Johan Anthierens(1937-2000)

Johan Antierens was born on the 22nd August 1937 as the youngest child of 12 children. In the beginning he wanted to become an artist, but under the influence of his brothers Jef and Karel he swopped the pencil for a pen. This pen was sometimes a deadly weapon in his hands. Anthierens went consistent his own way, and made opposition against everything that smelt of establishment. "What is the use of becoming a reporter if you behave yourself as a public servant ?", he once said. He said that he enjoyed oneself very much in that job. He often showed one's paces, and often fell on the ground and even more often came into collision, but he had lived provoced and shown what kind of individual he was. What kind of man he was he showed to the readers of 15 different newspapers and magazins he worked with. He worked with magazines as Humo, Knack and even a women magazine called Mimo, where he became chief editor in 1969. It went not so well with his own 'children' : 'De Zwijger' and 'Gaandeweg'. They were very quick marked for death. The books he wrote as there are : 'Het Belgische Domdenken'(1986), 'Brief aan een Postzegel'(1990) (ÿetter to a stamp', because the King of Belgium is often pictured on a stamp), and 'Tricolore Tranen. Boudewijn en het augustusverdriet' proved that he had a wonderful sharp and critical pen. Even the television wasn't save for his long tongue. In the seventies spectators of 'The Wies Andersen Show' became indignant at the fact that he mentioned, at that time in 'Catholic ' Flanders, that he was happily divorced. People who were intimate with him said that he was too strong for that little Flanders. He was never indulgent, he was an intellectual 'pain in the neck'. He criticized everyone and everything. But behind the mask of big bad wolf, one could find much warmth and liberality.