Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates

Mary Mapes Dodge, who never visited the Netherlands until after the novel was published, wrote the novel at age 34. She was inspired by her reading of John L. Motley's lengthy, multi-volume history works: The Rise of the Dutch Republic (1856), and History of the United Netherlands (1860–1867).Gannon, Susan R.; and Thomson, Ruth Anne. Mary Mapes Dodge. Twayne Publishers, 1993; p. 10. Dodge subsequently did further bibliographical research into the country. She also received much firsthand information about Dutch life from her immigrant Dutch neighbors, the Scharffs,Gannon, Susan R.; and Thomson, Ruth Anne. Mary Mapes Dodge. Twayne Publishers, 1993; p. 55. and Dodge wrote in her preface to the 1875 edition of the book that the story of Hans Brinker's father was "founded strictly upon fact".[https://books.google.com/books?id=8TsRAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22hans+brinker+or+The+Silver+Skates:+A+Life+in+Holland%22&pg=PA9 Dodge, Mary Mapes. Hans Brinker; or, The Silver Skates: A Story of Life in Holland.] Scribners: 1886, p. 9. Even so, many of the story's characters have names that are morphologically German rather than Dutch, or are completely obscure. Some editions of the story contain a footnote explaining that "Ludwig, Gretel, and Carl were named after German friends" and correctly giving Lodewijk, Grietje and Karel as the Dutch-language equivalents. Other names that seem fictitious, such as "Voost", "Broom" or "Rychie", could be corruptions of existing Dutch forms (in this case "Joost", "Bram" and "Riekie").{{Cite web|url=https://www.heardutchhere.net/HansBrinker2.html|title=Hans Brinker: Hear the Names, See the Mistakes|website=www.heardutchhere.net}} In Dutch editions of the book, names and other elements were adapted to make the story more believable to Dutch children; hence, translator P.J. Andriessen renamed German-sounding "Gretel" to "Griete" in the first Dutch edition of 1867, and Margreet Bruijn changed the main characters' names to the authentically Dutch regional forms of "Hannes" and "Geertje" in her 1954 adaptation.See {{ill|Janneke van der Veer|nl}}, "Mary Mapes Dodge", in: Jan van Coillie, Wilma van der Pennen, Jos Staal & Herman Tromp (eds.), {{ill|Lexicon van de jeugdliteratuur|nl}} (Groningen, 1982-2014).

Full of Dutch cultural and historical information, the book became an instant bestseller, outselling all other books in its first year of publication except Charles Dickens' Our Mutual Friend. The novel has since been continuously in print, most often in multiple editions and formats, and remains a children's classic.Morad, Deborah. [https://books.google.com/books?id=S91kAAAAMAAJ&q=%22won+critical+acclaim+and+become+a+children%27s+classic%22 Children's Literature Review, Vol. 62]. Gale Research, 2000. p. 58.

In Holland, poor but industrious and honorable 15-year-old Hans Brinker and his younger sister Gretel yearn to participate in December's great ice skating race on the canal. They have little chance of doing well on their handmade wooden skates, but the prospect of the race and the prize of the silver skates excites them and fires their dreams.

Hans' father, Raff Brinker, suffered head trauma when he fell from a dike. It left him chronically ill, with episodes of amnesia and occasional violent outbursts, so he is unable to work. Mrs. Brinker, Hans, and Gretel must all work to support the family and are looked down upon in the community because they are poor. By chance, Hans meets the famous surgeon Dr. Boekman and begs him to treat their father, but the doctor's fees are expensive and he has been very gruff following the death of his wife and disappearance of his son. Eventually, Dr. Boekman is persuaded to examine Mr. Brinker. He diagnoses pressure on the brain, which can be cured by a risky and expensive operation involving trephining (a surgical intervention in which a hole is drilled or scraped into the human skull). This has been recognized as an early description of chronic subdural hematoma.{{cite journal|first1=Susan|last1=Scheinberg|first2=Labe|last2=Scheinberg|year=1964|title=Early Description of Chronic Subdural Hematoma|journal=Journal of Neurosurgery|volume=21|issue=6|pages=445–446}}

