He first attained genuine popularity by the
Nederlandsche Legenden [The Legends of the Netherlands] (2 vols., 1828) which reproduced, after the manner of Sir
Walter Scott, some of the more stirring incidents in the early history of his fatherland. His fame was further raised by his patriotic songs at the time of the
Belgian revolution, and by his comedies
Het Dorp aan de Grenzen [The Village at the Borders] (1830) and
Het Dorp over de Grenzen [The Village Over the Borders] (1831), which also had reference to the political events of 1830. In 1832 he became member of the Royal Institute, which later became the
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1833 he broke new ground with the publication of
De Pleegzoon [The Adopted Son], the first of a series of historical romances in prose, which acquired for him in the Netherlands a position somewhat analogous to that of Sir Walter Scott in Great Britain. The series included
De Roos van Dekama [The Rose of Dekama] (2 vols., 1836),
Onze Voorouders [Our Ancestors] (5 vols., 1838).
De Lotgevallen van Ferdinand Huyck [The Adventures of Ferdinand Huyck] (2 vols, 1840), Elizabeth Musch (3 vols., 1850), and
De Lotgevallen van Klaasje Zevenster [The Adventures of Klaasje Zevenster] (5 vols., 1865), several of which have been translated into German and French, and two —
The Rose of Dekama (1847) and
The Adopted Son (New York, 1847) into English. His Dutch history for young people (
De voornaamste geschiedenissen van Noord-Nederland, aan zijne kinderen verhaald [The Chief Events of the North Netherlands, narrated to His Children], 4 vols, 1845) is attractively written. Apart from the two comedies already mentioned, van Lennep was an indefatigable journalist and literary critic, the author of numerous dramatic pieces, and of an excellent edition of
Vondel's works. For some years, van Lennep held a judicial appointment, and from 1853 to 1856 he was a member of the
Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament, in which he voted with the conservative party. He died at
Arnhem in 1868. There is a collective edition of his
Poetische Werken [Poetic Works] (13 vols., 1859–1872), and also of his
Romantische Werken [Romantic Works] (23 vols., 1855 r872). See also a bibliography by P. Knoll (1869); and
Jan ten Brink,
Geschiedenis der Noord-Nederlandsche Letteren in de XIX Eeuw [History of the Literature of the Northern Netherlands in the Nineteenth Century], No. iii. ==References==