De Haan was educated as a teacher at the teacher training school in Haarlem when he was 15. In this environment, he lost his Jewish faith and became a socialist. He started writing pieces for Het Volk, a socialist daily newspaper.
Novels
He published his first novel Pijpelijntjes in 1904. The publication caused a stir because of the book's homosexual content. De Haan lost his job as a teacher, was fired as writer of the children's section at Het Volk and got into an argument with scientist and writer A. Aletrino, who recognised himself in Pijpelijntjes. De Haan's second novel Pathologieën (1908), also with homosexual content, led to De Haan being banned from teaching at all.
Activist, Zionist and anti-Zionist
De Haan completed his law studies in 1909 and obtained his PhD in 1916. In 1912, he rediscovered his Jewish faith and joined the Zionist Alliance. In 1912 and 1913, he went to Russia and wrote about the appalling condition of (political) prisoners. He travelled to Palestine in 1919, where he wrote reports for the Algemeen Handelsblad newspaper.
In 1922, he distanced himself from Zionism, considering the movement nationalistic and their measures unjust. In 1924, De Haan was assassinated by a member of the Zionist liberation movement Hagana. The assassination attracted worldwide attention.
The exhibition can be seen in the UB's heritage showcase on the 1st floor of the VU Main Building and runs from 1 June to 5 July 2024. This exhibition was curated by master students of Modern Dutch Literature (VU) under the guidance of Prof Jacqueline Bel and UB curator Willemien van Dijk.