Hans earns money to buy Gretel a pair of steel skates for the race. Later, when he earns enough to buy himself a pair of skates, he instead offers the money to Doctor Boekman to pay for his father's operation. Touched by this gesture, Dr. Boekman provides the surgery for free, and Hans is able to buy good skates for himself to skate in the race. Hans sacrifices his opportunity to win the boys' race by dropping out of the race to help a friend win. Gretel wins the girls' race and the precious prize: the eponymous Silver Skates.

Mr. Brinker's operation is successful, and he is restored to health and memory. Dr. Boekman is also changed, losing his gruff demeanour when he is reunited with his lost son through the unexpected help of Mr. Brinker. The Brinkers' fortunes are changed further by the almost miraculous recovery of Mr. Brinker's savings, which had been thought lost or stolen ten years ago.

The Brinker parents live a long and happy life. Dr. Boekman helps Hans go to medical school, and Hans becomes a successful doctor. Gretel also grows up to enjoy a happy adult life.

The description of the father's medical condition has been recognized as an early description of chronic subdural hematoma.{{cite journal|first1=Susan C.|last1=Scheinberg|first2=Labe C.|last2=Scheinberg|year=1964|title=Early Description of Chronic Subdural Hematoma|journal=Journal of Neurosurgery|volume=21|issue=6|pages=445–446}}

{{Redirect|The Silver Skates|the film|The Silver Skates (film)}}

Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates has been adapted into several films and plays, all of which center on the dramatic ice-skating competition as the climax of the story, in keeping with the book. The film adaptations include:

• A 1958 Hallmark Hall of Fame live television musical, Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates, directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Tab Hunter as Hans.{{cite book|last1=Roberts|first1=Jerry|title=Encyclopedia of television film directors|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediatele00robe|url-access=limited|date=2009|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=9780810863781|page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediatele00robe/page/n370 352]–353}}
• A 1962 made-for-television Disney film, starring Rony Zeaner. Shown in two parts in the U.S. on the Walt Disney anthology television series.{{Cite web|url=https://movies.disney.com/hans-brinker-or-the-silver-skates|title=Hans Brinker, Or The Silver Skates|via=movies.disney.com}}
• A 1969 NBC made-for-television musical film, starring Robin Askwith as Hans.{{cite book|last1=Hischak|first1=Thomas|title=The Oxford companion to the American musical : theatre, film, and television|date=2008|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780195335330|page=322}}
• A 1991 Australian animated television film produced by Burbank Animation Studios.
• A 1998 very loose modern adaptation or homage, Brink!, a Disney Channel original movie. The story takes place in Los Angeles, California, and centers on competitive inline skating rather than ice skating. It stars Erik von Detten as Andy "Brink" Brinker.{{Cite web|url=https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/arts/7-essential-disney-channel-original-movies-from-the-1990s-8300923|title=7 Essential Disney Channel Original Movies from the 1990s|first=Ashley|last=Harris|date=May 24, 2016|website=Phoenix New Times}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/brink!-v162929|title=Brink! (1998) - Greg Beeman | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie|via=www.allmovie.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l0PvAAAAMAAJ&q=%22brink%22+%22hans+brinker%22+-wikipedia|title=TV Guide|date=November 11, 2005|publisher=Triangle Publications|via=Google Books}}
• A 2020 Russian film, The Silver Skates, is a free retelling of the book, the events of the plot take place in the pre-Christmas St. Petersburg of 1899.

