Pol Demade (1863–1936) was a Belgian writer who also published under the

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

Jean Suis.

Life

Paul François Charles Demade was born to a French family living in Comines, Belgium, on 13 August 1863.Françoise Châtelain, "Demade, Paul François Charles, dit Pol", ''

Nouvelle Biographie Nationale Nouvelle is a French word, the feminine form of "new". It may refer to: ;Places * Nouvelle, Quebec, a municipality in Quebec, Canada * Nouvelle-Église, a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department, France * Port-la-Nouvelle, a commune in the Aude dep ...

''
vol. 2
(Brussels, 1990), 119-121. He was educated at the

Minor Seminary, Roeselare The Minor Seminary, Roeselare (Dutch: ''Klein Seminarie Roeselare''; est. 1806) is a diocesan secondary school in Roeselare, West Flanders, Belgium. Initially primarily a preparatory institution for the Major Seminary, Bruges, it is now a substantia ...

, where he became friends with

Albrecht Rodenbach Albertus Petrus Josephus Mansuetus Ferdinandus "Albrecht" Rodenbach (; 27 October 1856 – 23 June 1880) was a Flemish poet, and a leader in the revival of Flemish literature, or "Flemish movement", that occurred in the late 19th century. He ...

, and at the diocesan college in

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; or ''Kortrik''; ), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of We ...

, before studying medicine at the

Catholic University of Leuven University of Leuven or University of Louvain (; ) may refer to: * Old University of Leuven (1425–1797) * State University of Leuven (1817–1835) * Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) * Katholieke Universiteit Leuven or KU Leuven (1968 ...

. His interest in literature was sparked by reading

Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly Jules-Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly (2 November 1808 – 23 April 1889) was a French novelist, poet, short story writer, and literary critic. He specialised in mystery tales that explored hidden motivation and hinted at evil without being explicitl ...

, and he began contributing to the

society page In journalism, the society page of a newspaper is largely or entirely devoted to the social and cultural events and gossip of the location covered. Other features that frequently appear on the society page are a calendar of charity events and pi ...

s of '' Le Patriote'' under the pen name Jean Suis. His first novel, ''Religieuse, soeur Magdala'' (1891), was self published.Jean-Baptiste Baronian
Pol Demade, un petit maître belge du fantastique
communication to the

Académie royale de langue et de littérature françaises de Belgique The (; 'Royal Academy of French Language and Literature of Belgium') or ARLLFB is a Belgian institution which brings together personalities who, through their works, writings, lectures or speeches, have contributed most eminently to the illustra ...

, 13 September 2003. He obtained a two-year scholarship to the

Collège de France The (), formerly known as the or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment () in France. It is located in Paris near La Sorbonne. The has been considered to be France's most ...

and completed his medical training in

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

. Besides his medical profession and literary activity he also engaged in political discussions, coming into the orbit of

Henry Carton de Wiart Henry Victor Marie Ghislain, Count Carton de Wiart (1869–1951) was a Belgian writer and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Belgium from 20 November 1920 to 16 December 1921. Early life On 31 January 1869, Henry Carton de Wiart was ...

Jules Renkin Jules Laurent Jean Louis Renkin (3 December 1862 – 15 July 1934) was a Belgian politician who served as Prime Minister from 1931 to 1932. He also served as the minister of colonies for the Belgian Congo from 30 October 1908 to 21 November ...

and other proponents of

Christian democracy Christian democracy is an ideology inspired by Christian social teaching to respond to the challenges of contemporary society and politics. Christian democracy has drawn mainly from Catholic social teaching and neo-scholasticism, as well ...

. He took an active role in the Catholic Congress in Mechelen in 1891. Demade was a contributor to the reviews ''La Lutte'' and ''Le Drapeau'', and together with Carton de Wiart and

Henry Moeller Henry Moeller (1852–1918) was a Belgian priest and literary critic, who for twenty years edited the cultural review ''Durendal''. Life Moeller was born in Leuven on 12 July 1852, the sixth son of Professor Jean Moeller and Marie-Sabine Durst.R ...

he founded the review ''

Durendal Durendal, also spelled Durandal, is the sword of Roland, a legendary paladin and partially historical officer of Charlemagne in French epic literature. The sword is famous for its hardness and sharpness. Sources including '' La Chanson de Rola ...

'', of which he was sole proprietor 1894–1897. He took an interest in the reform of education, and especially of the teaching of languages and literature in secondary schools. From 1901 to 1924 he was the editor of a popularising medical review, ''Jardin de la santé'' (the garden of health) that he had founded himself. With the

German occupation of Belgium during World War I The German occupation of Belgium (, ) of World War I was a military occupation of Belgium by the forces of the German Empire between 1914 and 1918. Beginning in August 1914 with the invasion of neutral Belgium, the country was almost complet ...

, Demade became a refugee in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. He died in

Ostend Ostend ( ; ; ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke, Raversijde, Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the la ...

on 16 September 1936.

Publications

;Fiction * ''Religieuse, Soeur Magdala'' (1891) * ''La Passion catholique: Une âme princesse'' (1893) * ''Contes inquiets'' (1899) * ''L'âme féminine: La grâce, le dévouement, la tendresse'' (1907) * ''Les âmes qui saignent'' (1910) * ''Boutiques d'idées'' (1910) * ''L'ombre étoilée'' (1912) * ''Le cortège des Ombres'' (1925) * ''Les âmes nues'' (1938) ;Non-fiction * ''Le programme du doctorat en médecine'' (1889) * ''La littérature catholique contemporaine: Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly, Léon Bloy, Villiers de l'Isle-Adam, Ernest Hello'' (1893) * ''De l'éducation à l'anarchie'' (1895) * ''Le rôle du médecin dans l'éducation'' (1904) * ''Carnets du bon Samaritain: Notes sur ce qui doit être fait tout de suite, en famille, contre les petites misères de l'existence'' (1910) * ''Un projet de bibliothèque familiale chrétienne'' (1913) * ''Lettres à ma filleule: Essai d'hygiène morale'' (1922) * ''La bonne Samaritaine à côté de ceux qui souffrent'' (1926)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Demade, Pol 1863 births 1936 deaths Belgian male novelists 20th-century Belgian physicians Belgian male non-fiction writers 19th-century Belgian novelists 19th-century Belgian male writers 19th-century Belgian non-fiction writers 20th-century Belgian novelists 20th-century Belgian non-fiction writers 20th-century Belgian male writers 19th-century Belgian physicians Belgian magazine founders