Clément Pansaers (1 May 1885 – 31 October 1922) was the main proponent of the
Dada
Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 1920 Dada flourished in Pari ...
movement in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
.
He began writing poetry in 1916 after abandoning his career as an
Egyptologist
Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Greek , '' -logia''; ar, علم المصريات) is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, architecture and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religiou ...
. Along with several members of the
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
avant-garde
The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...
circle, he founded the review ''Résurrection'', which published early texts by
Carl Einstein
Carl Einstein, born Karl Einstein, also known by pseudonym Savine Ree Urian (26 April 1885 – 5 July 1940), was an influential German Jewish writer, art historian, anarchist, and critic.
Regarded as one of the first critics to appreciate the dev ...
,
Pierre Jean Jouve
Pierre Jean Jouve (11 October 1887 – 8 January 1976) was a French writer, novelist and poet.Michael Sheringham, 'Jouve, Pierre-Jean', ''Oxford Companion to French Literature''Onlineat answers.com He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Litera ...
,
Franz Werfel
Franz Viktor Werfel (; 10 September 1890 – 26 August 1945) was an Austrian- Bohemian novelist, playwright, and poet whose career spanned World War I, the Interwar period, and World War II. He is primarily known as the author of ''The For ...
, and others.
His first properly "Dadaist" work, ''Pan-Pan au Cul du Nu Nègre'' was published in 1920. This pamphlet, along with ''Bar Nicanor'' (1921), was read and admired by figures like
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...
,
Ezra Pound,
Theo van Doesburg
Theo van Doesburg (, 30 August 1883 – 7 March 1931) was a Dutch artist, who practiced painting, writing, poetry and architecture. He is best known as the founder and leader of De Stijl. He was married to artist, pianist and choreographer Nell ...
,
Francis Picabia
Francis Picabia (: born Francis-Marie Martinez de Picabia; 22January 1879 – 30November 1953) was a French avant-garde painter, poet and typographist. After experimenting with Impressionism and Pointillism, Picabia became associated with Cubism ...
and
André Breton.
Pansaers moved to Paris in 1921, where he took part in Dada manifestations until his early death from
Hodgkin's disease.
Bibliography
*''Le Pan-Pan au Cul du Nu Nègre'' (Brussels: Editions Alde, 1920)
*''Bar Nicanor'' (Brussels: Editions AIO, 1921)
*''L'apologie de la paresse'' (Antwerp: Ca Ira!, 1922)
*''Bar Nicanor et autres textes dada'', edited by Marc Dachy (Paris: Lebovici/Champ Libre, 1986)
*''Apologia dell'ozio'', (Firenze, Italia, Gratis, 1993)
*''L'apologie de la paresse'' (Paris, Allia, 1996)
*''Le Pan Pan au Cul du Nu Nègre'', (Brussels, Didier Devillez éditeur, 2002, collection "fac similé", with a preface by Benjamin Hennot)
*'' Bar Nicanor'', (Brussels, Didier Devillez éditeur, 2002, collection "fac similé", with a preface by Benjamin Hennot)
*''Apologie van de luiheid'', (Nijmegen, Van Tilt, traduction Rokus Hofstede, with a preface by Benjamin Hennot)
*''Pan Pan voor de Poeper van de Neger Naakt & Bar Nicanor'', (Nijmegen, Van Tilt, 2003, with a preface by Benjamin Hennot)
*''Pan-Dada: The Writings of Clement Pansaers'', edited by Michael Sanchez with a preface by Marc Dachy, forthcoming.
External links
Facsimiles of Pansaers's three published books on the International Dada Archive website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pansaers, Clement
1885 births
1922 deaths
Belgian poets in French
Flemish poets
Dada
Deaths from Hodgkin lymphoma
Deaths from cancer in France
20th-century Belgian poets