Elsschot archives finally public

Had he not died before it launched, Willem Elsschot would have been just the sort to relish a literary festival like Het andere boek. An advertising exec by day and writer by night (under a pseudonym), his droll novels about the struggles of ordinary people in business and at home walked a beautifully fine line between popularity and critical appeal.

Elsschot, who published his last book in the 1940s, is one of a handful of Flemish novelists translated into English (Cheese, Villa des Roses). His archives, which were scattered around over the years, were painstakingly pursued by his daughter, who died last week at the age of 91. Now the finally complete archives will be housed at the Letterenhuis, or House of Literature, in Antwerp, the largest literary archive in Flanders. This means they will be open to students and other researchers – and part of a huge public exhibition next year.

www.letterenhuis.be

Lisa Bradshaw

(September 16, 2009)