Dimitri Verhulst
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Dimitri Verhulst (born 2 October 1972) is a
Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
writer and poet. He is best known for his novels ''Problemski Hotel'' and ''The Misfortunates''.


Biography

Verhulst was an unwanted child in a violent home and spent his later childhood in a foster home and a family replacing home. He grew up Catholic. As a writer, he made his debut in 1994 with the self-published ''Assevrijdag''. In 1999 his first official publication appeared, a collection of stories about his youth, ''De kamer hiernaast'', for which he was nominated for the NRC Literair Prijs. The novel ''Niets, niemand en redelijk stil'' (2000) is also about his youth, but ''De verveling van de keeper'' (2002) signals a change in form and is characterized by great social and political involvement. In 2001, Verhulst published ''Liefde, tenzij anders vermeld'', a collection of poetry. His breakthrough to the general public was in 2003, with ''Problemski Hotel'' (translated as ''Problemski Hotel''), about residents of an asylum-seekers' centre in
Arendonk Arendonk () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the town of Arendonk proper. In 2021, Arendonk had a total population of 13,207. The total area is 55.38 km². The spoken language ...
(Belgium). The book was translated into more than ten languages. Belgian filmmaker Manu Riche made a movie based on the book, which is to premiere in January 2016. In 2006 his novel ''De helaasheid der dingen'' (translated as ''The Misfortunates'') was published, and also the novella ''Mevrouw Verona daalt de heuvel af'' (translated as ''Madame Verona Comes Down the Hill''). In 2008, ''Godverdomse dagen op een godverdomse bol'' ("Goddamn days on a goddamn globe") was published, for which Verhulst won the 2009
Libris Prize The Libris Literature Award or Libris Prize (Dutch: Libris Literatuur Prijs) is a prize for novels originally written in Dutch. Established in 1993, it is awarded annually since 1994 by Libris, an association of independent Dutch booksellers, an ...
; Verhulst wrote the 2015 ''Boekenweekgeschenk'', ''De zomer hou je ook niet tegen''. His 2015 novel ''Bloedboek'' ("Bloodbook"), a retelling of the
Pentateuch The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the sa ...
, was praised in ''
De Morgen ''De Morgen'' (Dutch for ''The Morning'') is a Flemish newspaper with a circulation of 53,860. The paper is published in Antwerp, Belgium. History and profile ''De Morgen'' originates from a merger in 1978 of two socialist newspapers ' (meaning ...
'' for its amusement value; in the Dutch daily ''
Trouw ''Trouw'' (; ) is a Dutch daily newspaper appearing in compact size. It was founded in 1943 as an orthodox Protestant underground newspaper during World War II. Since 2009, it has been owned by DPG Media (known as De Persgroep until 2019). ''Tr ...
'' it was called a "gruesome bible", with the interviewer questioning Verhulst about his use of terms such as "
Final solution The Final Solution (german: die Endlösung, ) or the Final Solution to the Jewish Question (german: Endlösung der Judenfrage, ) was a Nazi plan for the genocide of individuals they defined as Jews during World War II. The "Final Solution to th ...
" in retelling the first five books of the bible. Verhulst responded that he used the "worldwide language of genocide". Verhulst publishes on a regular basis in the literary journals ''Underground'', ''Nieuw Wereldtijdschrift'' and ''De Brakke Hond''. For ''Underground'' he is also an editor. He lives and works in Huccorgne.


