Petrus Voorhoeve was born in December 1899 in Vlissengen. In 1919 he became a student at the University of Leiden, first studying theology before switching to Indonesian languages continuing his studies to complete a PhD in Batak Folk Tales. In 1927 he was appointed government linguist at Balai Pushtaka, the Bureau of Popular Literature in Jakarta. He was granted leave in 1933 but on his return in 1934 he became a librarian at the Royal Batavia Society of Arts and Science. In 1937 he became linguist in the service of the Self-governing Districts of North Sumatra charged with creating a Simalungen dictionary. He was interned by the Japanese Army in 1942 and separated from his wife and children until after the War when, in 1946, they returned to the Netherlands. Voorhoeve then took up an appointment at the University Library in Leiden but returned to Indonesia in 1947 to complete his 20 years of service necessary for a full pension. He worked for the Institute of Linguistic and Cultural Research before returning to Leiden in 1949 to take up his position again of Curator. He catalogued many Malay manuscripts working at institutions around the world. He died in 1996.