Ghent University Alumnus of the year Stefan Hertmans: "University has emancipated me"

Acclaimed author, essayist and poet Stefan Hertmans has strong ties to Ghent University as an alumnus, and later as a doctoral student and guest lecturer. To this day, academic research has played a key role in his work, and the foundations for this were laid at Ghent University. "My philosophical education has been essential in my thinking. The university has given me the ability to see a form of truth in doubt."

First of all, congratulations on being named Ghent University Alumnus of the year. How important is this acknowledgement to you?

"Ghent University is my alma mater, so it's like coming home and being recognised. As for many people, my university years were the happiest time of my youth. In fact, one of the most festive days of my life was when I completed my PhD in 2010."

How do you look back on your time at university in the early 70s?

"It was a very different time in terms of the didactic approach that was taken. We had to memorise an awful lot, and I am grateful for that to this day. I still know many extracts from Middle Dutch or 18th-century literature by heart. And then there were all the professors who broadened my view: Walter Prevenier, who lectured Historical Criticism, Alexander Bolckmans, who taught European Literature, the legendary Willem Schrickx, who took us on a journey through English Literature. One year, I was also taught by the flamboyant Willem Pée, an old-school philologist and supporter of the Flemish Movement."

How did your time at university influence your writing?

"It had a tremendous influence. I started writing long before I went to university, when I didn't really know what it entailed. I wrote for my secondary school's newspaper, and I vaguely remember a long poem based on Herman Gorter's 'May', which thankfully got lost at some point (laughs). My time at university completely changed my view of writing and publishing. My professor of modern literature Anne-Marie Musschoot was essential to my development. The connections she made between literature, philosophy, music and other arts were a real eye-opener for me. Her outlook was international and European, which is why I have always opposed a Flemish identitarian definition of writing. As a writer, I embrace the whole European way of thinking about literature."

Did you also write during your student days?

"I did write, but had none of it published. My confrontation with world literature during my studies scared me too much, so in the ten years after my studies, I didn't publish any of my work.

It was not until I reached my 30s that I took the step towards publishing my work with the encouragement of Willy Roggeman. He was a leading author at the time, and I played in his jazz band. We became friends, and I let him read some extracts. "You should do something with that," he encouraged me. That led to the publication of my début novel 'Space' in 1982, which I composed based on hundreds of handwritten pages."

Do you have any other special non-academic memories of your student days?

“Absolutely. I was living with my girlfriend and didn't want to be a financial burden to my parents, so we worked at the student restaurant, De Brug, for years. In the afternoon, we went to lectures reeking of chip fat (laughs). I also played jazz guitar with the university jazz combo. That got me in touch with the people who organised the jazz festival at Saint Peter's Abbey in Ghent, where I helped out for several years."

I still read philosophical works almost every day. Sometimes I also reach back to books I read in my 20s, but which I now interpret completely differently. Back then, I was too young to fathom everything. No matter how enthusiastic you are as a student, you're presented with a lot of knowledge too early. That's why you have to keep studying and reading."

How important is your academic background to your writing?

"To this day, I feel a strong connection with academic thinking and research. Some of my larger essays or a novel like 'The Convert' were preceded by years of study. Even as a lecturer, I have always continued to do research in my field. I also follow what is written about my work at the academic level here and there, and I'm interested in master's theses that are related to it. What I find particularly fascinating is the meta-academic aspect: Is objectivity possible in aesthetic theory? What methods do researchers use in their work, and how do they filter knowledge?"

What are you working on now?

"I'm working on a number of projects simultaneously, which is what I tend to do. I've finished a long poem, and I'm also putting together a selection from my journals. I'm also planning a book on the figure and significance of Sophocles' Antigone today, in which I intend to incorporate both existing and new material. That project, which may take several years to complete, also ties in with my academic past. My PhD in Art, which I completed in 2010, focused on the meaning of Antigone in dramaturgy today, in light of Hölderlin's fairly spectacular translation and interpretation of the play. So you see, Ghent University can also be seen as a common thread in my work (laughs)."