Robert Vivier (1894–1989) was a Belgian poet, novelist, essayist, biographer and literary critic who wrote in

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

.Jean-Luc Wauthier. "A Panoramic View of French-Language Poetry in Belgium 1880–1980". In: ''Belgian Women Poets: An Anthology'' (Vol. 11) (2000) He published his first poetry collection, ''Le Menetrier'', in 1924, which was followed by ''Dechirures'' (1927), ''Au bord du temps'' (1937), ''Le Miracle enferme'' (1939), ''Trace par l'oubli'' (1951), ''Chronos reve'' (1959) and ''S'étonner d'être'' (1977). His anxious listening to everyday life, his nostalgia for the childhood of the world, his meditations on the "glory of life" and the "very sweet eternity that breathes the world" are expressed in free verses or very classical verses (sometimes sonnets), whose cuts he redistributes according to very personal musical laws. According to the ''New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry & Poetics'' his poetry is characterised by "discreet interrogation". It is described by Jean-Luc Wauthier as displaying "acute and sensuous surreality" and being "deceptively transparent, streaked with paradoxically calm anxiety". He also wrote novels including ''Non'' (1931), ''Folle qui s'ennuie'' (1933) and ''Mesures pour rien'', which Lucien Christophe and

Herman Teirlinck Herman Louis Cesar Teirlinck (Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, 24 February 1879 – Beersel-Lot, 4 February 1967) was a Belgian writer. He was the fifth child and only son of Isidoor Teirlinck and Oda van Nieuwenhove, who were both teachers in Brussels. As ...

praise for the author's "keenness of perception" in their depiction of "simple, empty" characters. A later novel is ''Avec les hommes'', set during the First World War. One of his influences was the Belgian novelist, André Baillon (1875–1932). Vivier's nonfiction works include biographies of Louis Antoine, the founder of

Antoinism Antoinism is a healing and Christian-oriented new religious movement founded in 1910 by Louis-Joseph Antoine (1846–1912) in Jemeppe-sur-Meuse, Seraing in Belgium. With a total of 64 temples, over forty reading rooms across the world and tho ...

, the poet

Charles Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet, essayist, translator and art critic. His poems are described as exhibiting mastery of rhythm and rhyme, containing an exoticism inherited from the Romantics ...

,Lucien Christophe,

(1953). A Quarter Century of Belgian Writing. '' Books Abroad'' 27 (3): 245–56 and the artist . His critical works include ''Et la poésie fut langage'' (1954) on ''

La Chanson de Roland The ''Song of Roland'' () is an 11th-century based on the deeds of the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in AD 778, during the reign of the Emperor Charlemagne. It is the oldest surviving major work of French lite ...

'', Villon,

Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ; ; 22 December 1639 – 21 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille, as well as an important literary figure in the Western tra ...

Verlaine Verlaine (; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Verlaine had a total population of 3,507. The total area is 24.21 km2 which gives a population density Population density (in ag ...

and Mallarmé, and ''Frères du Ciel'' (1962) on poetic interpretations of the

Icarus In Greek mythology, Icarus (; , ) was the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, the architect of the labyrinth of Crete. After Theseus, king of Athens and enemy of King Minos, escaped from the labyrinth, Minos suspected that Icarus and Daedalu ...

and

Phaethon Phaethon (; , ), also spelled Phaëthon, is the son of the Oceanids, Oceanid Clymene (mother of Phaethon), Clymene and the solar deity, sun god Helios in Greek mythology. According to most authors, Phaethon is the son of Helios who, out of a de ...

myths.Jean-Louis Dumont (1964). The French Novel in Belgium: A Study of the Contemporary Scene. '' Books Abroad'' 38 (4): 353–60 He held professorships in literature at the

University of Liège The University of Liège (), or ULiège, is a major public university of the French Community of Belgium founded in 1817 and based in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. Its official language is French (language), French. History The university was foun ...

and the Sorbonne, and was a member of the Royal Academy of French Language and Literature of Belgium (1950–89).

References

*. ''Dictionnaire de la poesie francaise contemporaine'' 1968, Auge, Guillon, Hollier -Larousse, Mooreau et Cie.-Librairie Larousse, Paris

References

Further reading