A new collection in the library: Iranian Language and Literature

In 2022 the University Library accepted a remarkable donation: the private collection of professor emeritus dr. Hans de Bruijn which included some highlights from classical Persian poetry.

After cataloguing the collection, a considerable part has been placed on the open shelves in the University Library City Centre. It is the basis of a new library collection: Iranian Language and Literature.

Prof. dr. Asgar Seyed Gohrab played an important role in acquiring the collection and knows a thing or two about its background.

“Johannes Thomas Pieter de Bruijn (1931-2023) was professor of Persian Studies at the University of Leiden. In the 70s of the previous century he started building a collection on Persian religious poetry. It was his wish to donate this collection to the chair in Persian and Iranian Studies of Utrecht University.

In Utrecht we have a fantastic library with an excellent collection in the field of Persian Studies, Islamic Studies and Sufism. Hans de Bruijn’s collection is an indispensable addition to that collection: medieval Persian poetry, books on Islamic mysticism, reference works, dictionaries and journals. He was particularly interested in Persian Sufi poetry and has acquired rare books on this topic. Students and researchers of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies will certainly benefit from this collection.”