Hendrik Conscience, zijn persoon en zijn werk
About This Book
The study traces the life and literary development of Hendrik Conscience, following his childhood in Antwerp through family hardship, early illness, and the death of his mother. It emphasizes a father's colorful seafaring tales and the boy's solitary immersion in illustrated books, and situates his education amid popular street theater, chapbooks, and the city's working-class neighborhoods. Biographical episodes alternate with reflections on formative influences, domestic surroundings, and the imaginative roots of his writing, and the text is accompanied by period portraits and reproductions.