drawn in patient detail: evening gatherings under linden trees, old tales, Adam’s mournful flute, and Tine Ross’s steadfast vigil for her absent son. When Eli addresses the villagers in Gerke’s barn, he urges them to work for their children’s future; after grumbling, many pledge to stay, though latent resistance remains. The section closes with Hester’s unspoken love and Eli’s sudden awareness of it, even as he feels the drag of doubt after the fervor of his speech. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

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About this eBook

Author Boudier-Bakker, Ina, 1875-1966
Title Het beloofde land
Original Publication Amsterdam: P. N. van Kampen & Zoon, 1916.
Credits The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net
Language Dutch
LoC Class PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures
Subject Dutch fiction -- 20th century
Category Text
EBook-No. 77885
Release Date
Most Recently Updated Feb 12, 2026
Copyright Status Public domain in the USA.
Downloads 277 downloads in the last 30 days.
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