Plisnier, Charles-Marius-Fernand

(1896-1952)

   A French-language poet, novelist, and essayist, Charles Plisnier was born at Glin in the province of Hainault on 13 December 1896. He spent his childhood in Mons and studied law at the Université libre de Bruxelles, where he published his first poems in 1919. Plisnier practiced law and, in 1921, joined the Communist Party, with which he would become actively engaged. His status as a surrealist poet grew steadily. Marked by a total absence of traditional techniques, his works included Élégie sans les anges (Elegy without angels [1922]). He won the Prix Goncourt in 1937 for a collection of short stories (Faux Passeports, False passports [1935]). Plisnier later moved to France where he wrote several short novels marked by rigorous observation and strict adherence to classic compositional style. He died in Brussels on 17 July 1952.