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Emile Cammaerts

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Name
  
Emile Cammaerts

Role
  
Playwright

Died
  
1953, Radlett, United Kingdom

Books
  
Albert of Belgium: Defender, Through The Iron Bars, A History of Belgium from the, The poetry of nonsense, The laughing prophet: t

Carillon music by sir edward elgar poem by emile cammaerts


Emile Leon Cammaerts CBE (March 16, 1878 in Brussels, Belgium – November 2, 1953, Radlett, Hertfordshire) was a Belgian playwright, poet (including war poet) and author who wrote primarily in English and French.

Contents

Demonstrating his interests, Cammaerts translated three books by art, history and landscapes expert John Ruskin and selected G. K. Chesterton Father Brown detective stories in La clairvoyance du pere Brown.

He became Professor of Belgian Studies at the University of London in 1933, most of his works and papers are held there in the Senate House Library, and Emeritus Professor on retiring.

Personal life

Cammaerts was educated at the University of Brussels and later at the revolutionary Universite Nouvelle where he studied geography. He migrated to England in 1908 and was christened as an Anglican aged 34 (c.1912) taking for that event the middle name Pieter. He married the Shakespearian actress Helen Tita Braun, stage name Tita Brand (daughter of the opera singer Marie Brema), with whom he had six children, including Pieter Cammaerts, who was killed while serving in the Royal Air Force during World War II, prominent SOE operative Francis Cammaerts and the actress Kippe Cammaerts, mother of Michael Morpurgo.

Cammaerts is the author of a famous quotation, often mistakenly attributed to G. K. Chesterton in his study on Chesterton:

When men choose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing. They then become capable of believing in anything.”

Poems

  • Belgian Poems : Chants patriotique, et autres poems
  • New Belgian Poems. Les trois rois et autres poemes in its 3rd edition by (1916)
  • Messines and other Poems (1918)
  • Stage productions

  • A Christmas virgil at The New Theatre, St Martins Lane (1910) Tita played the widow
  • Carillon, stage recitation, music by Edward Elgar: (1914)
  • Une voix dans le desert, stage recitation in English and French versions with music by Edward Elgar (1915) containing the poem for soprano aria below
  • Quand nos bourgeons se rouvriront and for the English version When the spring comes round from Une voix dans le desert
  • Le drapeau belge, recitation, with music by Edward Elgar (1917)
  • Books

  • The Adoration of Soldiers (1916) with illustrated poems
  • La Veillee de Noel. Les deux bossus (1917)
  • Through the iron bars, two years of German occupation in Belgium (1917)
  • A ma patrie enchainee (1918)
  • A history of Belgium from the Roman invasion to the present day (1921/2)
  • The legend of Ulenspiegel (1922)
  • The Treasure of Belgium (1924)
  • The Poetry of Nonsense (1925)
  • Discoveries in England (1930)
  • Albert of Belgium, defender of right, a biography of King Albert I of Belgium (1935)
  • The Laughing Prophet: The Seven Virtues And G. K. Chesterton (Study of G. K. Chesterton - 1937)
  • The Keystone of Europe (1939)
  • The Prisoner at Laeken: King Leopold, Legend and Fact (1941)
  • The Situation of Belgium: September 1939 to January 1941 (1941)
  • Upon this rock (1943)
  • The flower of grass (1944/5)
  • The peace that is left (1945)
  • Principalities and Powers with Jeanne Lindley (1947)
  • The Devil takes the Chair (1949)
  • The cloud and the silver lining (1952) (followed by Christian contributions to the BBC Silver Lining Radio programme series
  • The Work of our Hands (1953) book on the themes of art and religion
  • Other

  • Translation of Guido Gezelle from Flemish language with Charles Van der Borren, Poemes choisis
  • Preface to The glory of Belgium - An anthology (1915) collated and edited by Russell Markland and dedicated on the front opening to Cammaerts.
  • Baron Edmond de Cartier de Marchienne (1946) booklet
  • Article on William Dobson, painter An English successor to van Dyck: William Dobson Second series no III
  • References

    Emile Cammaerts Wikipedia