Dominique Rolin
A Belgian writer who spent a lifetime dissecting the intricate, often painful architecture of family and memory with unflinching psychological precision.
1913–2012 (age 99)·Belgian novelist·Birthday: May 22·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Dominique Rolin's literary world was built from the raw materials of her own life. Born in Brussels, she began publishing in her twenties, quickly establishing a voice that was both intimate and unsparing. Her work, often autobiographical, circled themes of familial bonds, love, and the passage of time, with a particular focus on the complex relationships between mothers and daughters. She was a central figure in the French literary scene, though she remained somewhat apart from its fashionable movements. Rolin's later years were marked by a celebrated partnership with the painter and writer Jean Grosjean, and she continued to write into her nineties, producing a body of work that feels like a single, sustained excavation of the self.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Dominique was born in 1913, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dominique Was Born
The biggest hits of 1913
Dominique's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1913Born
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1918Started school
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1926Became a teenager
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1929Could drive
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1931Could vote
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1934Turned 21
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1943Turned 30
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1953Turned 40
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1963Turned 50
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1973Turned 60
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1983Turned 70
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 80
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2012Died at 99
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
Key Achievements
- Awarded the Prix Femina in 1952 for her novel 'Le Souffle'.
- Elected to the Royal Academy of French Language and Literature of Belgium in 1971.
- Published over 30 novels and works of fiction across a career spanning seven decades.
- Her novel 'L'Enragé' was a finalist for the prestigious Prix Goncourt.
Did You Know?
Her sister was the art historian and critic Cécile Goldscheider.
She was in a long-term relationship with the French writer and artist Jean Grosjean.
Rolin's work experienced a significant critical revival in the final years of her life.
“I write to untangle the silence between a mother and her daughter.”
