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After living throughout Europe, Count Henry Kehlmark settles at his family estate in the countryside. Joined by his housekeeper Blandine and manservant Landrillon, Kehlmark establishes himself despite the mistrust of his rural neighbors. When an affair with the son of the burgomaster is discovered, Kehlmark draws the ire of the village. Escal-Vigor is a novel by Georges Eekhoud.
About the author
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.
Summary
Escal-Vigor (1899) is a novel by Georges Eekhoud. Recognized as a groundbreaking work of LGBTQ literature, Escal-Vigor was praised by some of Belgium’s leading critics upon publication, but also led to a trial in which Eekhoud was accused of obscenity. Acquitted, he managed to retain his reputation as a leading writer in Belgium and continued publishing novels and stories, often on homosexuality, until his death in 1927. “Henry, whose nature was passionate and philosophy audacious, told himself, not without reason, that through his affinities, he would feel himself at home amid these beautifully barbarous surroundings, where natural instincts reigned.” Having lived freely around Europe, Henry Kehlmark returns to his family’s ancestral home, ready to settle down in the role of Dykgrave, or Count. Soon, however, his cosmopolitan ways draw the attention of the local villagers, who mistrust Henry and question his intentions. When the Count strikes up a romantic relationship with the burgomaster’s son, an impressionable youth, he risks violent reprisal as a homosexual living in proximity to a traditional, insular people. For once in his life, however, Henry feels like he can be himself, living truthfully and without fear, able to separate himself from the pressures that dogged so many of his loved ones, now deceased. When word of their relationship gets out, however, Henry discovers the limits of provincial hospitality. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Georges Eekhoud’s Escal-Vigor is a classic work of Belgian literature reimagined for modern readers.
