Jeroen Olyslaegers

(Mortsel, 1967) writes columns, theatre texts and prose. His novels WIJ (WE, 2009), WINST (GAIN, 2012) and WIL (WILL, 2016) form a triptych about the turbulent history of the last century in which the individual must determine his attitude toward community. WIJ is about a group of friends holidaying in 1976 in a Spain that has just liberated itself from Franco's yoke. In GAIN, an art dealer organizing an exhibit in Berlin observes how the city has changed since 1989. WIL is a WWII novel in which the protagonist sees how some people try to save Jews while others try to hunt them to their deaths. The latter won Olyslaegers the F. Bordewijk Prize. "His impressive sentences and ingenious composition make the vagueness of the war years tangible," wrote the jury. Olyslaegers has also taken home various theatre prizes, in part for his social engagement.