About a century ago the most famous Dutchman of his day passed away. Apart from Queen Wilhelmina, he was the only Netherlander to make the front page of the New York Times. Abraham Kuyper (1837−1920), a child prodigy, was once called a man with “ten heads and a hundred arms,” and in 1906 was chosen as the most popular man next to the most stalwart woman, the young queen.

This book traces seven of Kuyper’s colorful lives. First comes the adventurer: a mountaineer and world traveler. What follows are his better-known public roles as a speaker, scholar, activist, journalist, and statesman. Each chapter draws on fresh sources and often includes jaw-dropping facts and insights about his life. Together they reveal a kaleidoscope of a man whose versatility was surpassed only by his productivity. He wrote over two hundred books and more than twenty-five thousand articles.

Kuyper had more admirers than detractors, but his sworn enemies comprised almost the entire Dutch elite, the young queen included. Nevertheless, he was the only Dutchman internationally lauded as a statesman and invited to dine with kings and emperors. He certainly was: the greatest divisive force in Dutch history, a controversial figure to the present day.