Hendrik Conscience
Hendrik Conscience ( born December 3, 1812 in Antwerp, † September 10, 1883 in Ixelles in Brussels) was a Flemish narrator and co-founder of Flemish literature.
Life and work
Childhood
Conscience was baptized with the name Henri, always wrote himself but Hendrik. His father, the Frenchman Pierre Conscience of Besançon, was navigation officer in Napoleon's navy. He was appointed in 1811 to the lower harbor master of Antwerp, which at that time belonged to France. Hendriks mother, Cornelia Balieu was Flämin. After the retreat of the French 1815 Pierre remained in the city, and slew vessels scrapped from.
Hendrik grew up in the ship De Groene demand action Hoek, in the old embedded books aroused his interest in literature. After his mother 's death in 1820 the father married the much younger widow 1826 Anna Catherina Bogaerts, the Hendrik Conscience often describes in his books. He sold the store and moved in the Kempen, with the family a small courtyard with a garden. While he ships bought up in distant port cities, his sons Hendrik and his brother were times for weeks, sometimes for months with the stepmother alone.
Influence of revolution and Antwerp Bohème
Self-taught, Hendrik knowledge acquired in botany, medicine, the natural sciences and in the Dutch language. At age 17, he had himself already taught me so much - especially English - that he go hence to Antwerp and was able to finance as a teacher in prestigious educational institutions studying.
1830 was the young man persuaded at the outbreak of the revolution, join the new Belgian army, initially for two, then for five years. He served in barracks in Venlo and Dendermonde, until he retired in 1836 as a sergeant from the service.
Since he received no pension after his release, he returned without employment back to the Father's house. By Hendrik army had come with Flemings from all layers in contact. Since he had also been in lively correspondence with the rhetoricians in Antwerp, was for him soon, the decision determined to devote himself to the Flemish movement and in which the bourgeoisie despised Dutch language to write. A passage of text in Guicciardini inspired him to write a series of scenes from the Dutch struggle for freedom, under the title In 't wonderjaer 1566 1837 appeared in Gent and Conscience made famous overnight. His father looked at this with so much disapproval that he put his son in front of the door.
Hendrik made off with two francs and a bundle of clothes on to Antwerp. His old school friend Jan de Laet Alfried took him in and introduced him to the Antwerp core of the Flemish movement. Soon, interested influential people of the local Bohème for the talented, but still unsuccessful man. His friend Gustaaf Wappers, painter at the court, introduced him to the King, who expressed a wish after the meeting with Conscience, the Wonderjaer may be made available in the libraries of all Belgian schools.
The Lion of Flanders
In the same year, 1837, Conscience, published under the auspices of Leopold I of its second factory Phantasy, a smorgasbord of poetry and prose, whose moderate success but bitter disappoint him. A modest job as a translator at the Provincial Archives, mediated by Wappers, freed him from the worst financial pressure, and so he was able to accomplish with the 1838 historical novel De leeuw van Vlaenderen probably his greatest success.
However, criticism of the novel offset Conscience ' ambitions a setback. Because of its stresses Flemish attitude he had to vacate his place in the archive. His books have been highly praised, but did not sell yet so well that he could live on it. So he had to work for about 13 months even as a gardener until 1841 Wappers, who had risen to the head of the Academy of Fine Arts, managed to plead Conscience Secretary of the Academy. Your job both retained until 1854.
Success and recognition
Finally Conscience 'work began to come across resonance. Hoe can men signs wordt (1843 ), Wat eene moeder Lyden (1843 ), Siska van Roosemael (1844 ), Lambrecht Hensmans (1847 ), Jacob van Velde Arte (1849 ) and De lote ling ( 1850) made him increasingly popular. On a Flemish Congress in Ghent in 1841 were called Conscience ' works as the seed from which most likely a national literary harvest is expected. Therefore, the patriots support their dissemination and praising each new work of Conscience ' spring as an honor for Belgium. 1845 Conscience was knighted in the Order of Leopold. He had taken the Dutch-language literature more and more the reputation of vulgarity and triggered a boom.
