Famous Belgian Poets

Bestselling Belgian author, painter, and filmmaker Hugo Claus penned a wide range of literary gems, including poems, novels, and plays, and rose to be one of his country’s finest literary figures. Known for his masterpiece The Sorrow of Belgium, the author chose to be euthanized after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Marcel Broodthaers was primarily a poet till 40, after which he focused on visual arts. One of his exhibitions showcased copies of his book Pense-Bête, encased in plaster. Over the years, he experimented with painting, printmaking, and film, too. He also headed the Musée d’Art Moderne, Département des Aigles.

Christian Dotremont was a Belgian poet and painter best remembered for founding the Revolutionary Surrealist Group in 1946. He is also credited with co-founding an influential European avant-garde movement called COBRA. Christian Dotremont is also remembered for his painted poems which he called logograms. 

Belgian poet and graphic artist Sophie Podolski is best known for her only published book during her lifetime, Le pays où tout est permis. A patient of schizophrenia, she had been to psychiatric clinics and had issues with drugs. She eventually tried committing suicide and died 10 days later.

Felix Timmermans was a Belgian author whose works earned him three nominations for the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature over the course of his illustrious career. A versatile writer, Timmermans wrote plays, religious works, historical novels, and poems. He was also a drawer and painter. Felix Timmermans is also one of the most translated authors from Flanders.    

Camille Lemonnier was a Belgian writer, journalist, and poet. Although he was an important member of a Symbolist group called La Jeune Belgique, Lemonnier's best known works are generally classified as literary realism. Camille Lemonnier is best remembered for his 1881 novel, Un Mâle, which is set against the backdrop of a forest.

Jan van der Noot was a Netherlandish writer best remembered as the very first Renaissance poet in Dutch. He is also credited with influencing the German and English poets of his time. Many of his works like Het theatre oft toon-neel defends the virtues of Calvinism.

André Henri Constant van Hasselt was a Dutch-Belgian poet and writer who wrote predominantly in French. His first book of poems, Primevères, is widely regarded as the first prominent collection of poems in the history of modern Belgium. Interestingly, Primevères is also considered an awkwardly written work.