Maurice Carême

Maurice Carême
Born	12 May 1899(1899-05-12) Wavre, Belgium
Died	13 January 1978(1978-01-13) (aged 78) Anderlecht, Belgium
Nationality	Belgium
Occupation	poet

Maurice Carême (12 May 1899 – 13 January 1978) was a Belgian francophone poet, best known for his simple writing style and children's poetry.

Biography

Commemoration of Maurice Carême in Paris

“	Eh oui ! Je le sais bien ! Je n’emporterai rien, Pas même l’ombre d’un nuage. Mais qu’elle est belle, dans ma main, Cette fraise sauvage !	”
—the poem on the plaque

Carême was born in Wavre (now Walloon Brabant), then a rural part of Belgium. Although he grew up in a family of modest means (his father was a housepainter, and his mother a shopkeeper) Carême had a happy childhood, which would reflect in his work.

Maurice Carême attended school in his hometown, and in 1914 was awarded a scholarship to attend Normal School in Tienen. It was at this time that he began writing poetry.

In 1918, Carême graduated from Normal School and was assigned a primary school teacher's position in Anderlecht, near Brussels.

Carême's poetry progressively took on a greater place in his life and in 1943, he resigned from his teaching profession to commit himself fully to writing. He also translated works of Dutch poets into French.

Maurice Carême died in Anderlecht. At his request, he was buried in Wavre. His home in Anderlecht, la Maison blanche, now houses the Musée Maurice Carême.

External links

• Maurice Carême at Arc Publications

Persondata
Name	Careme, Maurice
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	12 May 1899
Place of birth	Wavre, Belgium
Date of death	13 January 1978
Place of death	Anderlecht, Belgium