Herman de Coninck
Encyclopedia
Herman de Coninck was a Flemish
poet, essayist, journalist and publisher.
, Belgium
, where his parents ran a Catholic bookshop. He attended the Sint-Rombouts College in Mechelen where he contributed to the school newspaper. Determined to become a writer, he studied Germanic
philology
at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
. While in Leuven
he wrote for the University paper Universitas. Graduating in 1966, he took up teaching in Berchem
while he lived in Heverlee
, near Leuven
. In 1967 he fulfilled his civilian duty in the Belgian army, which was compulsory at the time.
In 1970 he left teaching to become an editor of the weekly magazine HUMO
, a post he held until 1983. During this period he regularly delivered interviews together with Piet Piryns. These interviews were collected and published as Woe is Woe in de Nedderlens in 1972.
Tired of interviews, he became editor-in-chief of the magazine Nieuw Wereldtijdschrift --NWT in short-- in 1983. Under his direction, NWT combined journalism and literature. De Coninck was less of a businessman than a writer, and the magazine was not a commercial success.
While on his way to a literary colloquium with several other Flemish and Dutch poets and writers, amongst which Hugo Claus
, Anna Enquist and Gerrit Komrij
, Herman de Coninck collapsed in the streets of Lisbon
, Portugal
on May 22, 1997. He died there at the age of 53 from a heart failure. A year later, his widow Kristien Hemmerechts
wrote a very personal and biographical monologue entitled Taal Zonder Mij (1998).
The death of de Coninck's first wife, An Somers, in a car accident in 1971 began a difficult period in his life. The loss of his wife deeply influenced his second volume of poetry, Zolang er sneeuw ligt(1975). The collection won both the "Dirk Martensprijs van de Stad Aalst" (1976) and the "Prijs van de Vlaamse Provincieën" (1978). Later collections, such as Met een Klank van Hobo (1980) and De Hectaren van het Geheugen (1985) show a shift to a more romantic topos in his poetry. He also published the collections "Enkelvoud" (1991), "Schoolslag" (1994) and "Vingerafdrukken" (1997).
His essays on poetry were collected and published as Over de troost van pessimisme (1983), De flaptekstlezer (1992) and Intimiteit onder de melkweg (1994).
De Coninck was also a prolific letter-writer, keeping the letters he received and making copies of all the letters he sent. At his death, he left some 15,000 letters behind. A collection of these, selected and edited by Hugo Brems, was published as Een aangename postumiteit in 2004.
Flemish people
The Flemings or Flemish are the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Belgium, where they are mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. They are one of two principal cultural-linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons...
poet, essayist, journalist and publisher.
Life
Herman de Coninck was born in MechelenMechelen
Mechelen Footnote: Mechelen became known in English as 'Mechlin' from which the adjective 'Mechlinian' is derived...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, where his parents ran a Catholic bookshop. He attended the Sint-Rombouts College in Mechelen where he contributed to the school newspaper. Determined to become a writer, he studied Germanic
Germanic languages
The Germanic languages constitute a sub-branch of the Indo-European language family. The common ancestor of all of the languages in this branch is called Proto-Germanic , which was spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age northern Europe...
philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven is a Dutch-speaking university in Flanders, Belgium.It is located at the centre of the historic town of Leuven, and is a prominent part of the city, home to the university since 1425...
. While in Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
he wrote for the University paper Universitas. Graduating in 1966, he took up teaching in Berchem
Berchem
The 'Ring', Antwerp's circular motorway which follows the track of the former city defense walls, cuts Berchem in two parts, separating the urban inner city area of Oud-Berchem from the more residential and suburban areas Groenenhoek en Nieuw Kwartier .-Demography:Berchem's total surface is over ,...
while he lived in Heverlee
Heverlee
Heverlee is a town in Belgium. It is a deelgemeente of the city of Leuven. Heverlee is bordered by Herent, Bertem, Oud Heverlee and several other municipalities that are part of Leuven ....
, near Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
. In 1967 he fulfilled his civilian duty in the Belgian army, which was compulsory at the time.
In 1970 he left teaching to become an editor of the weekly magazine HUMO
HUMO
HUMO is a popular Belgian weekly radio and television magazine, written in Dutch.Originally the magazine was titled Humoradio, a portmanteau of 'humor' and 'radio'....
, a post he held until 1983. During this period he regularly delivered interviews together with Piet Piryns. These interviews were collected and published as Woe is Woe in de Nedderlens in 1972.
Tired of interviews, he became editor-in-chief of the magazine Nieuw Wereldtijdschrift --NWT in short-- in 1983. Under his direction, NWT combined journalism and literature. De Coninck was less of a businessman than a writer, and the magazine was not a commercial success.
While on his way to a literary colloquium with several other Flemish and Dutch poets and writers, amongst which Hugo Claus
Hugo Claus
Hugo Maurice Julien Claus was a leading Belgian author who published under his own name as well as various pseudonyms. Claus' literary contributions spanned the genres of drama, the novel, and poetry; he also left a legacy as a painter and film director...
, Anna Enquist and Gerrit Komrij
Gerrit Komrij
Gerrit Jan Komrij is a Dutch poet, novelist, translator, critic, polemic journalist and playwright. From 2000 to 2004 he was the Dutch Dichter des Vaderlands .-Biography:...
, Herman de Coninck collapsed in the streets of Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
on May 22, 1997. He died there at the age of 53 from a heart failure. A year later, his widow Kristien Hemmerechts
Kristien Hemmerechts
Kristien Hemmerechts is a Belgian writer.-Life:Kristien Hemmerechts studied Germanic philology at the Katholieke Universiteit Brussel and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven . Afterwards, she studied literary science in Amsterdam for a year. In Amsterdam she met her first husband—who was...
wrote a very personal and biographical monologue entitled Taal Zonder Mij (1998).
Work
As a poet, De Conick aimed to produce poetry for the masses. His first volume, De Lenige Liefde, appeared in 1969, becoming the best-selling volume of 20th century Flemish poetry and winning literary prizes such as the "Yang-prijs" (1969) and the "Prijs van de Provincie Antwerpen" (1971). The collection has a relativating tone, and not seldom the poems have an ironic undertone.The death of de Coninck's first wife, An Somers, in a car accident in 1971 began a difficult period in his life. The loss of his wife deeply influenced his second volume of poetry, Zolang er sneeuw ligt(1975). The collection won both the "Dirk Martensprijs van de Stad Aalst" (1976) and the "Prijs van de Vlaamse Provincieën" (1978). Later collections, such as Met een Klank van Hobo (1980) and De Hectaren van het Geheugen (1985) show a shift to a more romantic topos in his poetry. He also published the collections "Enkelvoud" (1991), "Schoolslag" (1994) and "Vingerafdrukken" (1997).
His essays on poetry were collected and published as Over de troost van pessimisme (1983), De flaptekstlezer (1992) and Intimiteit onder de melkweg (1994).
De Coninck was also a prolific letter-writer, keeping the letters he received and making copies of all the letters he sent. At his death, he left some 15,000 letters behind. A collection of these, selected and edited by Hugo Brems, was published as Een aangename postumiteit in 2004.