Michiel de Swaen (; 20 January 1654 – 3 May 1707) was a

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

and a

rhetorician Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...

from the

Southern Netherlands The Southern Netherlands, also called the Catholic Netherlands, were the parts of the Low Countries belonging to the Holy Roman Empire which were at first largely controlled by Habsburg Spain (Spanish Netherlands, 1556–1714) and later by the A ...

Childhood, schooling and professional life

Michiel de Swaen studied at the college of the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

in his native town, where he probably got a

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

education, acquired chiefly through

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

, as in those days theatre was the foundation of a

pedagogical Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and Developmental psychology, psychological development of le ...

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

. After six years of schooling - three of which with a surgeon and three at an unknown place - De Swaen settled in Dunkirk (Duinkerke) as a surgeon and barber, at the same time being committed to the

literary Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to ...

life in this city. Although in those days there were already 14 surgeons active in Dunkirk, De Swaen must have found enough

patient A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other health c ...

s as he complained in an occasional poem about the limited time he could spend on

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

Historical and literary background

The occupation of Dunkirk

The 17th century was a decisive period in the history of the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

and the events of that time also considerably affected De Swaen's own life. While the

Republic of the Seven United Netherlands The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

witnessed its

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during ...

, the

suffered economic decline and the miseries of war. The once prospering port town of

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

started to decline as a metropolis and this to the benefit of towns and cities in the Dutch Republic, like

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

and

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...

. In 1662, De Swaen being eight years old,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

sold the

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; ...

town of Dunkirk to King

Louis XIV of France , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Versa ...

. A year later, French became the mandatory formal

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

, which forced public life in this part of

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

to take place entirely in French; since the

Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts The Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts (french: Ordonnance de Villers-Cotterêts) is an extensive piece of reform legislation signed into law by Francis I of France on August 10, 1539, in the city of Villers-Cotterêts and the oldest French legislat ...

it was illegal in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

to speak any other languages than French. The French influence was nonetheless not felt at once; a significant part of the population continued to speak

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

till the end of the 19th century. Moreover, all works De Swaen wrote were written in Dutch. It is only after 1700 that performances in the playhouses in Dunkirk were held exclusively French. What De Swaen might have thought about the French occupation can indirectly be understood by reading the

sonnet A sonnet is a poetic form that originated in the poetry composed at the Court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the Sicilian city of Palermo. The 13th-century poet and notary Giacomo da Lentini is credited with the sonnet's invention, ...

in which he looks back with unconcealed nostalgia on a journey in the

; he visited

, where he lodged at his son's place. De Swaen seems to have preferred the Dutch standards and values above those that his occupied country had to offer under French rule; there is no doubt about that after reading the sonnet ''aen den Heer Van Heel'':Landry et de Verrewaere, ''op. cit.'', p. 269. From: ''De zedighe doot van Carel den Vijfen; aen den heer Van Heel, my onbekent, over syne clacht, op myn vertrek, uyt Hollant'', Michiel de Swaen Michiel de Swaen wrote in the Dutch standard language of that time, the one all Dutchmen can understand (''alle Nederlanders konnen begrypen'') as his friend, the rhetorician and

printer Printer may refer to: Technology * Printer (publishing), a person or a company * Printer (computing), a hardware device * Optical printer for motion picture films People * Nariman Printer (fl. c. 1940), Indian journalist and activist * James ...

Pieter Labus did put it into words. The admiration for the lost native country was a constant in the Dutch literature in that part of

that had been occupied by the French and even today still is. De Swaen was probably the first who shaped this nostalgia into literature, in which shape it has been preserved in documents from the 18th century. With this burdensome past in mind, even today France is not delighted with the heritage of a Dutch author like De Swaen. For many French Flemish citizens De Swaen is a symbol of their rich cultural past that helped define their actual identity. With the Belgian poet

Guido Gezelle Guido Pieter Theodorus Josephus Gezelle (1 May 1830 – 27 November 1899) was an influential writer and poet and a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium. He is famous for the use of the West Flemish dialect. Life Gezelle was born in Bruges in ...

, he became one of the leading writers in the region on both sides of the frontier; the actual Belgian province of West Flanders and the part of Flanders under French occupation. He is also the representative par excellence of Dutch literature at a high level in the occupied part of Flanders.

