Herman Brusselmans | |
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| Born | Herman Frans Martha Brusselmans 9 October 1957 Hamme, East Flanders, Belgium |
| Occupation | novelist, poet, playwright, columnist |
| Language | Dutch |
| Alma mater | University of Ghent |
| Period | 1982–present |
| Notable works |
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| Spouse |
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Herman Frans Martha Brusselmans (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɦɛrmɑn ˈbrʏsəlmɑns]; born 9 October 1957) is a Belgian novelist, poet, playwright and columnist. He lives in Ghent. He is one of the best-selling authors in Flanders, but controversial at the same time for his profane language and offensive comedy.[1][2]
Herman Brusselmans studied Germanic philology at the University of Ghent. In his early twenties he was a football player. He played as a left winger for Vigor Hamme and Sporting Lokeren. He now has his own football team called "De Woody's", after his late dog Woody. Brusselmans married Gloria Van Iddergem in 1981 but divorced from her ten years later. He married his second wife Tania De Metsenaere in 2005. Their relationship ended in 2010. In March 2016 he met his current girlfriend with whom he now lives together in his home in Gent. Although it's known her given name is Lena, her family name remains undisclosed up until this day. Their relationship generated a lot of media attention in Flandres because of their age difference of almost 34 years.
Brusselmans gained widespread popularity in the early 1980s as part of the new generation of young Flemish novelists that included Tom Lanoye and Kristien Hemmerechts.
Although Herman Brusselmans once stated in the Flemish magazine HUMO that he would stop writing about existing people and situations, his work kept on being highly autobiographical. Alcohol, sex and boredom are recurring themes throughout his work.
Not only his work contributed to his stardom, but also his media appearances. He used to have his own television show, and still appears regularly on talk shows. He also has a weekly column in HUMO. Bold, straightforward statements and comments have become his trademark throughout the years and don't fail to attract attention, what cost him several lawsuits, the most memorable of which was when Ann Demeulemeester, a Belgian fashion designer, filed a complaint with the courts about a derogatory remark about her in Uitgeverij Guggenheimer. This led to a temporary recall of the book in Belgium.
He played an autistic Hells Angel painting surrealist slogans on caravans in the movie Camping Cosmos (1996).
In the 1980s he wrote some scripts for comics by Erik Meynen.[3]
In early 2007 a film adaptation of Brusselman's novel Ex Drummer was released, directed by Koen Mortier.
