Iwan Gilkin

Who was Iwan Gilkin?

Iwan Gilkin was a Belgian poet. Born in Brussels, Gilkin was associated with the Symbolist school in Belgium. His works include Les ténèbres and Le Sphinx. Linked with the development of the literary revue the Parnasse de la Jeune Belgique, he was an early appreciator of the Comte de Lautréamont's infamous work, Les Chants de Maldoror, and sent several copies of the book to his friends, including fellow poet Léon Bloy. His mature works, which often concerned difficult religious and philosophical themes, reflect a highly pessimistic, spiritual and anti-positivistic outlook, influenced by Charles Baudelaire and Arthur Schopenhauer. A French-language study of Gilkin by Henri Liebrecht was published in 1941.