Writing style

Verhulst's writing style has been characterized as sarcastic but compassionate. His use of language can be explicit and hilarious. Belgian writer
Louis Paul Boon Louis Paul Boon (15 March 1912, in Aalst – 10 May 1979, in Erembodegem) was a Belgian writer of novels, poetry, pornography, columns and art criticism. He was also a painter. He is best known for the novels ''My Little War'' (1947), the diptych ...
is a source of inspiration for Verhulst. His writing is controversial, and Verhulst was twice summoned to court. On 27 July 2019, Verhulst published a newspaper column in the Belgian daily
De Morgen ''De Morgen'' (Dutch for ''The Morning'') is a Flemish newspaper with a circulation of 53,860. The paper is published in Antwerp, Belgium. History and profile ''De Morgen'' originates from a merger in 1978 of two socialist newspapers ' (meaning ...
about Palestinian modern literature. In this column by Verhulst, he claimed to quote
Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French musician, singer-songwriter, actor, author and filmmaker. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provoca ...
writing that: " "Jood-zijn is geen godsdienst; er is geen enkele God die Zijn schepsels zo’n lelijke neus zou geven." (Translated: "Being Jewish is not a religion; there is no God who would give His creatures such an ugly nose.") According to
The Times of Israel ''The Times of Israel'' is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012. It was co-founded by Israeli journalist David Horovitz, who is also the founding editor, and American billionaire investor Seth Klarman.
, this was not Gainsbourgs original quote and Verhulst accused Israeli Jews of various crimes in his columns. The Times of Israel stated the Forum of Jewish Organizations of Belgium's Flemish region accused Verhulst of expressing “rabid anti-Semitism” in his column and the Dutch Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs called the column “pure anti-Semitism."


Bibliography

* ''Assevrijdag'' (1994) * ''De kamer hiernaast'' (1999) * ''Niets, niemand en redelijk stil'' (2001) * ''Liefde, tenzij anders vermeld'' (2001, poetry) * ''De verveling van de keeper'' (2002) * ''Problemski Hotel'' (2003) * ''Dinsdagland'' (2004) * ''De aankomst in de bleke morgen op dat bleke plein (Aalst)'' (2005, play) * ''Yerma vraagt een toefeling'' (2005, translation of ''Yerma'' by
Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936), known as Federico García Lorca ( ), was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblemat ...
) * ''Boekendiefstal is een zegen voor de middenstand'' (2005) * ''De helaasheid der dingen'' (2006, ''The Misfortunates''; there is also a 2009 film version called '' The Misfortunates'') * ''Mevrouw Verona daalt de heuvel af'' (2006, ''Madame Verona Comes Down the Hill'') * ''Godverdomse dagen op een godverdomse bol'' (2008) * ''De laatste liefde van mijn moeder'' (2010) * ''De zeven laatste zinnen'' (2010) * ''Monoloog van iemand die het gewoon werd tegen zichzelf te praten'' (2011) * ''De intrede van Christus in Brussel'' (2011, ''Entry of Christ into Brussels'') * ''De laatkomer'' (2013) * ''Kaddisj voor een kut'' (2014) * ''Bloedboek'' (2015) * ''De zomer hou je ook niet tegen'' (2015, Boekenweekgeschenk) * ''Het leven gezien van beneden'' (2016) * ''Spoo Pee Doo'' (2016) * ''Stoppen met roken in 87 gedichten'' (2017) * ''De pruimenpluk'' (2019) * ''Hebben en zijn'' (2022)


Awards

* ''Publieksprijs Gouden Uil'' for ''De helaasheid der dingen'' (2007) * ''De Inktaap'' for ''De helaasheid der dingen'' (2008) * ''Beste Boek 2008
HUMO ''HUMO'' is a popular Dutch-language Belgian weekly radio and television supermarket tabloid. History and profile ''Humoradio'' (meaning a portmanteau of 'humor' and 'radio' in English) was first published in 1936 as a Dutch-language counterpar ...
's Pop Poll'' for ''Godverdomse dagen op een godverdomse bol'' (2009) * ''Libris Literatuurprijs'' for ''Godverdomse dagen op een godverdomse bol'' (2009)


See also

*
Flemish literature Flemish literature is literature from Flanders, historically a region comprising parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. Until the early 19th century, this literature was regarded as an integral part of Dutch literature. After Bel ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Verhulst, Dimitri 1972 births Flemish poets Libris Prize winners Living people People from Aalst, Belgium 20th-century Belgian writers