Named in memory of the famous Flemish writer Willem Elsschot, pseudonym of Alfons de Ridder (1882–1960). His work is very personal and deeply human. He never belonged to any literary school. In his poems and stories he shows great sincerity, sometimes evolving into bitter cynism about human mediocrity. His style is sober and shows a remarkable pureness. The cosmopolitical character of his first novel Villa des Roses was a complete change from the Flemish literature of that time, still trapped in a regional mentality. Because of his obvious atheism, he was for a long time despised by the catholic critics. (M 25445) _ _.