A short story within the novel has become well known in its own right in popular culture. The story,[https://books.google.com/books?id=KP86AAAAMAAJ&dq=brinker&pg=PA105 Dodge, Mary Mapes. Hans Brinker: Or, The Silver Skates, a Story of Life in Holland.] Scribner, 1896; pp. 105–109. read aloud in a schoolroom in England, is about a Dutch boy who saves his country by putting his finger in a leaking dike. The boy stays there all night, in spite of the cold, until the villagers find him and repair the dike.

Found in Chapter 18 "Friends in Need", the boy and the story are called simply "The Hero of Haarlem". Although the hero of the dike-plugging tale is nameless in the book, Hans Brinker's name has sometimes erroneously been associated with the character.

This small tale within Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates has generated numerous versions and adaptations in media. American poet Phoebe Cary—at whose New York City literary gatherings Dodge was a regular guest[https://books.google.com/books?id=Gyc9CEkTbygC&pg=PA69 Cary, Alice; and Cary, Phoebe; compiled by Mary Clemmer Ames. A Memorial of Alice and Phoebe Cary With Some of Their Later Poems.] New York: Hurd and Houghton, 1873; p. 69.—wrote a lengthy poem about it called "The Leak in the Dike", published posthumously in 1873,[https://books.google.com/books?id=hVwMg4ikga0C Cary, Alice; Cary, Phoebe; and Clemmer, Mary. The Last Poems of Alice and Phoebe Cary.] Riverside Press, 1873; pp. 223–229.{{Cite web|url=http://www.poetry-archive.com/c/the_leak_in_the_dike.html|title=The Leak in the Dike, by Phoebe Cary|website=www.poetry-archive.com}} which has been widely anthologized in books of poetry for schoolchildren.{{Cite web |url=https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=%22Phoebe+Cary%22+%22The+Leak+in+the+Dike%22 |title="Phoebe Cary" "The Leak in the Dike" - Google Search|website=www.google.com}}{{Better source needed|reason=The citation is of a Web search.|date=January 2024}} Cary also gave the boy a name: Peter.

The tale has also inspired full-fledged children's books of its own, which include:

• The Hole in the Dike, by Norma Green (1974)
• The Boy Who Held Back the Sea, by Lenny Hort (1987)

For tourism purposes, statues of the fictional dike-plugging boy have been erected in Dutch locations such as Spaarndam, Madurodam and Harlingen. The statues are sometimes mistakenly titled "Hans Brinker"; others are known as "Peter of Haarlem". The story of the dike-plugging boy is, however, not widely known in the Netherlands—it is a piece of American, rather than Dutch, folklore.[http://www.heardutchhere.net/HansBrinker2.html "Hans Brinker"]. HearDutchHere.net.[http://members.chello.nl/m.jong9/map12/hansbrinker.html Theo Meder (Meertens Instituut, Amsterdam)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101165613/http://members.chello.nl/m.jong9/map12/hansbrinker.html |date=2014-11-01 }} (Retrieved 20 July 2014)

Versions of the story prior to Hans Brinker appear in several English-language publications from 1850 onward, including the following British and American publications:

In the United Kingdom:

• An 1850 edition of Sharpe's London Journal of Entertainment and Instruction: "The Little Hero of Haarlem"Sharpe's London Journal of Entertainment and Instruction. 1850; 12:8–9.[http://www.valeriodistefano.com/gutenberg/html17/1/1/1/5/11150/11150-h/11150-h.htm Text of "The Little Hero of Haarlem" from Sharpe's Magazine] reprinted in: Anonymous. Gems Gathered in Haste. Boston: January 1, 1851.
• The February 23, 1850, edition of Eliza Cook's Journal: "The Brave Little Hollander""The Brave Little Hollander". Eliza Cook's Journal. (London) February 23, 1950. Mentioned in [https://books.google.com/books?q=%22the%20brave%20little%20hollander%22%201850&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wp this] GoogleBooks source.
• The 1855 edition of Beeton's Boys' Own magazine: "The Little Dutch Hero"Gannon, Susan R.; and Thomson, Ruth Anne. Mary Mapes Dodge. Twayne Publishers, 1993; p. 72.
• The 'Sixth' Standard Reader, compiled by J. S. Laurie (1863): "The Little Dutch Hero"[https://books.google.com/books?id=gMkDAAAAQAAJ&dq=%22little+dutch+hero%22&pg=PA49 Laurie, James Stuart; ed. The 'Sixth' Standard Reader.] London, 1863; pp. 49–51.

