Pierre Mertens
Encyclopedia
Pierre Mertens is a Belgian
French-speaking writer
and lawyer who specializes in international law
, director of the Centre de sociologie de la littérature at the Université Libre de Bruxelles
, and literary critic with the newspaper Le Soir
.
Influenced by Franz Kafka
, Mertens started to publish novel
s and short stories in 1969 and received the Prix Médicis
in 1987 for Les éblouissements. He nevertheless continued his activities as a lawyer, participating in many battles for human rights
. In 1989, he entered the Académie royale de langue et littérature de Belgique, and was also named Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France
.
Mertens has reflected much on the social function of the writer. For him, private life, fiction, and history are inseparable. Thus he grants a central place to the memory in the creation of his works. To him the novelist finds his inspiration in their personal and the historical past. Mertens is particularly marked by the activities of his parents, his father a journalist
and music lover and his mother a biologist
and pianist
. He was also much affected by the German occupation, the execution of the Rosenbergs or the tragedy of the miners of Marcinelle
in 1956. Later as a scholar of international law he strongly denounces the genocide in Biafra
, torture in Ireland
, and the prisons of Pinochet.
Another important inspiration is music. In his novels, one finds the influence of music, such as the leitmotif
s which cross them (the figure of the tiger
, for example). He is also the author of a booklet on opera
, La passion de Gilles (1982).
His many travels and his extensive education has given him an international perspective. In Les Bons offices (1974) and Terre d'asile (1978), for example, Belgian history is presented from a foreign perspective. Mertens often sees his country as a synthesis of Europe
and its problems.
He caused a major controversy in his homeland with his book Une paix royale, published in 1995, which tells a fictionalised story of Belgium
's royal family, mixing fiction and reality. He was tried and forced to remove a couple of pages from the subsequent editions.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
French-speaking writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and lawyer who specializes in international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
, director of the Centre de sociologie de la littérature at the Université Libre de Bruxelles
Université Libre de Bruxelles
The Université libre de Bruxelles is a French-speaking university in Brussels, Belgium. It has 21,000 students, 29% of whom come from abroad, and an equally cosmopolitan staff.-Name:...
, and literary critic with the newspaper Le Soir
Le Soir
Le Soir is a Berliner Format Belgian newspaper. Le Soir was founded in 1887 by Emile Rossel. It is the most popular Francophone newspaper in Belgium, and considered a newspaper of record.-Editorial stance:...
.
Influenced by Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
, Mertens started to publish novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s and short stories in 1969 and received the Prix Médicis
Prix Médicis
The Prix Médicis is a French literary award given each year in November. It was founded in 1958 by Gala Barbisan and Jean-Pierre Giraudoux. It is awarded to an author whose "fame does not yet match his talent."...
in 1987 for Les éblouissements. He nevertheless continued his activities as a lawyer, participating in many battles for human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. In 1989, he entered the Académie royale de langue et littérature de Belgique, and was also named Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Mertens has reflected much on the social function of the writer. For him, private life, fiction, and history are inseparable. Thus he grants a central place to the memory in the creation of his works. To him the novelist finds his inspiration in their personal and the historical past. Mertens is particularly marked by the activities of his parents, his father a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and music lover and his mother a biologist
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
and pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
. He was also much affected by the German occupation, the execution of the Rosenbergs or the tragedy of the miners of Marcinelle
Marcinelle
Marcinelle is a Walloon town in the Belgian province of Hainaut, it is currently a municipality within the Charleroi borders. Until 1977, the town was a municipality of its own....
in 1956. Later as a scholar of international law he strongly denounces the genocide in Biafra
Biafra
Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a secessionist state in south-eastern Nigeria that existed from 30 May 1967 to 15 January 1970, taking its name from the Bight of Biafra . The inhabitants were mostly the Igbo people who led the secession due to economic, ethnic, cultural and religious...
, torture in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and the prisons of Pinochet.
Another important inspiration is music. In his novels, one finds the influence of music, such as the leitmotif
Leitmotif
A leitmotif , sometimes written leit-motif, is a musical term , referring to a recurring theme, associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical idea of idée fixe...
s which cross them (the figure of the tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
, for example). He is also the author of a booklet on opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, La passion de Gilles (1982).
His many travels and his extensive education has given him an international perspective. In Les Bons offices (1974) and Terre d'asile (1978), for example, Belgian history is presented from a foreign perspective. Mertens often sees his country as a synthesis of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and its problems.
He caused a major controversy in his homeland with his book Une paix royale, published in 1995, which tells a fictionalised story of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
's royal family, mixing fiction and reality. He was tried and forced to remove a couple of pages from the subsequent editions.
Works
- L’Inde ou l’Amérique - 1969
- Le Niveau de la mer - 1970
- L’Imprescriptibilité des crimes de guerre et contre *l’humanité - 1974
- Les Bons offices - 1974
- Terre d’asile - 1978
- Nécrologies - 1979
- La Fête des anciens - 1983
- Terreurs - 1983
- Perdre - 1984
- Berlin - 1986
- Les éblouissements - 1987
- Uwe Johnson, le scripteur de murs - 1989
- L’Agent double - 1989
- Lettres clandestines - 1990
- Les Chutes centrales - 1990
- Les Phoques de San Francisco - 1991
- Flammes - 1993
- Une paix royale - 1995
- Collision et autres nouvelles - 1995
- Tout est feu - 1999
- Perasma - 2001