Contemporary Flemish Writers You Should Know About
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In the week of the 11th until the 19th
of March it is ‘Boekenweek’ (i.e., book week) in the Netherlands and Flanders.
It’s a highly anticipated yearly recurring event where reading is celebrated
and promoted. So, this is a perfect opportunity to introduce you to some of the
most notable contemporary Flemish writers. Because there are definitely amazing
voices to learn about and it may even inspire you to try your hand at reading
one of their books.
Dimitri Verhulst
Dimitri Verhulst
was born in 1972 in Aalst. He is a Belgian writer, poet, columnist,
presenter and editor. He had a difficult childhood, of which the sentiment can
be felt in many of his novels. Dimitri is regarded as one of the greatest
writers in Flanders and the Netherlands and has won many literary prizes. He is
most well-known for his autobiographic work about his childhood, ‘De Helaasheid
Der Dingen’.
Two Pieces of his writing*
“It was truer to my father to let the songs he’d sung die with him, little
by little, averse at time. How could these art-mongers constantly ignore the
mortality of beauty, a pleonasm if ever I’d heard one”.
&
“God created the day, and we dragged ourselves through it”. – Dimitri Verhulst, De Helaasheid der Dingen
Top recommendations:
- De Helaasheid Der Dingen
- De Laatkomer
- Hebben en Zijn
*The second quote in this section was translated from Dutch. Please check the notes at the bottom of this article to see the full quote in Dutch.
Tom Lanoye
Tom Lanoye was born in 1958 in Sint-Niklaas. He is a celebrated Belgian poet, columnist, novelist, theatre writer, and performer, and has won many prizes for his work. In keeping with ‘Boekenweek theme’, he was the writer of the ‘bookweek’ gift – a small novel created by different a renowned author each year – in 2012. He is also recognized internationally, and his work has been translated in more than fifteen languages.
A Piece of his Writing*
“Nothing is safe, everything is usable, the
contortions of his memory, the fabrications of his neighborhood, the gossip of
his newspaper, and after while everything seems to have happened to give him
material, even the death of his own mother. Who writes is a vulture”. – Tom Lanoye, Sprakeloos
Top recommendations:
- Sprakeloos
- Zuivering
- Het Goddelijke Monster
*This section was translated from Dutch. Please check the notes at the bottom of this article to see the full quote in Dutch.
Stefan Hertmans
Stefan Hertmans was born in 1951 in Gent. He has an
impressive writing oeuvre of novels, short stories, essays, plays and poetry.
His work has been translated in French, Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Croatian,
German and Bulgarian. His novel ‘Terug naar Merelbeke’ (i.e., Back to
Merelbeke) made him known in literary circles, but it wasn’t until 2012 – when
his masterpiece ‘Oorlog en Terpentijn’ (i.e. War and Turpentine) was published
– that he became nationally renowned. It is still to this today considered one
of the most masterful Dutch language books ever published.
Two Pieces of his Writing
“The truth in life often lies buried in places we do not associate with
authenticity. Life is more subtle, in this respect, than linear human morality.
It goes to work like a painter-copyist, using illusion to depict the truth”.
&
“Nothing makes a deeper
impression on a boy than seeing his strong mother suddenly girlish and hurt”. – Stefan Hertmans, War and Turpentine
Top recommendations:
- Oorlog en Terpentijn
- De Bekeerlinge
- Naar Merelbeke
- Verschuivingen
Griet op de Beeck
Griet op de Beeck was born in 1973 in Turnhout. She started
out as a theatre writer and pursued that for the first ten years of her career,
after which she got into journalism. In 2013 she launched her debut novel
called ‘Vele Hemels Boven de Zevende’, which was nominated for several national
prizes and put her on the Dutch language literature map.
A Piece of her Writing*
“Live hard and good and beautiful and wild. Look closely, feel even closer.
Don’t be afraid. Choose for what makes you happy, whatever it may be. Dare to
try what seems difficult. Set the bar high enough. Love and let yourself be
loved. Give others what they deserve, and at least yourself. Keep hoping, wanting, dreaming, wishing”. – Griet op de Beeck, Vele Hemels Boven de Zevende
Top recommendations:
- Gij nu
- Vele Hemels Boven de Zevende
- Jij Mag Alles Zijn
- Kom Hier Dat Ik U Kus
*This section was translated
from Dutch. Please check the notes at the bottom of this article to see the
full quote in Dutch.
Lize Spit
Lize Spit is the youngest author on the list. She was born
in 1988 in the Flemish village Viersel. She studied at the RITCS in Brussels
and graduated with a master's in screen and theatre writing. In 2016 her debut
novel – ‘Het Smelt’ – was published, which immediately put her on the map in
Flanders as well as the Netherlands.
A Piece of her Writing*
“Hope is the air that you whip through the facts to make them a little bit
lighter and more bearable, so you can keep breathing, but it is precisely that
which could all collapse later”. – Lize Spit, Ik Ben Er Niet
Top recommendations:
- Het Smelt
- Ik ben er Niet
*This section was translated
from Dutch. Please check the notes at the bottom of this article to see the
full quote in Dutch.
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I hope you enjoyed this blog. Let us know in the forums if you already knew any
of these writers before. And are you planning on reading some of their recommended
works? There is a new post on the forum where we can continue the discussion
about Flemish writers. Check out the link to the forum here: [LINK]
Notes
Here in the notes you can find a list of the full Dutch versions of the quotes that
were translated for this article.
- “God
schiep de dag, en wij sleepten ons erdoorheen”. – Dimitri Verhulst, De Helaasheid Der Dingen
- “Niet
is veilig, alles is bruikbaar, de verdraaiingen in zijn memorie, de verzinsels
uit zijn buurt, de roddels uit zijn krant, en op den duur lijkt alles maar
gebeurd te zijn omdat het hem prima stof oplevert, zelfs de dood van zijn eigen
moeder. Wie schrijft is een gier”. – Tom Lanoye, Sprakeloos
- “Leef
hard en goed en schoon en wild. Kijk goed, voel beter. Wees niet bang. Kies
voor wat u blij maakt, wat het ook moge zijn. Durf te proberen wat te lastig
lijkt. Leg de lat hoog genoeg. Koester en laat u koesteren. Geef anderen wat ze
verdienen, en uzelf minstens ook. Blijf hopen, willen, dromen, wensen” – Griet op de Beeck, Vele Hemels
Boven de Zevende
- “Hoop is de lucht die je door de feiten heen klopt om ze iets lichter en draaglijker te maken, zodat je kunt blijven ademen, maar het is precies dat was straks allemaal kan inzakken”. – Lize Spit, Ik Ben Er Niet