In the U.S.:

• Harper's Magazine, August 1850: "The Little Hero of Haarlem"[https://books.google.com/books?id=Ce8vAAAAMAAJ&dq=sluicer+date:1600-1866&pg=PA414 "The Little Hero of Haarlem". Harper's Magazine.] Vol. 1, Issue 3; August 1850; pp. 414–415.
• The 1852 edition of The Ladies' Repository: "The Little Hero of Haarlem"[https://books.google.com/books?id=nngUAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22the+little+hero%22+holland&pg=PA100 "The Little Hero of Haarlem", The Ladies' Repository], Rev. Henry Bacon, ed. Boston: A. Thompkins; 1852, Vol. 20; pp. 100–101.
• In 1854, Literary Gem: Van Court's New Monthly Magazine: "The Little Hero of Haarlem"[https://books.google.com/books?id=HaYQAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22the+little+hero%22+holland&pg=PA120 "The Little Hero of Haarlem," Literary Gem: Van Court's New Monthly Magazine.] Philadelphia: 1954; Vol. 1, No. 1; pp. 120–121.
• Julia Matilda Olin's 1856 book, A Winter at Wood Lawn[https://archive.org/stream/winteratwoodlawn00authiala Anonymous (Julia Matilda Olin). A Winter at Wood Lawn.] New York: Carton & Porter, 1856; pp. 40–42.
• In 1857, McGuffey's New High School Reader for Advanced Classes: "The Little Hero of Haarlem"McGuffey, William Holmes, ed. McGuffey’s New High School Reader: For Advanced Classes. Cincinnati: Wilson, Hinkle, & Co, 1857; pp. 237–242.
• In 1858, The Rhode Island Schoolmaster: "The Boy at the Dike"[https://books.google.com/books?id=5u0BAAAAYAAJ&q=intitle%3A%22The+R.I.+Schoolmaster%22+date%3A1857-1858 Rhode Island Commissioner of Public Schools, William A. Mowry, ed. The R. I. Schoolmaster, Vol. IV, 1858]. Providence, R.I.: Wm. Mowry, Pub., 1858. pp. 214–215.
• In 1858/1859, Sargent's School Monthly: "The Boy at the Dike"[https://books.google.com/books?id=6fgBAAAAYAAJ&q=intitle%3A%22Sargent%27s+School+Monthly%2C+for+Home+and+School+Use%22+date%3A1858-1859 Sargent, Epes (ed). Sargent's School Monthly, for Home and School Use (Vol. 1, Nos. I–XII, Jan.–Dec. 1858).] Boston: Philips, Sampson & Co., 1859. p. 222.

The actual authorship and genesis of the story of the boy and the dike is probably the story "Le Petit Éclusier" by prolific French children's author Eugenie Foa (1796–1852), first published in 1848.{{Cite web|url=https://www.appidys.com/produit/le-petit-eclusier/|title=Le petit éclusier|website=Appidys|language=fr-FR|access-date=2019-03-12|archive-date=2019-03-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327092007/https://www.appidys.com/produit/le-petit-eclusier/|url-status=dead}}[https://books.google.com/books?id=0K1EAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA594 Bibliographie de la France: ou, Journal Général de l'Imprimerie et de la Librairie]. Paris: Au Cercle de la Librairie. No. 49, 4 December 1848. p. 594. This appeared in an English translation by Sarah West Lander,{{Cite web|url=https://www.readseries.com/auth-dm/Lander-pubs.html|title=Sarah West Lander - Publications Checklist|website=www.readseries.com}} titled "The Little Dykeman" and attributed to Foa, in the monthly magazine Merry's Museum for Boys and Girls in March 1868.Gannon, Susan R.; and Thomson, Ruth Anne. Mary Mapes Dodge. Twayne Publishers, 1993; p. 72[https://books.google.com/books?id=nlkAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA101 Text of "The Little Dykeman" by Eugenie Foa (1796–1852)] anthologized in Merry's Museum for Boys and Girls (Boston, March 1868). The "translation" is signed S.W.L., which was Sarah West Lander (1810–1872).

