Poetry on the Road Antwerpen

Poetry on the Road Maastricht

(Kortrijk, 1953) lives and works as a teacher in Hasselt. He made his debut with the collection Stofzuigergedichten (Hooverpoems) in 1973. His 1977 collection Ach, wat zacht geliefkoos om een mild verdriet (Oh, such a soft caress because of a mild sadness) earned him the stature of outstanding poet of Flemish neo romanticism. More collections of poems have been published since. With Eriek Verpaele he compiled Onder vier ogen (Between you and me) and Siamees dagboek (Siamese diary).

Gruwez not only rebels against the lifeless cryptogram poetry which painstakingly avoids all contact with real life, but also against the cult of the commonplace and the `small talk'. His poetry stands out because of its great sensitivity and its rich language and metaphors; his style is described as sensual and earthly. His collection Dikke mensen (Fat people, 1990) is an ode to men's vulnerability and weakness. He varies sentiment and irony with great technical skill and rids overstatements of their resonance.

Luuk Gruwez writes prose as well. Last year he received the Geertjan Lubberhuizen Award for Literary Prose debuts 1994 for his compilation of stories, memories and portraits Het bal van opa Bing (Grandpa Bing's dance). Its seven chapters demonstrate his skills as a both pitiless and loving portraitist. He presents his readers with a colourful variety of real or imaginary characters who have influenced his evolution from poet to prose writer and story teller.

Luuk Gruwez' earlier participations in Poetry International date back to 1982 and 1991.