Maurice, Baron Gilliams (
Antwerp, 20 July 1900-
Antwerp, 18 October 1982) was a
Flemish
Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
writer and poet.
Life and work
Gilliams was the son of printer Frans Gilliams, and he learned to be a
typographer
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing ( leading), an ...
. On 27 August 1935, he married Gabriëlle Baelemans, but they separated soon thereafter, although a divorce would not take place until 1976 due to the resistance of Gabriëlle. On 26 April 1976 he married Maria Eliza Antonia de Raeymaekers.
He worked for the company of his father and he lectured on typography at the ''Vakschool voor Kunstambachten'' of
Roger Avermaete in Antwerp. In 1947, he became a member of the ''Koninklijke Academie voor Nederlandse Taal- en Letterkunde'' of which he became director in 1954. In September 1955, he started working as scientific librarian of the ''Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten'' in Antwerp. From 1960 until 1975, he was secretary of the ''Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie voor Taal- en Letterkunde'' in
Ghent
Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded i ...
.
His breakthrough as writer came with his autobiographical novel ''Elias of het gevecht met de nachtegalen'' (E: Elias or the fighting with the nightingales) at the age of 35.
Maurice Gilliams always wrote autobiographical, generally concerning his failed marriage and his lost youth. He wrote both to poems and prose. After his death the ''Maurice Gilliamsprijs'' was established. In the garden of the Elzenveld in Antwerp stands a statue of him by
Rik Poot.
Bibliography (English transl.)
* Maurice Gilliams: ''Elias, or the struggle with the nightingales''. Translated by André Lefevere. Los Angeles, Sun & Moon Press, 1995.
* Maurice Gilliams: ''The bottle at sea. The complete poems''. Translation & introd. by Marian de Vooght. København, Green Integer, 2006.
* Collected works, ''Vita Brevis'' (1975).
Awards
* 1969 -
Constantijn Huygensprijs
The Constantijn Huygens Prize (Dutch: ''Constantijn Huygens-prijs'') is a Dutch literary award.[University of Ghent
Ghent University ( nl, Universiteit Gent, abbreviated as UGent) is a public research university located in Ghent, Belgium.
Established before the state of Belgium itself, the university was founded by the Dutch King William I in 1817, when the ...]
* 1980 -
Prijs der Nederlandse Letteren
The Prijs der Nederlandse Letteren (''Dutch Literature Prize'') is awarded every three years to an author from the Netherlands, Belgium or, since 2005, Suriname writing in Dutch. It is considered the most prestigious literary award in the Dutch-sp ...
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
Sources
Maurice Gilliams (Pandora)(in Dutch)
Maurice Gilliams (Mysitehome)(in Dutch)
(in Dutch)
Elias of het gevecht met de nachtegalen (Parels uit de DBNL) (in Dutch)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilliams, Maurice
1900 births
1982 deaths
Flemish writers
Barons of Belgium
Constantijn Huygens Prize winners
Prijs der Nederlandse Letteren winners
Belgian typographers and type designers