Although Dodge was not the originator of the story of the boy and the dike, the immense popularity of her novel Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates made the story very widely known. The story within a story of the nameless little boy's heroism also parallels and emphasizes Hans Brinker's own heroism in the novel.

A famous event in Dutch history in which a little boy prevented a major disaster may have inspired the story. In 1622, during the Eighty Years' War, the Spanish tried to blow up the building housing the Amsterdam Stock Exchange in order to impede Dutch funding of the war. The building was then located on arches over the Rokin canal. The plan was to explode a ship filled with gunpowder right under the exchange. A boy noticed what was going on and raised the alarm, thus preventing a disaster. As a reward, he asked to be able to play his drum inside the exchange. The Amsterdam Stock Exchange (now Euronext) commemorates this annually by allowing school children to play drums at the exchange on Exchange Drumming Day.https://www.euronext.com/en/news/exchange-drumming-historical-traditions

File:Hans Brinker Madurodam.jpg|Tourism statue in Madurodam, Netherlands, of the nameless boy plugging a dike

File:Woerdersluis.JPG|Tourism monument in Spaarndam, created in 1950, which reads: "Dedicated to our youth to honor the boy who symbolizes the perpetual struggle of Holland against the water"

File:It Jonkje (Hansje Brinker) door Johan Jorna (1962).jpg|Statue in Harlingen, originally created in 1960 for a Bert Haanstra film, then donated to Harlingen{{Cite web|url=http://www.vanderkrogt.net/standbeelden/object.php?record=FR10ac|title = Harlingen - de Held van Haarlem - 'Hans Brinker' ('t Jonkje)}}

{{portal|Novels}}

• 1865 in literature
• Aruni, a similar story from Indian mythology
• A Day on Skates: The Story of a Dutch Picnic, a children's novel

• Dodge, Mary Mapes. [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0486428427 Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates]; 2003 Dover edition.
• [https://books.google.com/books?id=KP86AAAAMAAJ Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates] complete book readable free online on Google Books.
• Gannon, Susan R.; and Thomson, Ruth Anne. [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0805739564 Mary Mapes Dodge]. Twayne Publishers, 1993.

{{reflist}}

{{Wikisource}}

{{Commons}}

• [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89098020795;view Hans Brinker, or, The Silver Skates (original edition)] – full scanned copy
• [http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00085060 Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates (1896 London edition)] – full scanned copy
• [http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00076188 Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates (1910 Grosset & Dunlap edition)] – full scanned copy
• [http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/764 Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates (edition with Mapes' 1873 foreword)] – e-text from Project Gutenberg
• {{librivox book | title=Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates | author=Mary Mapes DODGE}}
• [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0803728689 Hans Brinker (2007) by Bruce Covill] – 40-page illustrated retelling of Hans Brinker for young readers
• [http://www.heardutchhere.net/HansBrinker2.html A Dutchman pronounces the Dutch names and words in the book, and comments on the many mistakes]

Category:1860s children's books

Category:1865 American novels

Category:American children's novels

Category:Dikes

Category:Culture of the Netherlands

Category:Speed skating

Category:Novels set in the Netherlands

Category:Children's books set in the Netherlands

Category:Children's books set in the 19th century

Category:Retrospective diagnosis

Category:Aftermath of the American Civil War

Category:Gilded Age