Herman Frans Martha Brusselmans (Dutch pronunciation:[ˈɦɛrmɑmˈbrʏsəlmɑns]; born 9 October 1957) is a Belgian novelist, poet, playwright and columnist. He lives in Ghent. He is one of the best-selling authors in Flanders, but controversial at the same time for his profane language and offensive comedy.[1][2]
Life and career
Herman Brusselmans studied Germanic philology at the University of Ghent. In his early twenties he was a football player. He played as a left winger for Vigor Hamme and Sporting Lokeren. He now has his own football team called "De Woody's", after his late dog Woody. Brusselmans married Gloria Van Iddergem in 1981 but divorced from her ten years later. He married his second wife Tania De Metsenaere in 2005. Their relationship ended in 2010. In March 2016 he met his current girlfriend with whom he now lives together in his home in Gent. Although it's known her given name is Lena, her family name remains undisclosed up until this day. Their relationship generated a lot of media attention in Flandres because of their age difference of almost 34 years.
Brusselmans gained widespread popularity in the early 1980s as part of the new generation of young Flemish novelists that included Tom Lanoye and Kristien Hemmerechts.
Although Herman Brusselmans once stated in the Flemish magazine HUMO that he would stop writing about existing people and situations, his work kept on being highly autobiographical. Alcohol, sex and boredom are recurring themes throughout his work.
Not only his work contributed to his stardom, but also his media appearances. He used to have his own television show, and still appears regularly on talk shows. He also has a weekly column in HUMO. Bold, straightforward statements and comments have become his trademark throughout the years and don't fail to attract attention, what cost him several lawsuits, the most memorable of which was when Ann Demeulemeester, a Belgian fashion designer, filed a complaint with the courts about a derogatory remark about her in Uitgeverij Guggenheimer. This led to a temporary recall of the book in Belgium.[citation needed]
During the Israel-Hamas war of 2023-4, Brussels-based European Jewish Association (EJA) announced it was initiating legal action against him for incitement to murder.[3][4] This was in response to Brusselmans writing a graphic column, in which he described imagining scenarios where his wife was a dead Palestinian and his son a boy screaming for his mother, leading him to feel "so angry that I want to ram a sharp knife through the throat of every Jew I meet." He mentioned getting tears in his eyes thinking about an old Jewish man in his street, only to wish him to hell a moment later.[5]
