Written Works

Letter of Kahlil Gibran to Carolus Verhulst, 10 May 1927

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In 1921, Carolus Verhulst (1900-1985), at that time 21 years old, founded the bookstore/publishing company Servire in The Hague, NL. The name Servire is an allusion to Verhulst's wish that his publishing company would be subservient to humanity. About 1928, he married Elisabeth Duif (1901-1971). Together with his wife, he managed the publishing company until her decease.
Verhulst wanted to run a company which published esoteric and philosophic works. The '20's were not suited for such a policy. As a result, the Servire catalogue had a general nature and contained works on various fields such as art, the Dutch East Indies, esotery, history, nature, novels, philosophy and travelling.
Verhulst was a convinced pacifist. In the early '20's, he was one of the first Dutchmen who resisted draft. This resulted in imprisonment. In the years which preceded World War II, he also published idealistic and pacifistic literature and leaflets.
The publication shortly before the invasion by the Germans in the Netherlands of A.M. Meerloo's Homo militans - de psychologie van oorlog, ziekte en vrede in de mens, in which national-socialism was forcefully condemned, resulted in a conflict between Verhulst and the Germans. They forbade him to publish; he once was threatened with death. With the help of others, he could lay hand on paper and managed to publish. As a security measure, his authors and translators often used a pseudonym.
After the war, Verhulst resumed his publishing activities. From 1967, Servire publishers was seated in Wassenaar, adjacent to The Hague, at the Zijdeweg 5a. In 1976, Verhulst ended his work at Servire publishers. In November 1976, he founded an esoteric/philosophical publishing company, named Mirananda, a company which since 2004 carries the name Synthese. The name Mirananda, a contraction of Mira and Ananda, means: beatitude in love, and shines light upon Verhulst's ideas and ideals.
For many years, Servire publishers remained an independent company. In 1981, Felix Erkelens became in charge of the company. Under his management, Servire publishers became entirely devoted to the publishing of esoteric literature. In April 1999, Servire publishers became part of Veen publishers, Utrecht, NL.

Letter of Kahlil Gibran to Isaac Horowitz, 10 July 1928 (2nd page)
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Boston, 10 July 1928 My dear Mr. Horowitz, Thank you […] for sending me a copy of the preface which you have written for your translation of The Prophet. It is indeed beautiful, and it is most generous. […] [I]t is good and refreshing to find you and Henri Bergson agreeing on the most important manifestations of life and self. I am delighted to know that you are interested in that which is deeper than intellect. […] I would suggest […] your sending a copy of the ‘preface’ to my publishers. […] The Knopfs would be interested because they are bringing out my book Jesus [the Son of Man] early in October, and, naturally, they would know all the kindly things said of one of their authors, and they would tell you where to place your extremely understanding piece. Of course you will tell my publishers of your translation, and also of its possible publication abroad. It was most kind of you to send me the photograph of the actors who read The Prophet at Freedom Hill. I know in my heart that each and every one of you visited for an hour the dear city of our deeper desires, the distant city of Orphalese. I am delighted to know that you are coming to settle in New York; and I shall be most happy to know you personally. With kindest regards believe me. Faithfully yours Kahlil Gibran P.S. Mr. Campbell of Alfred A. Knopf may be the most informative. Write to him if you care to do so.

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Isaac Horowitz (July 23, 1893-March 21, 1961) was born in Yefureni, Romania. He lived in Jassy until 1909 and then emigrated to the United States. He worked in a sweatshop and simultaneously studied. From 1912 he was publishing poetry in Fraye arbeter shtime (Free voice of labor), Forverts (Forward), Di vokh (The week), Di feder (The pen), Di tsvayg (The branch), and Kinder-zhurnal (Children’s magazine)—all in New York. He edited: Di fraye muze (The free muse) in 1913, the monthly Der vegetaryer (The vegetarian) in 1916, and Di vegetarishe velt (The vegetarian world) in 1921—all in New York. He contributed to the journal Der naturist un vegetaryer (The naturist and vegetarian) (New York, 1920). In the 1920s he moved to Los Angeles, where he brought out the journal Der mayrev (The West). Among his books: Vegn moyshe nadir, kritishe polemik (On Moyshe Nadir, a critical polemic) (Brooklyn: Aleyn, 1919), 32 pp.; Dos kol fun di shtume (“The voice of the dumb”) (New York: Aleyn, 1920), 95 pp. Concerning vegetarianism: Ven der lerer iz nishto (When there is no teacher) (Vilna: Naye yidishe folkshul, 1928), 16 pp.; Parnose-gever, un ven der lerer iz nishto (The breadwinner, and When there is no teacher), a one-act play (New York, Workmen’s Circle, 1929), 15 pp.; Teg un nekht mit panait istrati (Days and nights with Panait Istrati) (New York, 1940), 172 pp.; Mayn tatns kretshme (My father’s shop) (New York: Matones, 1953), 220 pp. He translated Khalil Gibran’s Der novi (The Prophet) (Warsaw-New York, 1929), 96 pp. He used the pseudonyms: Danilo, Veritas, and A. H-ts. He died in New York.