Claude Krijgelmans

Claude Krijgelmans, Belgian post-modern writer, died in his sleep on Dec. 5, 2022, at his home in Reston, Virginia, from complications of failing health, surrounded by family. In the forefront of Flemish writers, publishing his first book at 19, he wrote several books, drawing on his native Aalst dialect, the town where he was born. Six years old when World War Two began, he reveled in the simplicity of that time when no cars clogged the roads, climbing ladders up and down cottages skipping home from school. But, with the Germans occupying Belgium, American films disappeared from the cinema. (The last ones he saw were with “Tarzan” and Fred Astaire; the first ones he saw when the war ended four years later were the same two films!) He never forgot the fear of living in the dark listening to the forbidden BBC, or tiptoeing when flashlights beamed around his home in search of his brother who had escaped on foot from a German forced labor camp. Since coming to America in 1997, he has personally raged against the dangers of nationalism predicting the threat of fascism long before it was in the news. He is survived by his wife Judith, sons Eli and Johan, step-daughter Rekha, granddaughter Silke, step-grandson Mingus, and step-great granddaughter Marlee. Arrangements for public celebrations of his life are being planned. In America, anyone wishing to honor Claude with a contribution may want to give to the Fairfax County Library Foundation, at the address given below. Friends and family in Belgium are welcome to share thoughts on this unforgettable man.