Jo van Gogh-Bonger

Hans Luijten is Senior Researcher at the Van Gogh Museum. He is the author of Van Gogh and Love (2007) and Alles voor Vincent (2019). Luijten also edited Vincent van Gogh, Painted with Words: The Letters to Emile Bernard (2007), the six-volume Vincent van Gogh – The Letters: The Complete Illustrated and Annotated Edition (2009, vangoghletters.org) and Jo Bonger’s previously unpublished diaries (bongerdiaries.org). His books have been published in various languages, including English, Dutch, French and Chinese.Lynne Richards is a professional translator and Dutch-English editor specializing in art history, general history and the humanities. Her recent translations include A History of the Netherlands (Bloomsbury, 2015) and Jo Bonger's diaries (2019), a four-volume bi-lingual publication available digitally at bongerdiaries.org. Since 1998, she has been a partner of Lynne & Paul Richards Translations.

• Introduction: ‘An Amsterdam girl’Part One: A respectable middle-class family—the Bongers, 1862–88 1. A carefree childhood in a harmonious family 2. HBS and training as an English teacher 3. Translator, teacher and love for Eduard Stumpff Part Two: Initiation into art—the Van Goghs, 1888–91 4. Prelude to her marriage to Theo van Gogh 5. Married life and motherhood in Paris6. Life with the duality of Theo and Vincent Part Three: Boarding house keeper with an attic full of art, 1891–19017. Back in the Netherlands—Villa Helma in Bussum8. Contacts with Jan Veth, Jan Toorop and Richard Roland Holst9. Playing with fire—Isaac IsraëlsPart Four: Second marriage and concentrated promotion of Van Gogh’s work, 1901–510. Johan Cohen Gosschalk—Villa Eikenhof in Bussum 11. Reviewing books and promoting Van Gogh—back in Amsterdam Part Five: Van Gogh goes from strength to strength, 1905–1212. A magnificent exhibition in the summer of 190513. The art dealers Gaston Bernheim, Paul Cassirer and Johannes de Bois14. Contracts for publication of Van Gogh’s lettersPart Six: Efforts for social democracy and publication of Van Gogh’s letters, 1912–2515. The Sociaal-Democratische Arbeiderspartij (SDAP)16. The publication of Brieven aan zijn broeder (Letters to his Brother) (1914)17. New York-translations of the letters into English18. A sacrifice for Vincent’s gloryEpilogue: ‘An exceptional example for women’NotesIllustrationsAbbreviationsBibliographyAcknowledgementsIndex of Names and Titles

[Luijten] presents a fascinating and detailed account of [Jo van Gogh-Bonger’s] astonishing life … [A] magnificent tribute.