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Document Details :

Title: Verander uzelf tot eeuwigheid
Subtitle: Het autobiografische pact van Christine D'haen
Author(s): WILLOCKX, Dietlinde
Journal: Spiegel der Letteren
Volume: 45    Issue: 3   Date: 2003   
Pages: 241-266
DOI: 10.2143/SDL.45.3.504216

Abstract :
At first sight, Christine D’haen’s poetry differs strongly from her prose. The latter is usually labeled autobiographical while the poetry emphasizes poetic form and language and is highly intellectual in its content. Still, information found in D’haen’s prose can help to clarify some of her poems. The analysis of D’haen’s poems and poem sequences suggests that the connection between her poetry and her prose is much stronger than one would expect and that even the poetry, with its air of distance and erudition, can be read autobiographically. It turns out that in D’haen’s literary universe reading, writing and living cannot be separated: her life has become her work and vice-versa. This has implications for her work, reflected in the importance of aspects such as gender, family, study and the literary tradition. As such, D’haen’s oeuvre can be considered an autobiographical space.

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