In the same year Conscience written as a commissioned work his Geschiedenis van België, which he dedicated to the king. He was now at the zenith of his genius, which of course, some so violently envied him that he was exhausted and discouraged retired in the Kempen. He remembered back to the descriptions of Flemish life. Blind Roza (1850), Rikke - tikke - tak ( 1851), De poor Edelman ( 1851) and De gierigaerd (1853 ), which emerged during this period, among the most important of his novels. They influenced directly the newer Fiction, and Conscience found numerous imitators.
1851 published the first translations of his stories in English, French, German and Italian, and made him famous beyond borders. He could now live on his literary work, but was - to the detriment of the art city of Antwerp - district commissioner in Kortrijk. On this post in the remote border town he grew lonely and increasingly also did not reach the quality of his earlier works. From correspondence this time it is clear that money worries were probably the reason that his oeuvre grew so fast.
The 1868 created post of stage manager of the Royal Belgian Museum of painting and sculpture in Brussels should be to sinecure for Conscience. He continues regularly wrote novels. He was now considered one of the most famous personalities of Antwerp; the publication of his 100th book was just as enthusiastically hailed by the public as his 70th birthday. The inauguration of a monument dedicated to him he could not attend for health reasons. After a long illness, he died in his house. They honored him with a state funeral, and put him at the Antwerp Schoonselhof.
Importance
While the Netherlands could refer to a centuries-old, glorious literary tradition, prejudices prevented a French -speaking bourgeoisie recognition of the language in the Flemish provinces of Belgium. The cleavage of the Netherlands in 1830 had driven such a large wedge between the two fraternal peoples and their languages , that for many years hardly Dutch -language literature was on the Belgian side. It is in this situation Conscience created a Dutch-speaking readership and campaigned for the national consciousness.
In 1830 he wrote: "I do not know how it is, but I confess that I find something indescribably to the real Flemish Romantic, mysterious, Profound, Energetic, yes game. If I ever have the ability to write, I will devote myself with all my strength the Flemish composition. " The poems he wrote as a soldier, were his only French works.
The born artist succeeded in his work a rare combination of imagination, idealization and reality. He had a strong sense of voice music, but especially for colors and moods. The abundance of romantic themes and motifs with which he occupied himself, remained in Belgium without precedent. But he was not only the most popular of the author of Flanders, but takes account of its ATTACHING to Sir Walter Scott and Victor Hugo historical novels De leeuw van Vlaenderen, Jacob van Arte Velde and De boerenkrijg (1798 ) and its comparable with Berthold Auerbach and George Sand landscape descriptions and idylls also a high priority in European literature.
Works
- In 't wonderjaer ( The Wonder Year ) ( 1837) - dt The Miracle Year (1845 )
- Phantasy (1837 )
- De leeuw van Vlaenderen (1838 ) - dt The Lion of Flanders ( 1846) online edition ULB Münster
- Aenspraek dead Vlaamsche het folk (1839 )
- Poems en redevoeringen (1840 )
- Hoe wordt men signs ( How to become a painter ) ( 1843)
- Het wonderjaer 1566 (1843) ( revised edition van 't wonderjaer )
- Siska van Roosemael (1844 ) - German Siska van Roosemael: true story of a virgin who still lives (1846 )
- Wat can eene lijden moeder (1844 ) - German What can suffer a mother [ a true story ] (1846 ). Digitized edition of the University and State Library Dusseldorf
- De sleutel the gezuiverde spelling (1844 )
- Geschiedenis van België ( 1845) - German History of Belgium [ From the oldest to the newest Time] (1847 )
- Geschiedenis van graef Hugo van Craenhove en van zynen vriend Abulfaragus (1845 ) - dt The story of Count Hugo von Craenhove and his friend Abulfaragus (1846 )
- Avondstonden (1846 ) - dt evening hours (1846 ). Online edition ULB Münster therein: De Kwade hand (1846 ) (English: . The Evil Hand ( = Cabinet of dreamers Vol 40) Translated and with an afterword by Heiko Postma JMB -Verlag, 2013 ISBN 978-3-944342-13. .. -9).
Expenditure
- Volledige plants ( hook size ). 30 vols, 1912.
- Plant output ( dt ). 75 vols 1846-1884