Memories of the First World War and aesthetical mutations after 1918

The German invasion and occupation of Belgium in 1914-1918 deeply impacted the Belgian literary field. In many regards, the country’s political and linguistic evolution was also impacted by the war, although it cannot be reduced to its consequences. The imaginary that impregnated the first attempts of building a francophone literature in Belgium flickered due to the collapse of the Germanic myth that inspired the whole 19th Century. What may be called a “Latin shift”, which began with Maurice Maeterlinck, lead to a renewed subjugation to the French doxa, culminating with the Manifeste du lundi [Monday’s Manifesto]. Nevertheless, after the war and the Russian Revolution, the collapse of traditional values gives birth, on the one hand, to masterpieces by surrealist Paul Nougé, expressionist playwright Fernand Crommelynck or avant-gardist poet Henry Michaux. In all these masterpieces, it’s the nature of language itself that is questioned. For instance, Michaux’s “Lettre de Belgique” [“Letter from Belgium”] shows how the writer works with his Belgian roots in order to paradoxically keep them at bay. On the other hand, the “Fantastique réel” [“Fantastic Real”] tries to keep the language unspoiled by holding on to the Symbolist idealism and acknowledging the wounds of war at the same time, through sudden shifts from Realism to the Uncanny. There are traces of the conflict in literary texts, which were though forgotten by Literary History because of their realistic facture, despite their great efficiency without pathos.The German invasion and occupation of Belgium in 1914-1918 deeply impacted the Belgian literary field. In many regards, the country’s political and linguistic evolution was also impacted by the war, although it cannot be reduced to its consequences. The imaginary that impregnated the first attempts of building a francophone literature in Belgium flickered due to the collapse of the Germanic myth that inspired the whole 19th Century. What may be called a “Latin shift”, which began with Maurice Maeterlinck, lead to a renewed subjugation to the French doxa, culminating with the Manifeste du lundi [Monday’s Manifesto]. Nevertheless, after the war and the Russian Revolution, the collapse of traditional values gives birth, on the one hand, to masterpieces by surrealist Paul Nougé, expressionist playwright Fernand Crommelynck or avant-gardist poet Henry Michaux. In all these masterpieces, it’s the nature of language itself that is questioned. For instance, Michaux’s “Lettre de Belgique” [“Letter from Belgium”] shows how the writer works with his Belgian roots in order to paradoxically keep them at bay. On the other hand, the “Fantastique réel” [“Fantastic Real”] tries to keep the language unspoiled by holding on to the Symbolist idealism and acknowledging the wounds of war at the same time, through sudden shifts from Realism to the Uncanny. There are traces of the conflict in literary texts, which were though forgotten by Literary History because of their realistic facture, despite their great efficiency without pathos

Étrangeté et engagement.

Sin resume

Por uma "literatura-mundo" em francês

Mais tarde, talvez alguém diga que este fora um momento histórico: o prémio Goncourt, o Grande Prémio do romance da Academia francesa, o prémio Renaudot, o prémio Femina, o prémio Goncourt dos estudantes atribuídos, no mesmo outono, a escritores exteriores à França. Será mero acaso de uma rentrée editorial que concentra excecionalmente os talentos oriundos da "periferia", ou mero desvio vagabundo do rio antes de regressar ao seu leito

Do palco à flora, a pregnância de um imaginário - “A Inteligência das flores” de Maurice Maeterlinck

