Erwin Mortier (Ghent, 1965) made his debut in 1999 with Marcel, immediately taking a prominent place in Dutch-language literature. The novel was hailed as a modern classic and received numerous awards, including the Flemish and Dutch debut prizes, the Gerard Walschap Prize, the Gouden Ezelsoor, and the Vanderhoogt Prize.

His novel While the gods were sleeping (2008) was called a masterpiece upon its release and received praise in his homeland Belgium and the rest of Europe. The novel was awarded the AKO Literature Prize in 2009, one of the most important literary awards in the Dutch-language area.

Stammered Songbook. A Mother’s book of Hours (2011), in which he describes the last years of his mother suffering from early-onset dementia, is considered another highlight in his oeuvre. The book, translated by Marie Hooghe-Stassen, was awarded the prestigious Prix du Meilleure Live Etranger in 2013.

Mortier attaches great importance to the translation of literary works, an important characteristic of what he calls civilization. He himself has translated into his native Dutch works by, among others, Virginia Woolf, Maurice Maeterlinck, Enid Bagnold, Mary Borden and Seàn Hewitt. With translators such as Ina Rilke, Marie Hooghe-Stassen, Christiane Kuby, Ira Wilhem, Goedele De Sterck, Paul Vincent, and David Colmer, his own work can count on some of the most outstanding translators.

Mortier is one of the driving forces behind the Foundation Art in the Classroom Belgium (Kunst in de Klas). The Foundation aims to introduce children in primary school to the power of creativity by inviting them (and challenging them) to think like an artist. By allowing children to work closely with a team of artists and art academy students, they learn to deal with their environment in an inventive way, and to realize their fantasies and desires in a creative way.

In addition, Mortier is also concerned with mental well-being and mental health care. Until his debut in 1999, he worked as a scientific curator at the Ghent Museum Dr. Guislain for the history of psychiatry, a place he still holds dear and with which he feels closely connected.