Peter Verhelst

Peter Verhelst is a Belgian Flemish novelist, poet and dramatist. He won the Ferdinand Bordewijk Prijs for Tongkat.

Life

Peter Verhelst was born in Bruges, Belgium. In his youth, he was extremely interested in books, reading atlases and encyclopaediae, as well as novels, and writing poetry from the age of 16.
While a teacher in Dutch, English and History, he debuted in 1987 with the poem Obsidiaan, with his first novel - Vloeibaar harnas - following in 1993. Thereafter, he worked as a teacher at the Institute for Food in Bruges, quitting in 1999 to begin writing full-time. In 2000, he won the prestigious Gouden Uil and Young Gold Owl, a literary prize for Belgian literature in the Dutch language. He also started working as a playwright, with his first play completed in 1997.
In 2016 he won the Ida Gerhardt Poëzieprijs for his poetry book Wij totale vlam. In 2019 he has got the Confituur Boekhandelsprijs, granted by the association of independent Flemish book dealers, for his essay book Voor het vergeten. He won the Constantijn Huygens Prize in 2021 for his lifetime achievements.
Verhelst currently lives and works in Bruges, Belgium.

Important works

Poetry

Obsidiaan
OTTO
Angel
Witte Bloemen
Master
De Boom N
Verhemelte
Verrukkingen
Alaska
Nieuwe sterrenbeelden
Zoo van het denken
Wij totale vlam
Zing Zing
Koor
Wat ons had kunnen zijn
Zon
''2050''

Prose

Vloeibaar harnas
Het spieren alfabet
De kleurenvanger
Tongkat
Zwellend fruit
Memoires van een Luipaard
Mondschilderingen
Zwerm
Huis van de Aanrakingen
De allerlaatste caracara ter wereld
Geschiedenis van een berg
De kunst van het crashen
De zeer vermoeide man en de vrouw die hartstochtelijk van bonsai hield
''Voor het vergeten''

Theater

Maria Salomé
Romeo en Julia
Red Rubber Balls
S*ckmyp
AARS!
Scratching the inner fields
Philocrates
Het sprookjesbordeel
Blush
Sonic Boom
Icarus/Man-o-War CREW Eric Joris
Philoctetes Fortify My Arms CREW Eric Joris
Crash CREW Eric Joris
Terra Nova CREW Eric Joris
Absence CREW Eric Joris and NTGent