Tradução de Cristina Robalo Cordeiro (Universidade de Coimbra - FLUC) Considera-se com frequência como um aparte a produção de Maurice Maeterlinck dedicada aos fatos naturais. A coerência dos livros deste ciclo, no interior do conjunto da obra, merece, no entanto, um olhar atento. Publicado na metade da vida do futuro Prêmio Nobel, L’Intelligence des fleurs [A Inteligência das Flores] (1907) prova ser assim bem mais que uma pura descrição botânica. O que o torna singular é o emaranhado de uma tal descrição natural com as assombrações do imaginário maeterlinckiano, que são além disso aquelas do idealismo finissecular. Este estudo faz surgir numerosos exemplos de descrições que se acreditaria tiradas dos dramas do autor de Pelléas.Tradução de Cristina Robalo Cordeiro (Universidade de Coimbra - FLUC) Considera-se com frequência como um aparte a produção de Maurice Maeterlinck dedicada aos fatos naturais. A coerência dos livros deste ciclo, no interior do conjunto da obra, merece, no entanto, um olhar atento. Publicado na metade da vida do futuro Prêmio Nobel, L’Intelligence des fleurs [A Inteligência das Flores] (1907) prova ser assim bem mais que uma pura descrição botânica. O que o torna singular é o emaranhado de uma tal descrição natural com as assombrações do imaginário maeterlinckiano, que são além disso aquelas do idealismo finissecular. Este estudo faz surgir numerosos exemplos de descrições que se acreditaria tiradas dos dramas do autor de Pelléas

De la scène à la flore, un imaginaire foncier - “L’Intelligence des fleurs” de Maurice Maeterlinck

On considère souvent comme un à côté la production de Maurice Maeterlinck consacrée aux faits naturels. La cohérence des livres de ce cycle, à l’intérieur de l’ensemble de l’œuvre, mérite pourtant un regard attentif. Publié au mitan de la vie du futur Prix Nobel, L’Intelligence des fleurs (1907) s’avère ainsi bien davantage qu’une pure description botanique. Ce qui en fait la singularité, c’est le tressage d’une telle description naturelle avec les hantises de l’imaginaire maeterlinckien, qui sont en outre celles de l’idéalisme Fin de siècle. Cette étude fait surgir de nombreux exemples de descriptions qu’on croirait tirées des drames de l’auteur de Pelléas.On considère souvent comme un à côté la production de Maurice Maeterlinck consacrée aux faits naturels. La cohérence des livres de ce cycle, à l’intérieur de l’ensemble de l’œuvre, mérite pourtant un regard attentif. Publié au mitan de la vie du futur Prix Nobel, L’Intelligence des fleurs (1907) s’avère ainsi bien davantage qu’une pure description botanique. Ce qui en fait la singularité, c’est le tressage d’une telle description naturelle avec les hantises de l’imaginaire maeterlinckien, qui sont en outre celles de l’idéalisme Fin de siècle. Cette étude fait surgir de nombreux exemples de descriptions qu’on croirait tirées des drames de l’auteur de Pelléas

“Le Voyage rétrospectif”. Un texte important de Franz Hellens

Comme son titre peut le laisser entrevoir, et comme l’indiquent les modalités de sa genèse – puisque le manuscrit est écrit, puis retravaillé après les faits –, Le Voyage rétrospectif de Franz Hellens (1881-1972) n’emmène pas ses lecteurs dans un carnet de voyage pittoresque tels qu’en ont produit maints voyageurs occidentaux de l’époque coloniale. Des villes et des sites sont pourtant évoqués, comme sont relatées des scènes de rues, voire des rencontres. Là n’est cependant pas le point de gr..

Houlgate

Un oiseau chante à tue-tête, un petit vent coulis rase à bas, les feuilles se font retourner sans grâce. ‘ Tomates-mozzarella? Papa m’a appris à les jeter trente secondes dans l’eau bouillante. Plus de peau, une substance aux limites du noir, miam! Ensuite? Du poulet aux fruits de mer, et un petit Loire là-dessus. Si je mettais la nappe que je lui ai offerte il y a dix ans… Le soleil a fait des siennes sur les plis... Tant pis, elle me plaît! De quoi la rafraîchir après nos agapes… J’ai telle..

Trente ans de littérature en Belgique francophone

Este artículo trata sobre la literatura en la Bélgica francófona.This article deals with literature in francophone Belgium