Petrus Frans van Kerckhoven

Petrus Frans van Kerckhoven , actually Pieter Frans van Kerckhoven (born November 10, 1818 in Antwerp , † August 1, 1857 there ) was a Flemish writer .

life and work

Kerckhoven came from a wealthy merchant family, his father was a successful broker in Antwerp. He received his first lessons in a private school or from a private tutor. He then attended until 1836 - together with the later journalist Domien Sleeckx (1818–1901) - the Athenaeum illustré in Amsterdam . Then he went to the University of Bologna to study medicine.

Italy went through politically difficult times ( Risorgimento ) and sparked Kerckoven's interest in politics. In a short time he had changed from “conservative” to “liberal”. In the spring of 1838 he broke off his studies without a degree and returned to his hometown in June of the same year. There worked for a few years as a businessman and was able to found Noordstar in 1840 . Between 1847 and 1857 he was editor of De Vlaemsche Rederyker magazine . From 1849 onwards he worked as a civil servant in the administration of his hometown. Later he also worked in the editorial department of the magazine Kunst-en Letterblad .

At the beginning of 1857 Kerckhoven fell ill with tuberculosis and died of it in the same year.

Honors

Member of the Order of the Leopold

reception

The work of Petrus Frans van Kerckhoven includes short stories and novels as well as comedy and tragedy and some poetry. Some works have been translated into German. Despite his origins, Kerckhoven was very close to the Flemish movement and many of his fiction works therefore contain political statements.

Works (selection)

Novels

The clerk. An Antwerp moral painting . Raabe, Kassel 1850.
Daniel, or: fight and victory. Life novel . Jenisch & Stage, Augsburg 1846.
Ferdinand the pirate . Jenisch & Stage, Augsburg 1846.

Non-fiction

De Vlaemsche Moving. A word aen het Publick en aen de Vlaemsche Schryvers . IShoven, Antwerp 1847.

Work edition

Complete works . Antwerp 1869/73 (13 vol.).

literature

Lode Baekelmans: Four Vlaamsche prozaschrijvers. Pieter Frans van Kerckhoven, Domien Sleeckx, Reimond Stijns, Virginie Loveling . Opdebeek, Antwerp 1931.

personal data
SURNAME	Kerckhoven, Petrus Frans van
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Poet and writer
DATE OF BIRTH	November 10, 1818
PLACE OF BIRTH	Antwerp
DATE OF DEATH	August 1, 1857
Place of death	Antwerp