Flanders Literature helps publishers and festival organisers find that one particular title or author that is the perfect fit for their list or audience. So take a good look around, we present a selection of the finest literature from Flanders. If you like what you see, please get in touch with us for further information.
One day a stranger offers to make Mr. Renny’s dreams come true: everything he paints will come to life. Then his friend Rose asks if she can buy one of his paintings. The spell has to be broken – and soon! In this story, with a big nod to Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte, Leo Timmers combines a rich imagination with a clear, purified visual language.
Maia and her grandmother have a ball whenever they are together. But then Grandma suddenly falls ill and when she wakes up she has lost her words. Far from the realms of cliché, Tine Mortier and Kaatje Vermeire show how a sharp young girl copes with difficult themes like ageing and death.
Vande Wiele has illustrated a knowingly ridiculous yet loving portrayal of a world he clearly adores, bringing an elegant black line to the page as he pays tribute to the most superficial of the brilliantly superficial.
Dazzling etchings that intrigue to the very last page
De Morgen
One day, the circus of Dottore Fausto arrives in Tito’s village. An impressive figure enters the ring and everything changes through his presence. Isabelle Vandenabeele’s black and red woodcuts are dazzling, magnificent, rough, simple, expressive and exuberant.
A book and a study of a kind of which there are all too few
De Standaard
‘Peace Be With You, Sister’ is the story of Muriel Degauque, a Belgian who became the first and only Western woman to carry out a suicide attack. She drove her white Mercedes from Brussels to Baghdad in order to blow herself up in the name of Allah.
A supremely readable book on Darwin’s field notebooks, pocket notebooks, diaries, letters, and sketches.
NRC Handelsblad
In a vivid way, Dirk Van Hulle tells us how Darwin was strongly influenced by poets and writers from the Romantic period: Wordsworth, Shelley, and through them, Milton and his 'Paradise lost'.
Sublime, monumental, virtuoso. This literary non-fiction is more thrilling than a novel.
NRC Handelsblad
Like many Belgians of his generation, David Van Reybrouck knew Congo from stories of the old days. The author begins his gripping account in the 1870s and chronicles the pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial eras, right up to 2010, the fiftieth anniversary of Congolese Independence.
Rosie goes to live in a new flat with her mother and quickly makes friends with the boy on the floor above, Moussa, and with the elderly Mrs Hemelrijk. Together they have a fun adventure on the roof, which has a great view over the city.
For ‘The Virgin Marino’Petry was inspired by a notorious murder case in Germany in which a man was castrated, killed and eaten by his friend at his own request. His power lies in a combination of extremely precise, carefully considered formulations and astounding stylistic elegance.
A real page-turner with innumerable surprising and thrilling twists
De Standaard
Nita Nomansdaughter is a late 16th century cutpurse. At the age of thirteen, she is sold to a travelling apothecary who swindles market-goers. Nita becomes proficient at her trade, until one day she is caught and sentenced to the gallows.
Fascinating depiction of the evolution of society through one family [...] a stylistic crown jewel.
JURY REPORT, LIBRIS LITERATURE PRIZE
'Small Days' is a unique poetic diary of daily life, evoking affection and admiration in equal measure. How wonderful it must be for his children to see their childhood recorded so well by a loving author father! But this personal experience is made universally recognisable and Dewulf’s prose is striking for its subdued tone, its beautiful metaphors and its natural lyricism.
In this exploration of a murderer’s motives, Bram Dehouck manages to capture the audience’s attention from beginning to end, culminating in a nail-biting, tragic finale that will resonate with the reader for a long time.
A playful, touching, and verbally extravagant memoir-novel of grief
Kirkus
'Speechless' is an ‘unadorned account’, an informal, honest testimony of a mother by her son, in which much is in what is not mentioned: good nature, gratitude, endearment, closeness. At the same time, