Erwin Mortier

De spiegelingen is a lyrical novel. Although Erwin Mortier had already published 3 collections of essays, 4 of poetry and four novels, he broke through to a larger audience with his fifth novel Godenslaap, which won the national book award. De spiegelingen is his sixth novel and achieves the same heights as Godenslaap.

Mortier does not (yet) have a distinct style. Although he hasn't published any poetry after 2007, his output remains divided between essays and novels. Thematically, the novels are also wide apart, some displaying a strong religious background.

De spiegelingen was published in 2014, the first centennial of the First World War. Between 2009 and 2012 Mortier translated and published the war journals of three nurses or volunteers who worked on the front during the Great War. In 2009, the book by the American nurse Ellen N. La Motte, in 2011 a book by the American nurse Mary Borden and in 2012 the diaries by the British volunteer Enid Bagnold.

The first part of the novel De spiegelingen is clearly inspired by these works. It is the longest and mostly deeply felt part of the novel. It describes how the main character is wounded and nursed back to health. It also describes the relationship between Edgar and Matthew. This sexual relation is the reiterated in all subsequent episodes of the novel, although Matthew was apparently bisexual and marries Edgar’s sister, their bond is transformed into comradeship.

The novel consists of a series of episodes. Each episode describes a new phase in Edgar’s life with a new gay lover. Each new relationship is like an echo of that first relationship, and each new relationship it entered with the scars from that first relationship, mental and physical scars. The old relationship is mirrored in the new relationships. Sexuality is described in a very explicit, brutal way. Thus,comradeship and the violence of war in the first relationship are reflected in later relationships in love and sexuality. Partners in later relationships are also international, from all races and continents.

While sexuality is described very explicitly and shocking, the novel contains many beautiful and lyrical passages, which remind of the works of the French author Philippe Besson.

In 2018, Godenslaap and in De spiegelingen were published in a single-volume edition, entitled Boeken van de troost. De spiegelingen suggests mirroring. In both novels, published six years apart, the same characters appear from different perspectives. For the joint publication of these two novels in a single-volume edition, Mortier wrote De brieven van Matthew which connects the two novels.

De brieven van Matthew is a collection of fictional letters which ties the two novels together. It is not a novella, and it is hard to imagine that De brieven van Matthew could appear as a stand-alone publication. It is really just an intermezzo for the two novels, in the one-volume edition renamed Boeken van de troost.

Having read these novels so many years apart, but De spiegelingen relatively recently, in October 2022, it is difficult to see exactly how it ties the two novels together. At just about 50 pages, it is an interesting related fragment, stylistically as fine as the novels.… (mais)

In 2008, Erwin Mortier published Godenslaap, and in 2014 De spiegelingen. The title of the latter novel suggests mirroring. In both novels, published six years apart, the same characters appear from different perspectives. For the joint publication of these two novels in a single-volume edition, Mortier wrote De brieven van Matthew which connects the two novels.

De brieven van Matthew is a collection of fictional letters which ties the two novels together. It is not a novella, and it is hard to imagine that De brieven van Matthew could appear as a stand-alone publication. It is really just an intermezzo for the two novels, in the one-volume edition renamed Boeken van de troost.

Having read these novels so many years apart, but De spiegelingen relatively recently, in October 2022, it is difficult to see exactly how it ties the two novels together. At just about 50 pages, it is an interesting related fragment, stylistically as fine as the novels.… (mais)

The prose, novellas and novels, of Erwin Mortier are steadily developing to an ever refining style. Mortier does not choose easy subjects. Instead, he is always looking for better telling the story of his family, a deeply rooted story of a dark past during the Great War. This story and Mortier's developing style ties him directly to the great Flemish authors of the past such as Louis Paul Boon and Hugo Claus. However, quite a number of Mortier's novels, including Godenslaap and Marcel are more evocative, while relatively weak on plot. Like wise, this new novella, De onbevlekte, a work closely related to Mortier's debut novel Marcel hardly has a plot. It is therefore a somewhat dark and brooding tale, which does however present the reader with very beautiful prose describing nature and life in Flanders of the first half of the 20th century.… (mais)

Voor de stad en de wereld. De gedichten tot dusver is a collection of poetry by the Flemish author Erwin Mortier. In Dutch language "tot dusver" equals "collected". This usually means a combined edition of several volumes of poetry supplemented with uncollected and perhaps some new poems. While this hold true for this book by Mortier, nonetheless, this collection is very slim.

In Voor de stad en de wereld. De gedichten tot dusver Mortier's poetry of just six years is collected. During these six years just two slim volumes of poetry were published, nl Vergeten licht, which appears last in this collection, and Uit één vinger valt men niet. Gedichten bij foto's van Lieve Blancquaert. For this volume, the poems are reprinted but not the photos. These poems also appear toward the end of the book.

This collection contains two other slim volumes, which have apparently not been separately published, although one of them has appeared as texts with a theatre performance.

The language and stucture of the latest works, appearing first in this collection is very hard to follow, while the later work, previously published in 2000 and 2005 respectively is more accessible.… (mais)