Wies Moens (28 January 1898 – 5 February 1982) was a Belgian literary historian, poet and '' Flamingant'' activist. He was also a founding member of the right-wing

Verdinaso Verdinaso (''Verbond van Dietsche Nationaal-Solidaristen'', ), sometimes rendered as Dinaso, was a small fascist political movement active in Belgium and, to a lesser extent, the Netherlands between 1931 and 1941. Verdinaso was founded by Jori ...

movement.

Life

He was born in

Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde () is a part of the municipality of Dendermonde in the Denderstreek in East Flanders in Belgium, a typical agricultural village in the Dendervallei near the junction of the railroads to Ghent, Mechelen and Brussels. It ...

, the only child of

baker A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient histo ...

Karel Moens and Johanna Moreels. Between 1916 and 1918 he studied German philology at the Vlaamsche Hoogeschool in Ghent (the first institution of higher education in Belgium using Dutch as the medium of instruction set up during the

German occupation German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...

). He was active in the

Flemish Movement The Flemish Movement (, ) is an umbrella term which encompasses various political groups in the Belgium, Belgian region of Flanders and, less commonly, in French Flanders. Ideologically, it encompasses groups which have sought to promote Flemis ...

and was, after the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

sentenced to four years in prison for his activities during the war. The Flemish Literary Society requested his release through a petition signed by many, and in March 1921 Moens was set free. His expressionistic poetry was published in ''Ruimte'' magazine, which also published

Paul van Ostaijen Paul van Ostaijen (22 February 1896 – 18 March 1928) was a Belgian Dutch-language poet and writer. Nickname Van Ostaijen was born in Antwerp to Dutch father and Flemish mother. His nickname was ''Mister 1830'', derived from his habit of walk ...

. In addition, he was secretary of the ''Vlaamsche Volkstooneel'' (Flemish People's Theatre) and a journalist. Moens became politically active in the Flemish Front Partij in 1926. His political affiliation subsequently influenced his literary work. The Dutchman put it as follows: "Wies Moens' zeal for the Greater Netherlands idea was accompanied by a growing preference for a fascist attitude to life, as a result of which his later 'verses' turned into political pamphlets." For the general elections of 1929, he was a candidate in the district of Ghent-Eeklo, but was not elected. In 1928 he co-founded the Algemeen Vlaams Nationaal Verbond and in 1931 Moens was one of the founders of the fascist Verbond van Dietse Nationaal-Solidaristen (Verdinaso). He left this movement in 1934 because Verdinaso wanted to include Walloons and Luxembourgers with the 'new marching direction'. He became an independent theorist of nationalism, publishing in the journal Dietbrand, which he founded. During World War II, at the start of the occupation, he applied to become inspector of public libraries: a well-paid job that left a lot of free time. He received support from the German authorities, but secretary-general opposed it and appointed

Gerard Walschap Jacob Lodewijk Gerard, Baron Walschap (9 July 1898 – 25 October 1989), was a Belgium, Belgian writer. Early life Walschap was born in Londerzeel-St. Jozef in 1898. He went to ''highschool'' at the ''Klein seminarie'' in Hoogstraten, and later ...

to the position. Moens then became director of the Dutch-language broadcasts of the Brussels channel created by the German occupiers. He submitted his resignation at the end of 1943 as the station came increasingly under the influence of the Algemeene SS-Vlaanderen and DeVlag. In 1947, he was sentenced to death in absentia for collaborating with Germany. He had fled to

Geleen Geleen (; ) is a city in the southern part of the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg in the Netherlands. With 31,670 inhabitants in 2020, it is part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen. Geleen is situated along the river Geleenbeek, a ri ...

in Dutch Limburg in 1944, where he spent the rest of his life. There he became director of the Volkshogeschool and a teacher of Dutch literature in a college. In 1968, he refused on principle to avail himself of the amnesty granted by Belgium to former collaborators. He continued to write poetry until a very old age. He is buried in Neerbeek cemetery under a tombstone, inspired by the Hero's Tribute tombstone designed by Joe English, which is meant to commemorate the First World War. Wies Moens married Margareta Tas in 1922. The marriage remained childless.

Bibliography

*''Gedichten'' 1918 *''Celbrieven'' (1920) *''De boodschap'' (1920) *''De tocht'' (1921) *''Opgangen'' (1921) *''Landing'' (1923) *''Golfslag'' (1935) *''Kalewala: het epos der Finnen'' (1938) *''Het vierkant'' (1938) *''Dertig dagen oorlog'' (1940) *''Nederlandsche letterkunde van volksch standpunt gezien'' (1941) *''Onze volksche adel'' (1942) *''De spitsboog'' (1944) *''Het spoor'' (1944) *''De verslagene'' (1963) *''Het activistisch avontuur en wat erop volgde'' (1966–1970)

External links

Flemish authors

Dutch digital library
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moens, Wies 1898 births 1982 deaths Flemish activists Flemish poets 20th-century Belgian poets Belgian male poets 20th-century Belgian male writers Belgian fascists Belgian collaborators with Imperial Germany Belgian expatriates in the Netherlands Belgian Nazi propagandists Belgian prisoners and detainees Nazis sentenced to death in absentia by Belgium Prisoners and detainees of Belgium Nazi propaganda radio