Herman PleijHerman Pleij was born on 24 February 1943 in Hilversum, The Netherlands. He is a professor emeritus of Medieval Dutch literature at the University of Amsterdam. He began teaching in 1981 and continued doing so till February 2008. He finished his thess on De Blauwe Schuit and other prehistoric carnival literature in 1979. Since then, he has written extensively about cultural history, including topics like national identity. His frequent participation in talk shows on Dutch television reflects his interest in the social discourse on every given subject. Read More Read Less