Escal-Vigor

Georges Eekhoud (1854-1927) was a Belgian novelist. Born into a Flemish family in Antwerp, Eekhoud was orphaned at a young age. With his grandmother's financial help, he self-published two volumes of poetry before joining some of the era's prominent avant-garde movements, including Les XX and La Jeune Belgique. His career as a novelist began in 1883 with Kees Doorik, a gritty realist tale of the life of a young farmer-turned-murderer. His novel Escal-Vigor (1899) was quickly recognized as a pioneering work of fiction for its portrayal of homosexuality, earning Eeekhoud praise from such critics as Rachilde and Eugène Demolder while exposing him to a lawsuit for obscenity. Eventually acquitted, Eekhoud continued to write and publish stories, novels, and poems throughout the remainder of his life, often focusing on homosexuality and pacificism.