Reading list: Frans Masereel  (Belgium, 1889-1972)
"If I remember correctly, I felt the need to escape all these representations of war. So I turned to something more inside of me. With the 'Book of Hours' I wanted from what I did every day, detach, that is, from my reviews, my satires, my accusations against the war and by the impetuosity of my expression, I guess I wanted to express something else, and so have I started with my story autobiographical character that I romanticized a bit. I think that is the essence is of the, say what I wanted, I pushed it out a bit of my philosophy, and perhaps contains, My Book of Hours' with its 167 woodcuts potentially everything that I've created it, for I have elsewhere and later developed a number of issues with it." - Masereel on "My Book of Hours", 1919 (Analects, 1967, p 43/44