Erfgenaam van Elsschot

The legacy of Flemish author Willem Elsschot (pseudonym of Alfons de Ridder, 1882-1960) is much more than an archive. As a writer, Elsschot is still widely read and his work has been translated in many languages and is frequently turned into films. Among the literary societies in Holland and Flanders, Elsschot's is the fastest growing one with more than eight hundred members, and his heirs are still taking care of their (grand)father's literary inheritance. The youngest still living daughter Ida de Ridder (1918) watches over the sought-after legacy with great meticulousness, and if necessary she takes matters to court. Through recited excerpts, photos and footage from the family archive and interviews with people involved, the legacy and portrait of the man and the writer come to life, as he probably was. Because with Elsschot you never know: 'What he wrote is literature, not autobiography. People often tend to forget that.'