Willem Elsschot
Writing
Biography
Alphonsus Josephus de Ridder (7 May 1882 – 31 May 1960), was a Belgian writer and poet who wrote under the pseudonym Willem Elsschot. One of the most prominent Flemish author, his most famous work, Cheese (1933) is the most translated Flemish-language novel of all time Elsschot began writing poetry in 1900, making his authorial debut as a poet publishing in the magazine Alvoorder. It was, however, as a writer of prose that he achieved much of his fame. Whilst living in Rotterdam he wrote Villa des Roses (1913), his acclaimed novel revolving around the (mis)adventures of the guests of a Paris boardinghouse. His most famous works were written in the 1920s and 1930s: Lijmen (1924), Kaas (1933), Tsjip (1934) en Het Been (1938), novels with both tragic and comedic elements.
Known For
Frans Laarmans temporarily abandons his job as an office worker to become a salesman for a big cheese company.
Cheese
In 1910 Brussels, Mrs. Brulot and her husband, in dire financial straits, start a family guesthouse, where the guests form an international group with unclear professional incomes.
Villa des Roses
A rainy evening in the harbor of Antwerp. A man named Laarmans is on his way home even though he doesn't want to. Three lost Eastern sailors are looking for a woman named Maria Van Dam and ask Laermans to show them the way. He decides to help them find this mysterious woman.
Will o' the Wisp
In 1913, a young woman starts work as a maid in a seedy Parisian boarding house full of eccentrics. When she falls in love with one of the guests, she must choose between her son and her new romance.
Villa Des Roses
Story of two con men, Boorman and his younger assistant Laarmans, who are trying to sell companies their non-existing magazine.