Literature in the Netherlands

Dutch literature experienced its

in the

in the 17th century. Some of the most high ranking works in 17th century Dutch literature were published in 1654, the year in which De Swaen was born, and in 1655: ''Trintje Cornelis'' by

Constantijn Huygens Sir Constantijn Huygens, Lord of Zuilichem ( , , ; 4 September 159628 March 1687), was a Dutch Golden Age poet and composer. He was also secretary to two Princes of Orange: Frederick Henry and William II, and the father of the scientist C ...

, ''Lucifer'' by

Joost van den Vondel Joost van den Vondel (; 17 November 1587 – 5 February 1679) was a Dutch poet, writer and playwright. He is considered the most prominent Dutch poet and playwright of the 17th century. His plays are the ones from that period that are still most ...

and ''Alle de wercken'' (complete works) by

Jacob Cats Jacob Cats (10 November 1577 – 12 September 1660) was a Dutch poet, humorist, jurist and politician. He is most famous for his emblem books. Early years Jacob Cats was born on 10 November 1577 in Brouwershaven as son of Adriaen Cornelis ...

Chambers of Rhetoric

The movement of the rhetoricians came into existence as a kind of cultural social club in the 15th century: most rhetoricians in the Southern Netherlands in the 17th century originated from

and

Brabant Brabant is a traditional geographical region (or regions) in the Low Countries of Europe. It may refer to: Place names in Europe * London-Brabant Massif, a geological structure stretching from England to northern Germany Belgium * Province of Bra ...

. The rhetoricians were influenced by

humanism Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

and by the

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...

. Organised within a chamber of rhetoric, they devoted themselves to literature. In a way, they can be compared to the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

"Meistersinger". After the French had banished the Dutch language from public life in the occupied parts of

, the chambers of rhetoric were left as the last and sole institution of Dutch culture.Ralf Grüttemeier and Maria-Theresia Leuker, ''Niederländische Literaturgeschichte'', 2006, p. 52.

De Swaen as a rhetorician

By profession, De Swaen was a surgeon; he also formed part of the judicature. But he was also a member of the Dunkirk chamber of rhetoric, the ''Carsouwe'', also known as ''Sint Michiel'' (Saint Michael was their patron saint); the chamber of the ''Kassouwieren'' (different ways of spelling for instance ''De Kersauwe'' are found; the word descends from the Dutch ''kersouw'' or daisy). Michiel de Swaen, as a rhetorician, was befriended by rhetoricians from the region coming from cities such as

Diksmuide (; french: Dixmude, ; vls, Diksmude) is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of proper and the former communes of Beerst, Esen, Kaaskerke, Keiem, Lampernisse, Leke, N ...

and

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality co ...

. He became a ''prince'' in 1687 at the Dunkirk chamber. Through the chambers of rhetoric, rhetoricians such as De Swaen kept in touch with the part ''over de schreve'' of the

under Habsburg rule, even after the French occupation. For instance, in 1688 De Swaen was a guest in

Veurne Veurne (; french: Furnes, italic=no, ) is a city and municipality in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Veurne proper and the settlements of , , , , , Houtem, , , Wulveringem, and . History Origins up ...

of the chamber the ''Kruys-Broeders''. In 1700, De Swaen participated in a dramatics competition, called the ''landjuweel'', organised by the

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...

chamber of rhetoric, the ''Drie Santinnen''. To the amazement of many, he did not win the competition. His fellow men convinced him to write to the Bruges chamber of rhetoric to prove to them that they had made a mistake. Disappointed for only having obtained the second prize and facing the existing standards of the Bruges competition, he attempted to formulate a poetical theory ''Neder-duitsche digtkonde of rym-konst'', which he made after the prototype of that by

Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...

. By the end of his life, De Swaen pretended that he only stayed with the chamber of rhetoric as a member to keep in touch with his friends. Nonetheless he took his work as a rhetorician seriously, taking Vondel and others as an example.

Works

De Swaen withdrew to a certain extent from his occupation with the chamber of rhetoric on the grounds of his Christian belief, although he had often been stimulated by his friends - the rhetoricians. And even though he had eagerly applied himself to the chamber of rhetoric in his childhood, he turned down all proposals to publish his work. Only the publication of ''Andronicus'', a translation of a work by Jean Galbert de Campistron, had been granted by De Swaen in 1707. His translation of ''Le Cid'' by

Corneille Pierre Corneille (; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. As a young man, he earned the valuable patronag ...

was published in Dunkirk by printer Pieter Labus without his approval in 1694. Most of his works were only published after his life, in

or 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 in ...

