The Same Blood Works in Us. Wies Moens as a Cultural Mediator in Times of War

During the Second World War, the relations between the peoples and cultures involved were redefined, not only politically but also culturally. Cultural mediators between Flanders and Germany sought to clarify and strengthen the relationship between both cultures, aided by the German cultural policy that was explicitly anti-French. Wies Moens was a central figure in this process of cultural mediation as a writer, translator and public intellectual. His translation of the Finnish epic Kalevala fed the idea of kinship between the Germanic cultures. Also with his translation of Hölderlin he took a cultural-political position - one which exposed the scope of his network to boot. His translation of Flemish war poetry finally shows Moens' hope that the planned cultural transfer would not be exclusively unidirectional. Both his rhetoric and his actions during the Second World War show Wies Moens as a constant mediator and bridge builder between Flanders and Germany.status: publishe