Paul van Ostaijen (22 February 1896 – 18 March 1928) was a Belgian Dutch-language poet and writer.

Van Ostaijen was born in Antwerp to Dutch father and Flemish mother.

His nickname was Mister 1830, derived from his habit of walking along the streets of Antwerp clothed as a dandy from that year.

His poetry shows influences from Modernism, Expressionism, Dadaism and early Surrealism, but Van Ostaijen's style is very much his own.

The Czech poet Ivan Wernisch was so impressed by "the genius of van Ostaijen"[1] that he learned Dutch to be able to translate him.