Alice Nahon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alice Nahon
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Alice Nahon (1921)
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| Born |
23 August 1896 Antwerp
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| Died | 21 May 1933 (aged 36) |
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Occupation | poet |
Alice Nahon (born August 23, 1896 – died May 21, 1933) was a famous Belgian poet. She was born in Antwerp, a city in Belgium.
Contents
Biography
Early Life and Education
Alice Nahon was born in Antwerp in 1896. She was the third of eleven children in her family. Her father was from the Netherlands. Her mother was from Putte, a town near Mechelen. Alice spent a lot of her childhood in Putte.
She went to primary school in a place called Oude God. Later, in 1911, she went to an agriculture school in Overijse. She finished her studies there.
Becoming a Nurse and Illness
When World War I started, Alice became a student nurse. She worked at the Stuivenberg hospital in Antwerp. She worked very hard. After a few weeks, she became ill. She was only eighteen years old. Doctors thought her lungs were damaged.
She also studied at the Academy of Antwerp. She took literature classes there. But for many years, she had to stay in special hospitals called sanatoria. From 1917, she stayed at the Sint-Jozefsinstituut for six years. Doctors there told her she had tuberculosis. They said she would not live much longer. This made her feel very sad.
To find comfort, she started reading her favorite poets. She also began writing her own poems. This was her only way to feel better.
First Poems and Popularity
While she was staying in Tessenderlo, her first poems were published. They appeared in a magazine called Vlaamsch Leven. During her time at the Sint-Jozefsinstituut, she wrote two collections of poems. These were Vondelingskens (published in 1920) and Op zachte vooizekens (published in 1921).
These books became incredibly popular. More than 250,000 copies were sold! Her poems showed her love for nature. They also showed her admiration for simple things. She wrote about her own sadness and the suffering of others. Her poems also had a religious feeling. Around this time, in 1920, she met other artists. She even published a poem in an avant-garde magazine called Het Overzicht.
Recovery and New Adventures
Thanks to many people who admired her, Alice could see a doctor abroad. In January 1923, she left Belgium. She traveled to Luzern in Switzerland. There, new tests were done. It turned out she did not have tuberculosis. Instead, she had chronic bronchitis.
After losing many years in sanatoria, she was sent to Italy. She got better quickly after arriving there. She then spent some time in France, in the Landes forest and in Paris. After that, she returned to Antwerp. She also had more medical treatment in The Hague and Amsterdam.
Later Life and Legacy
Alice enjoyed her new freedom. She traveled through Flanders and the Netherlands. She was celebrated as a famous poet. She made many friends among artists. In 1927, she became a librarian in Mechelen. She lived a very free life there. She also became friends with other writers.
In 1928, she published a new collection of poems called Schaduw. She tried to write in a different style. But she did not quite succeed. In 1932, she became ill again. She had to leave her job as a librarian. She lived in a beautiful old house near Antwerp.
Her health got worse. She spent her last year in an apartment in Antwerp. From January 1933, she became very sick and stayed in bed. She grew weaker each day. Alice Nahon died on May 21, 1933. She was only 36 years old. Many people attended her funeral. Her grave is in the Schoonselhof Cemetery in Antwerp. After she died, another collection of her poems was published in 1936. It was called Maart-April and included poems that had not been published before.
See also
- Flemish literature
