Maria Rosseels
Encyclopedia
Maria, Baroness Rosseels (Borgerhout
, 23 October 1916-Kalmthout
, 18 March 2005), also known with her pen name
E. M. Vervliet, was a Belgian
Catholic
writer. The first years of her life, she lived in the Goedendagstraat in Borgerhout
. When Maria was 7 years old, the family moved to Oostmalle
, where she already started to write. She went to school at the "Heilig Graf" school for girls in Turnhout.
In 1933 the family moved to Essen
and later to Kalmthout
. After three years of technical education she went to the College for Women in Antwerp. She started her professional career as a teacher at a school in Gierle
, but she left the school to work, from 1941 up to 1944, at the department of internal affairs of the Ministry of Labor in Brussels
.
In 1945 she became secretary at De Pijl, a publisher linked to the Flemish Catholic Scouts
. In the meantime she made her first steps in journalism
as freelance journalist for the "De Courant", a daily which appeared from 1937 until 1939. In 1947 she became editor at the daily De Standaard
where she would eventually become the movie critic and author of the woman page. After her retirement in 1977 she continued working as a movie critic.
Besides her journalism she created an impressive literary oeuvre. As a writer she created some important female characters. First of all Elisabeth from the Elisabeth trilogy, of which the first part appeared in 1953. As a Christian writer she drew attention with novels such as Ik was een christen (E: I was a Christian) (1957), Dood van een non (E: Dead of a nun) (1961; movie in 1975 by P. Collet en P. Drouot) and Wacht niet op de morgen (E: Don't wait for the morning) (1969). Her best-known book was Dood van een non (1961, which was translated into several languages and it was awarded on several occasions.
She received an honorary PhD from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
in 1981, and she was knighted and became a Baron
ess in 1988.
Borgerhout
Borgerhout is a district of the municipality and city of Antwerp in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The district houses 41,614 inhabitants reflecting 90 nationalities...
, 23 October 1916-Kalmthout
Kalmthout
Kalmthout is a municipality in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the village of Kalmthout. On January 1, 2007 Kalmthout had a population of 17,508. The total area is...
, 18 March 2005), also known with her pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
E. M. Vervliet, was a Belgian
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...
Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
writer. The first years of her life, she lived in the Goedendagstraat in Borgerhout
Borgerhout
Borgerhout is a district of the municipality and city of Antwerp in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The district houses 41,614 inhabitants reflecting 90 nationalities...
. When Maria was 7 years old, the family moved to Oostmalle
Oostmalle
Oostmalle is a village which is located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The village itself is part of the municipality of Malle.Oostmalle was an independent municipality until 1976. It has a surface area of 28.27 km² and in 2004 had 6,510 inhabitants....
, where she already started to write. She went to school at the "Heilig Graf" school for girls in Turnhout.
In 1933 the family moved to Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
and later to Kalmthout
Kalmthout
Kalmthout is a municipality in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the village of Kalmthout. On January 1, 2007 Kalmthout had a population of 17,508. The total area is...
. After three years of technical education she went to the College for Women in Antwerp. She started her professional career as a teacher at a school in Gierle
Lille, Belgium
Lille is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Gierle, Lille proper, Poederlee and Wechelderzande. On January 1, 2006 Lille had a total population of 15,509. The total area is 59.40 km² which gives a population density of 261 inhabitants...
, but she left the school to work, from 1941 up to 1944, at the department of internal affairs of the Ministry of Labor in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
.
In 1945 she became secretary at De Pijl, a publisher linked to the Flemish Catholic Scouts
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
. In the meantime she made her first steps in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
as freelance journalist for the "De Courant", a daily which appeared from 1937 until 1939. In 1947 she became editor at the daily De Standaard
De Standaard
De Standaard is a Flemish daily newspaper published in Belgium by Corelio . Circulation was about 102.280 in 2007. It was traditionally a Christian-Democratic paper, associated with the Christian-Democratic and Flemish Party, and in opposition to the Socialist Flemish daily De Morgen...
where she would eventually become the movie critic and author of the woman page. After her retirement in 1977 she continued working as a movie critic.
Besides her journalism she created an impressive literary oeuvre. As a writer she created some important female characters. First of all Elisabeth from the Elisabeth trilogy, of which the first part appeared in 1953. As a Christian writer she drew attention with novels such as Ik was een christen (E: I was a Christian) (1957), Dood van een non (E: Dead of a nun) (1961; movie in 1975 by P. Collet en P. Drouot) and Wacht niet op de morgen (E: Don't wait for the morning) (1969). Her best-known book was Dood van een non (1961, which was translated into several languages and it was awarded on several occasions.
She received an honorary PhD from 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...
in 1981, and she was knighted and became a Baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
ess in 1988.