In Overkant - het vervolg op Niemands land - wordt duidelijk dat de Eerste Wereldoorlog ook grote Franse, Duitse, Russische en Italiaanse poëzie heeft opgeleverd, met beroemde dichters als Wladimir Majakowski, Georg Trakl, Guillaume Apollinaire, August Stramm en Giuseppe Ungaretti. In tegenstelling tot de War Poets zetten zij de industriële vernieuwing van het oorlogsbedrijf ook om in literaire vernieuwing van de poëzie. De 'Groote Oorlog' laat zich zodoende zelfs beschouwen als een bakermat van de moderne literatuur.
Tom Lanoye (his name is pronounced the French way: /lanwa/) was born August 27, 1958 in the Belgian city Sint Niklaas. He is a novelist, poet, columnist, screenwriter and playwright. His literary work has been published and/or performed in over fifteen languages. Lanoye lives and works in Antwerp (Belgium) and Cape Town (South Africa).
Lanoye is not only a writer, but also an entrepreneur. As the youngest son of a butcher, he self-published his first work. In his own words, 'Just like all the punk bands did in those days: out of dissatisfaction with the existing structures, and to learn the trade from the inside out'.
Lanoye started out as an enfant terrible, but has become one of the most widely read and critically acclaimed authors in his language area. A writer that devotes himself to all forms of text and writing (for books, newspapers, periodicals and printed matter as well as for plays, cabaret and vocal performances) and makes regular appearances at all the major European theatre festivals.