The directory «Plots»

Teirlinck Herman
(1879—1967)

Herman Teirlinck was the only son of Isidoor Teirlinck. Because of his poor health he spent much of his childhood living with his grandparents in the south of the province Oost-Vlaanderen, which resulted in his love of the vernacular language. At his atheneum secondary school, he was taught by the Flamingant and language purist Hyppoliet Meert, who had also taught Karel van de Woestijne and indirectly put the pair of them in contact with one another. When they got to know each other at the University of Ghent, a close friendship developed between the two authors, that would hold stead until van de Woestijne's death in 1929. Teirlinck would never complete his university education.

In 1903 he was at the forefront of the launch of the periodical Vlaanderen, the continuation of Van Nu en Straks. In 1906 he went to work for the newspaper the Amsterdamse Algemeen Handelsblad. From 1912 to 1926 he was the director of the furniture manufacturers Ateliers Victor De Cunsel, in which capacity he had the opportunity to visit the then Belgian Congo. In this period he was also a teacher of Dutch literature at the Stedelijke Jongensnormaalschool (Men's Teacher Training College) in Brussels. From 1925 to 1938 he taught the same subject at the Akademie voor Schone Kunsten (Academy of Fine Arts) in Antwerp, and from 1928 to 1936 at the Stedelijke Meisjesnormaalschool (Women's Teacher Training college) in Brussels.

In addition to his busy career, Teirlinck remained a prominent presence in Dutch literature. In 1917 he became a member of the Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde in Leiden and in 1919 of the Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie voor Taal- en Letterkunde. In 1920 he became the Flemish teacher of the Duke of Brabant; in 1933 Privy Councillor to King Albert; in 1934 Councillor for Arts and Sciences to King Leopold III and in 1951 Honorary Counsel for Arts and Sciences to King Boudewijn.

He made his debut with French and Dutch poems, but his fondness for the vernacular later led him to publish works in Dutch. Alongside his 'normal' writing, he was intensively involved with everything related to the theatre. The result is the drama school Studio Herman Teirlinck in Antwerp, that produces considerable acting talent every year.

Belgium, 2006, Herman Tierlinck

Belgium, 2006.01.23, Brussel. Ghelderode & Teirlinck

Belgium, 2006.01.23, Peruwelz. Ghelderode & Teirlinck