, cities in the Southern Netherlands ruled by the Habsburgs. Many of his writings were preserved in the abbey of Sint-Winoksbergen, until the abbey was destroyed under the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

. Therefore, it is uncertain today whether we know all of De Swaen's output. De Swaen's poems were often inspired by religion and have presumably been influenced by humanist authors such as

and

. His ''Catharina'' was obviously influenced by Vondel's ''Maegdhen''. After all, the Belgian Flemish poet

later called De Swaen the ''Vondel of Duinkerke''. De Swaen's theoretical study ''Neder-duitsche digtkonde of rym-konst'' proves his erudition, especially his knowledge of works by 17th century French poet-playwright

Pierre Corneille Pierre Corneille (; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. As a young man, he earned the valuable patronag ...

and

's ''

Poetics Poetics is the theory of structure, form, and discourse within literature, and, in particular, within poetry. History The term ''poetics'' derives from the Ancient Greek ποιητικός ''poietikos'' "pertaining to poetry"; also "creative" an ...

''. De Swaen's religious convictions and his dedication to the Counter-Reformation are illustrated in works such as ''Het leven en de dood van Jesus Christus'' (The Life and Death of Jesus Christ). In this, preceded by Anton van Duinkerke, De Swaen followed the example of the moralising ‘'Diktatiek'’ by Poirtiers, which inspired Cats too. In addition, he wrote two tragedies ''Martelaarspelen'' or ''Treurspelen'' (tragedies about the martyrs ''Catharina'' and ''Mauritius''). De Swaen also showed an interest in European history and wrote an historical play ''De zedighe doot van Carel den Vijfden'' (about the death of Charles V). His texts dedicated to

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (Crown of Castile, Castil ...

, prove his attachment to the Netherlands and his religious conviction; he depicts Charles V as a true Christian hero. De Swaen's most important work, ''De gecroondse leerse'', which he himself described as a ''clucht-spel'' (comedy), is based upon an anecdote about Charles V and was tremendously popular. De Swaen also wrote some

occasional poems Occasional poetry is poetry composed for a particular occasion. In the history of literature, it is often studied in connection with orality, performance, and patronage. Term As a term of literary criticism, "occasional poetry" describes the work ...

. Although De Swaen wrote in the Dutch standard language of his time, he was no stranger to classic and French authors. He handed over his Dutch translation of

's ''Le Cid'' to Barentin, an administrator of the French

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

. He also translated Jean Galbert de Campistron's ''Andronicus'' into Dutch. Many of his works show the influence of French

classicism Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aestheti ...

, such as ''De gecroonde leerse'', split up into five parts and formulated in

alexandrine Alexandrine is a name used for several distinct types of verse line with related metrical structures, most of which are ultimately derived from the classical French alexandrine. The line's name derives from its use in the Medieval French '' Rom ...

Most significant works

De Swaen's most significant works are: ''De gecroonde leerse'' (1688), ''Catharina'' (1702), ''Mauritius'', ''Andronicus'' (1700), ''Le Cid'' (1694), ''De Menschwording'' (the embodiment, 1688), ''Het leven en de dood van Jesus Christus'' (1694), ''Neder-duitsche digtkonde of rym-konst'' (the Dutch poetry and art of rhyming, ca. 1702), ''de zedighe doot van Carel den Vijfden'' (ca. 1707).

''Catharina''

Catharina Catharina is a feminine given name, the Dutch and Swedish spelling of the name Catherine. In the Netherlands, people use a great number of short forms in daily life, including ''Carine'', ''Catelijne'', ''Cato'', ''Ina'', ''Ineke'', ''Kaat'', ''Kaat ...

'' is a Christian

tragedy Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...

about Saint Catherine of Alexandria in which the most important subject is the conflict between

paganism Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christianity, early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions ot ...

and

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

: the martyr Catherine of Alexandria was executed by order of the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

emperor

Maxentius Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius (c. 283 – 28 October 312) was a Roman emperor, who reigned from 306 until his death in 312. Despite ruling in Italy and North Africa, and having the recognition of the Senate in Rome, he was not recognized ...

. This work has a special place in Dutch literature as the genre it seems to belong to was almost non-existent in the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands.Ralf Grüttemeier and Maria-Theresia Leuker, ''Niederländische Literaturgeschichte'', 2006, p. 90.

