Dirk van Bastelaere is one of the leading poets in Flanders. He came to prominence with his award-winning first collection Vijf jaar (1984) and then published Pornschlegel en andere gedichten (1988), one of the most hotly debated collections of Flemish poetry in recent times. This volume was to win for him recognition as the most important postmodern poet in Flanders. His work has been strongly influenced by American poets such as Gertrude Stein and John Ashbery and makes many references to contemporary art and culture, a fact which has led some critics to attack his work for its perceived intellectualism. The younger generation of Flemish poets, however, looks to him as mould-breaker. In 2000, he published Hartswedervaren , widely regarded as his finest book to date, and for which he was awarded the Flemish Culture Prize. His latest collection, Zapruder Stress , appeared in Amsterdam in 2005.