LA JEUNE BELGIQUE

The most important literary review in Brussels in the late 19th century, the journal was founded by Albert Bauwens and Maurice Warlomont, and edited exclusively by the latter under his pseudonymMax Waller. The first edition appeared on 1 December 1881. Under its mottosoyons nous(let us be ourselves), the periodical was established by students and former students, and it drew young writers who advocated "art for art's sake" in propagating fin-de-siècle attitudes that included artistic independence, antibourgeois rebellion, utopian idealism, and popular art advocacy. Considered by avant-garde authors to be an essential publication for their writings, the review boasted contributors who included symbolist poets, such as Maurice Maeterlinck, and naturalist novelists, such asCamille Lemonnier. In addition to publishing, the editors sponsored lectures and public events.

The journal gave rise to the expression "movement ofla Jeune Belgique," which encapsulated the social, cultural, and artistic views of its contributors. It served as a lively forum for discussion and exchange of opinions. However, symbolist authors eventually broke with the editors in finding the publication insufficiently innovative. Support gradually waned andLa Jeune Belgiquelast appeared in 1897.