The Courage of the Critical Intellect. The Work of Stefan Hertmans

As a poet, prose writer, critic, essayist and playwright, Stefan Hertmans is probably one of the most multifaceted Flemish writers of his generation. And although his writing originally came up against a certain amount of resistance from literary critics, it now proves to be among the most highly prized. Hertmans made his debut as a ‘difficult', inaccessible writer, but since then the postmodem avant-garde in which he took the lead has become widely accepted. Since his debut in 1981, furthermore, he has evolved a great deal and his work has become more open and more directly accessible. (with ‘A Bigger Head' and two translated poems by Stefan Hertmans)