“Writer and psychoanalyst” Do these words spark an image of a street? Probably not. But here we are at Rue Jacqueline Harpman. This avenue in Uccle, Brussels, bears the name of a remarkable woman.
Jacqueline Harpman was born in Etterbeek in 1929. She lived until 2012. Uccle chose to honor her with this street. It is a tribute to her talent. It also recognizes her international acclaim. This acclaim brought recognition to the city.
Harpman’s life was marked by both personal and historical events. Her family fled to Casablanca during World War II. This was because her father was a Dutch-born Jew. Many of her paternal relatives perished at Auschwitz.
After the war, she returned to Belgium. She initially studied French literature. Later she trained to be a doctor. Tuberculosis interrupted her medical studies. It was then that she began her writing career in 1954.
Her first novel L’Amour et l’acacia appeared in 1958. Harpman’s literary career can be divided into two distinct phases. She published several books between 1958 and 1966. Then there was a pause. She returned in 1987 with La Mémoire trouble.
During her career, she received several awards. Brève Arcadie won the Prix Rossel. Orlanda won the Prix Médicis. La Dormition des amants received the Prix triennal du roman de la Communauté française.
Beyond writing, Harpman was also a psychoanalyst. She qualified in 1980. She continued to practice and write until her death. Her most famous work is Moi qui n’ai pas connu les hommes. It translates to I Who Have Never Known Men.
Jacqueline Harpman’s legacy lives on through her books. Her archives are preserved at the Archives et Musée de la Littérature in Brussels. Archivists even recreated her writing desk there.
In 2019, Uccle inaugurated this avenue in her name. The street is in a new housing development. It is on the edge of the England Plateau. Other notable figures honored that day were Andrée Dumon, Olivier Strebelle, and Jean-Pierre de Launoit.
So, as you walk along Rue Jacqueline Harpman remember the writer. Remember the psychoanalyst. Remember the woman who fled war and found solace in words. This street is more than just a location. It’s a celebration of a life. It’s a life dedicated to literature and the human mind.