August Albert Keersmaekers (1920–2009) was a Belgian literary scholar, with a particular interest in

Dutch-language literature Dutch language literature () comprises all writings of literary merit written through the ages in the Dutch language, a language which currently has around 23 million native speakers. Dutch-language literature is the product of the Netherlands, ...

of the 17th through to early 20th centuries, and the literature of the Kempen. He identified a number of poems by Gerbrand Bredero, which had been assumed to reflect incidents in the poet's own life, as translations of French originals, fundamentally changing the understanding of Bredero's character and literary career.

Life

Keersmaekers was born in

Retie Retie (; french: Réthy, ) is a municipality located in the Campine region of the province of Antwerp, Belgium. The municipality comprises the town of Retie proper and several hamlets of which Schoonbroek is the largest. In 2021, Retie had a total ...

on 26 October 1920, the youngest of five children in a farming family. He was educated at the local primary school and then at the

Minor Seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Catholic priests. They are generally Catholic institutions, and de ...

Hoogstraten Hoogstraten () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises Hoogstraten, Meer, Meerle, Meersel-Dreef, Minderhout and Wortel (Meersel-Dreef includes the northernmost point in Belgium). Hoogstrate ...

.Luc Daems
August Albert Keersmaekers
''Jaarboek van de Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde, 2012'' (2013), pp. 65-74. In 1938 the family moved to Arendonk, and August matriculated at the Catholic University of Leuven. During his years as a student he was also involved in literary and cultural activities. In 1942 he graduated Licentiate in Germanic Philology, with an additional certificate for teaching in secondary education. After graduating he taught at the state secondary school in

Turnhout Turnhout () is a Belgian municipality and city located in the Flemish province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the city of Turnhout proper. In 2021, Turnhout had a total population of 45,874. The total area is . The agglomeration, ho ...

until 1958. In 1945 he married Maria Ooms (1923–2009), with whom he would have ten children. In 1952 he completed a doctoral dissertation on

Willem van Nieulandt II Willem or Guiliam van Nieulandt, sometimes Nieuwelandt (1584–1635) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, engraver, poet and playwright from Antwerp. Biography His father Adrien van Nieulandt the elder was born to a family of artists of Flemish orig ...

, and in 1961 he became a lecturer at the Facultés Universitaires Saint-Louis in Brussels. In 1963 he added courses at a college of commercial education in Antwerp. From 1969 until his retirement on 1 October 1986, he taught at the Jesuit university in Antwerp. Keersmaekers was a member of numerous literary and scholarly societies, and in 1978 he was elected to the Royal Academy of Dutch Language and Literature, in succession to the recently deceased

Stephanus Axters Stephanus Gerardus Axters (1901–1977) was a Belgian scholar with a particular interest in the history and literature of Christian mysticism. Life Axters was born in Bruges, West Flanders (Belgium) on 15 October 1901. André DemedtsPater Stefanus ...

. He was acting president of the academy in 1988 and in 1994. His wife passed away on 12 April 2009, and he died the following 28 September, at home in

Duffel Duffel () is a municipality in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the town of Duffel proper. On 1 January 2020, Duffel had a total population of 17,664. The total area is 22.71 km² which gives a population den ...

, where he had lived since 1963.

Bibliography

Over the course of his lifetime Keersmaekers wrote at least 498 publications, not counting over 200 book reviews. The most significant of these are: * ''Het milde leven'' (1946) * ''De dichter Guilliam van Nieuwelandt en de Senecaans-classieke tragedie in de Zuidelijke Nederlanden'' (1957) * "De onbekende Bredero", ''Spiegel der letteren'', 11 (1968-1969), pp. 81–97. * ''Felix Timmermans: een wonder van eenvoud'' (1990) * ''Het geluk van de schrijver: Felix Timmermans en zijn Pallieter'' (2000)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keersmaekers, August Albert 1920 births 2009 deaths Catholic University of Leuven alumni