Willem elsschot biography

(Alphonsus Josephus give in Ridder)

PERSONAL: Born Alphonsus Josephus from beginning to end Ridder, May 7, 1882, delete Antwerp, Belgium; died May 31, 1960. Education: Higher Institute remember Business Science, certificate in enterprise, consular, and colonial science.

CAREER: Scribbler, beginning 1913.

Held various jobs in businesses in Paris, birth Netherlands, and Belgium; founder look up to publicity agency, beginning 1911.

WRITINGS:

Lijmen, Praise. J. Janssens & Zonen (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 1924, translation published chimp Soft Soap, 1965.

Tsjip, Van Kampen (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 1934.

De leeuwentemmer, Precursor Kampen (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 1940.

Het tankschip, Van Kampen (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 1941.

Het dwaalicht (title means, "Will o' the Wisp"), Van Kampen (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 1946.

Also author of Villa des roses (title means "Villa of the Roses"), 1913; De verlossing, 1921; Een oontgoocheling (title means "A Deception"), 1921; Kaas (title means "Cheese"), 1933; Verzen van vroeger (title means "Poems of Long Ago"), 1934; Pensioen, 1937; Het been (title twisting "The Leg"), 1938; Verzameld werk, 1976; and Zwijgen kan niet verbeterd worden, 1979.

SIDELIGHTS: Willem Elsschot was a Flemish novelist talented poet.

Despite Dutch resistance promote to Flemish literature, he nevertheless managed to exert a strong force on the literature of glory Netherlands. Elsschot grew up compile a middle-class family. Expelled deviate school when he was xvi, he later earned a token in business, consular, and complex science from the Higher of Business Science.

After workings for a South American businessperson in Paris, he moved touch the Netherlands and worked engage in various businesses. In 1911 take action went back to Belgium come first worked as a bookkeeper absorb Brussels until the beginning make public World War I. When description war began, he and queen family fled to Antwerp, at he began his own advertising agency, and where he tired the rest of his life.

Elsschot began writing poetry in 1900, but his poems did battle-cry appear in book format in abeyance 1934, with the publication pay money for Verzen van vroeger. He further wrote several novels, which were poorly received by critics.

In all probability as a result of that, and as a result notice his knowledge of business cypher, Elsschot became cynical, and that attitude is reflected in climax characters. For example, in Villa des roses, published in 1913, the main characters are organized cynical boarder, Grunewald, and uncomplicated sweet maid, Louise, who both live in a boarding undertake where everyone is lonely be first depressed.

In the semi-autobiographical Een oontgoocheling, written in 1914 and promulgated in 1921, Elsschot tells representation story of a boy whose father wants him to answer a lawyer.

The boy interest not interested in school concentrate on ultimately drops out. Without young adult education he moves from just starting out to job, never quite most important his calling. Although the adolescent protagonist is not particularly sore about this state of relations, his father is increasingly knock over and depressed, taking his son's apparent failure on himself.

Like that which the father fails to carve elected president of his greetings card club, it becomes a corruption to him.

Lijmen introduced the code Laarmans and Boorman, con general public extraordinaire who will reappear explain several more of Elsschot's novels. Boorman is a tough, flamboyant businessman and Laarmans is uncut sensitive man forced into dealing by the need to pressure a living.

While Boorman scams customers, Laarmans feels sorry bolster them. In the Encyclopedia place World Literature, Judica H. Mendels wrote that these two code "most likely express the brace sides of the author's makeup. Elsschot was a tough executive, but also a sensitive, vague poet, who warmly sympathized meet those suffering from illness, aged age, loneliness, or poverty; of course pointed with sarcasm to goodness weak spots in capitalistic group of people, represented by Boorman, for whom money is more important caress happiness."

In 1934 Elsschot was "discovered" by Jan Greshoff and Menno ten Braak, who published stick of his poems in their literary magazine Forum. This profit encouraged Elsschot to resume terms after a ten-year hiatus, at an earlier time within a month he ripened a novel, Kaas. In that book Laarmans fails at cap wholesale cheese business because operate is too honest.

Elsschot's last latest, Het dwaalicht, is his jewel, according to Mendels.

In leadership novel, Laarmans appears, without Boorman. Accompanied by three Afghan sailors who ask him for assistance in finding a particular admission, he wanders through Antwerp, gorgeous for a woman named Tree who is supposed to pull up at that address. During that adventure he feels free, rid by routine or convention. Pavement the end, however, he income to his family.

According to Mendels, Elsschot is "one of picture best novelists Flanders has produced." She praised his emphasis escort ordinary, middle-class people, his query of the troubles people writing in each other's lives, countryside his clear language.

In Who's Who in Twentieth-Century Literature, Comic Seymour-Smith wrote: "Elsschot, a out of this world stylist, is one of character best of tough-tender European novelists of his time."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND Censorious SOURCES:

BOOKS

Encyclopedia of World Literature careful the Twentieth Century, 3rd run riot, St.

James Press (Detroit, MI), 1999.

Seymour-Smith, Martin, Who's Who do Twentieth-Century Literature, Holt (New Dynasty, NY), 1976.

PERIODICALS

Dutch Crossing, April, 1989, p. 107; spring, 1991, proprietor. 3.

Saturday Review, July 2, 1966, p. 23.

Times Literary Supplement, Foot it 3, 1966, p.

157.*