''De gecroonde leerse''

One day Jacquelijn, the wife of Teunis the shoemaker, goes to the market where she buys a

capon A capon (from la, cāpō, genitive ''cāpōnis'') is a cockerel (rooster) that has been castrated or neutered, either physically or chemically, to improve the quality of its flesh for food, and, in some countries like Spain, fattened by force ...

for a family feast to take place that evening. Emperor Charles V is watching everything from a distance. Keen on the appetising capon, he commands his servant to follow Jacquelijn. She shows him where she lives. Charles decides to go there on his own. To get an invitation, the emperor offers wine to everyone. A day later, Teunis the shoemaker is summoned by the emperor. The rather worried poor Teunis goes to the Court where he recognises the generous guest of last evening. Charles V then appoints Teunis as his imperial shoemaker. ''De gecroonde leerse'' is De Swaen's only

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

and one of the most important works in

Dutch 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, Be ...

. The work is played as well in the Southern as the Northern Netherlands and even in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. Although the author describes the work as a ''clucht-spel'' (comedy), it displays nevertheless also features of French classic

''De zedighe doot van Carel den Vijfden''

''De zedighe doot van Carel den Vijfden'' is available through the

Digital Library for Dutch Literature The Digital Library for Dutch Literature (Dutch: Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren or DBNL) is a website (showing the abbreviation as dbnl) about Dutch language and Dutch literature. It contains thousands of literary texts, second ...

Chronology of the Works

* 1688: ''De gecroonde leerse'' * 1688: ''De Menschwording'' * 1694: ''Le Cid'', translated from Pierre Corneille’s work with the same name * 1694: ''Het leven en de dood van Jesus Christus'' * 1700: ''Andronicus'', for the greater part based on the play of the same name by Jean Galbert de Campistron * 1702: ''Catharina'' * 1702: ''Mauritius'' * about 1702: ''Neder-duitsche digtkonde of rym-konst'' * about 1704: ''De zedighe doot van Carel den Vijfden''

Influence

De Swaen was unquestionably one of the most famous

s in the

during the 17th century. Today, together with Maria Petyt and

Edmond de Coussemaker Charles Edmond Henri de Coussemaker (19 April 1805 – 10 January 1876) was a French musicologist and ethnologist focusing mainly on the cultural heritage of French Flanders. With Michiel de Swaen and Maria Petyt, he was one of the most eminent d ...

, he is one of the most prominent representatives of Dutch culture in

;

called him the ''Vondel of Duinkerke''.

Varia

The French Flemish "Michiel de Swaenkring"MDSK.net
(Michiel de Swaen circle) has been named after him. In Duinkerke (Dunkirk) a street and a secondary school "Le Collège Michel de Swaen" have been named after him and in Nieuw-Koudekerke, there is a Michiel de Swaen Square.

References

Sources

* M. Sabbe, ''Het leven en de werken van Michel de Swaen'' (1904)
De Swaen in de Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren
* W.J.C. Buitendijk, ''Het Calvinisme in de spiegel van de Zuidnederlandse literatuur der contrareformatie'' (1942)[ * A. Dacier et P. Corneille, ''Een bronnenonderzoek'', in Versl. en Meded. Kon. Vl. Acad. (1954) * C. Huysmans, ''Het geheim van een mysteriespel'', in Versl. en Meded. Kon. Vl. Acad. (1926) * G. Landry et Georges de Verrewaere, ''Histoire secrète de la Flandre et de l'Artois'' (1982) * Robert Noote, ''La vie et l'œuvre de Michel de Swaen'' (1994) * E. Rombauts, in ''Geschiedenis van de letterk. der Nederlanden'', dl. v (1952) * R. Seys, ''Michiel de Swaen. Gelijk de zonnebloem'', Uitgeverij Heideland, Hasselt (1964) * R. Seys, in ''Twintig eeuwen Vlaanderen'', 13 (1976) * J. Vanderheyden, ''Michel de Swaens Digtkonde''

External links

*
De Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren (digital library of Dutch literature
dbnl.org *

coo.let.rug.nl *
Bookshop on internet
internetboekhandel.nl {{DEFAULTSORT:Swaen, Michiel De 1654 births 1707 deaths Physicians of the Spanish Netherlands People from Dunkirk Flemish writers (before 1830) Flemish poets Male dramatists and playwrights Poets of the Spanish Netherlands 17th-century male writers Occasional poets