Jean-Nicolas-Gustave Van Nieuwen-Huysen (known as
Gustave Vaëz) (6 December 1812 – 12 March 1862) was a
Belgian playwright,
librettist and translator of opera librettos. Born in
Brussels, he studied law and earned a doctorate at the
State University of Leuven. Since he had no desire to work as a lawyer, he devoted himself to a career as a playwright. He published a large number of plays. His first plays were staged from 1829 to 1834 in Brussels, which he left for Paris to work with librettist
Alphonse Royer. Operas where Vaëz was involved as a librettist and translator are
Lucia di Lammermoor (1839),
La favorite and
Rita, ou Le mari battu by
Gaetano Donizetti (1840), and
Jérusalem by
Giuseppe Verdi. He died in Paris on 12 March 1862.