In the spur of a wild forest are two old caravans and a dilapidated forest hut. There Maxime withdrew, far away from the art world. He no longer paints, but he remains faithful to registering the world. He lives in seclusion and has his own rituals. In time he will invite people. Strangers, whom he instructs and observes with the devotion of a voyeur. One of them is Edith, a lingerie designer on the run from her messed up marriage. She seems to find refuge with Maxime. Maxime himself is looking for an authentic way of life in which he tries in vain to leave the artist's life behind.

In this haunting novel, author and painter Robert Devriendt presents his readers with scenes. They unfold in an idiosyncratic way, like a film without a script. And yet everything comes into contact with each other, through Maxime's obsessive gaze. Exciting and intelligent. Robert Devriendt  (°1955) is known for his series of small paintings. In 2000 he wrote the booklet Schilderen, something between a diary and an essay. Maximes Obsessie is an impressive debut, published by Borgerhoff&Lamberigts, 192 pages, soft cover. Dutch