Jef Aerts   The Flemish author Jef Aerts was born in Leuven on 26th May 1972. While still a student of Literature and Theatre, he started writing on the performing arts for the newspaper Het Belang van Limburg and later for De Tijd. From 1996 he worked as a dramaturge for several years, for the Antwerp theatre company De Roovers and others. After publishing several stories in literary magazines, Jef Aerts made his debut as a novelist with Haeren Majesteit in 1999. This was followed two years later by Vertezucht. This extremely unusual novel on extreme desires was adapted for the stage by De Roovers in a superb location that is part of the Royal Flemish Theatre in Brussels. Also in 2001, Aerts was selected for the prestigious ‘Master’s Test for Young Artists’, a crossover project between art and architecture initiated when Bruges was the cultural capital of Europe in 2002. In the same year, Ivo Van Hove and Toneelgroep Amsterdam commissioned him to rewrite Monteverdi’s libretto for the opera L’Incoronazione di Poppea in a modern idiom, the result being Con Amore.   Aerts’ third novel was De Nadagen (2003), about the confrontation with one’s own demons, lost love and opposing attractions of town and country. Spring 2004 saw the release of the CD Table for Two by the acoustic pop duo Tydal, of which Aerts had for ten years been a member together with the singer Pat Lauwers. The singles Under Taboo, Satellite and Grey in particular were played frequently on the national radio channels. At the same time there was the premiere of Hoogtezon, by the Dutch theatre company ZT Hollandia, Aerts’ notable adaptation of Thomas Mann’s Magic Mountain for two actors.   Jef Aerts made his poetry debut in April 2006, with Voor je er bent, published by De Bezige Bij. Numerous poems also appeared in literary and other magazines and anthologies. His latest novel, Rue Fontaine d’Amour (2008) is set in Brussels and is narrated by a girl of fifteen. It is a story of wilful love, letting go and being let go, but also touches on such metropolitan topics as migration and abuse. In early 2009, Jef Aerts wrote the ‘radio book’ (a story to be read on the radio) Hondsroos, which can also be heard online in English, French and Spanish.   As a freelance editor, Jef Aerts works on publications on the theatre. Since 1998 he has, as a writing teacher, given several workshops on prose, drama and autobiography for students and adults. He also makes regular appearances as a reader, performer and musician at literary events and festivals in Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands. In July 2009 Jef Aerts was resident-writer at the National Arts Festival and the National Schools Festival in Grahamstown, South Africa.   www.jefaerts.be www.debezigebij.nl