Jan Lauwereyns
(Belgium, 1969)
Jan Lauwereyns has been active on the poetic front for a relatively short time, yet already he has made quite a name for himself. This is due in large part to the rather unusual combination of his poetry and his professional occupation. Lauwereyns works as a neurobiologist at the University of Wellington in New Zealand.
|
In 1999, Lauwereyn’s first collection of poetry, Nagelaten sonnetten (Posthumous sonnets), was lauded as the “best and most interesting debut in recent years” in the Belgian newspaper De Morgen. Traces of Lauwereyns’ scientific work can be found in his poems but they can also be read as lyrical essays. Take, for instance, the cycle ‘Biology of the poetic soul’ in his second collection Blanke verzen (Blank Verse, 2001) in which he tries to uncover the anatomy of the poetic soul. Lauwereyns’ analytical approach towards poetic subjects produces a remarkable effect, his works are funny, incisive and unsettling all at once. It is a poetry of crackling brain cells.
The poet’s next collection Buigzaamheden (Flexibilities, 2002) was awarded the prestigious Hugues C. Pernath-prize and established him as one of the most important young poets in the Dutch language. His first novel, Monkey business (2003) also attracted a lot of media attention. In 2005, he published a fascinating collection of essays: Splash, Lyrical suite on biology, rituals and poetry.
His sixth poetry volume, Vloeistof en welvaart (Liquid and Welfare appeared in 2008. In the same year, he rendered assistance to the Radio Books, an initiative from the Flemish-Dutch house ‘deBuren’, by writing Lied van het meer (Song of the Lake), a narrative poem inspired by the myth of Europe.
In 2009, Zwelgen wij denkend rond (Let’s Wallow in Thought) was published, a collected correspondence of poems, letters and conversations between Lauwereyns and the Dutch poet and scientist Leo Vroman.
The poet’s next collection Buigzaamheden (Flexibilities, 2002) was awarded the prestigious Hugues C. Pernath-prize and established him as one of the most important young poets in the Dutch language. His first novel, Monkey business (2003) also attracted a lot of media attention. In 2005, he published a fascinating collection of essays: Splash, Lyrical suite on biology, rituals and poetry.
His sixth poetry volume, Vloeistof en welvaart (Liquid and Welfare appeared in 2008. In the same year, he rendered assistance to the Radio Books, an initiative from the Flemish-Dutch house ‘deBuren’, by writing Lied van het meer (Song of the Lake), a narrative poem inspired by the myth of Europe.
In 2009, Zwelgen wij denkend rond (Let’s Wallow in Thought) was published, a collected correspondence of poems, letters and conversations between Lauwereyns and the Dutch poet and scientist Leo Vroman.
Last updated: Aug 13, 2009
Poems
Fireworks
Gnomon
Anatomy of melancholy
Miracle of sleep
Fear of water
Selected bibliography
Poetry
Nagelaten sonnetten (Posthumous sonnets), Manteau, Antwerp, 1999
Blanke verzen (Blank Verse), Lannoo, Tielt, 2001
Buigzaamheden (Flexibilities), Meulenhoff, Amsterdam, 2002
Tegenvoetig, tweebenig (Antipodean, Bipedal), Meulenhoff, Amsterdam, 2003
Anophelia! De mug leeft (Anophelia! De Mosquito Lives!), Meulenhoff/Manteau, Antwerp, 2007
Vloeistof en welvaart (Liquid and Welfare), De Bezige Bij, Amsterdam, 2008
Lied van het meer (Song of the Lake), DeBuren, Brussels, 2008 (English translation by Michael O'Loughlin, published 2009)
Prose
Monkey business, Meulenhoff, Amsterdam, 2003
Splash, Lyrical suite on biology, rituals and poetry, Van Tilt, Nijmegen, 2005
Zwelgen wij denkend rond (Let's Wallow in Thought), with Leo Vroman, De Bezige Bij, Amsterdam, 2009
Literary Prizes
C. Buddingh' Prize (Nomination, 1999)
Hugues C. Pernath-prize (2003)
Flemish Culture Prize for Essay (Nomination, 2006)
Links
The works of Jan Lauwereyns are published by De Bezige Bij.
A podcast of the narrative poem Song of the Lake (in English)
Fireworks
Gnomon
Anatomy of melancholy
Miracle of sleep
Fear of water
Selected bibliography
Poetry
Nagelaten sonnetten (Posthumous sonnets), Manteau, Antwerp, 1999
Blanke verzen (Blank Verse), Lannoo, Tielt, 2001
Buigzaamheden (Flexibilities), Meulenhoff, Amsterdam, 2002
Tegenvoetig, tweebenig (Antipodean, Bipedal), Meulenhoff, Amsterdam, 2003
Anophelia! De mug leeft (Anophelia! De Mosquito Lives!), Meulenhoff/Manteau, Antwerp, 2007
Vloeistof en welvaart (Liquid and Welfare), De Bezige Bij, Amsterdam, 2008
Lied van het meer (Song of the Lake), DeBuren, Brussels, 2008 (English translation by Michael O'Loughlin, published 2009)
Prose
Monkey business, Meulenhoff, Amsterdam, 2003
Splash, Lyrical suite on biology, rituals and poetry, Van Tilt, Nijmegen, 2005
Zwelgen wij denkend rond (Let's Wallow in Thought), with Leo Vroman, De Bezige Bij, Amsterdam, 2009
Literary Prizes
C. Buddingh' Prize (Nomination, 1999)
Hugues C. Pernath-prize (2003)
Flemish Culture Prize for Essay (Nomination, 2006)
Links
The works of Jan Lauwereyns are published by De Bezige Bij.
A podcast of the narrative poem Song of the Lake (in English)