Neel Doff, 1858-1942

Born in the slums of a small Dutch town, Neel Doff moved to Belgium at the age of 16 and eventually rose to the upper echelons of Brussels' society. At the age of 51, she began writing in French. Her works are mostly autobiographical, describing her ordeals as a starving child and prostitute out of necessity, before freeing herself through her own courage and determination. Evelyne Wilwerth has written her biography based on scholarly research, yet it reads like a novel.