| Paul van Ostaijen | |
|---|---|
Paul van Ostaijen |
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| Born | 22 February 1896 Antwerp, Belgium |
| Died | 18 March 1928 (aged 32) Miavoye-Anthée, Belgium |
| Nationality | Belgium |
| Occupation | poet, writer |
Paul van Ostaijen (22 February 1896 – 18 March 1928) was a Flemish poet and writer.
Van Ostaijen was born in Antwerp. His nickname was Mister 1830, because of his habit of walking along the streets of Antwerp clothed as a dandy from that year.
His poetry shows influences by Modernism, Expressionism, Dadaism and early Surrealism, but Van Ostaijen's style is very much his own.
Van Ostaijen was an active flamingant, a supporter of Flemish independence. Because of his involvement with Flemish activism during World War I, he had to flee to Berlin after the war. In Berlin, one of the centers of Dadaism and Expressionism, he met many other artists. He also went through a severe mental crisis.
After he returned to Belgium, Van Ostaijen opened an art gallery in Brussels. He died of tuberculosis in 1928 in a sanatorium in Miavoye-Anthée, in the Wallonian Ardennes.
Czech poet Ivan Wernisch was so impressed by "the genius of van Ostaijen"[1] that he learned Dutch to be able to translate him (his translation was published as Tanec gnómů, Dance of the gnomes, in 1990.)[2]
Contents |
From the Posthumous Poems:
Zelfmoord des Zeemans
De zeeman
hij hoort de stem der Loreley
hij ziet op zijn horloge
en springt het water in
[The Sailor's Suicide
The sailor
he hears the call of the Loreley
he looks at his watch
and jumps into the water]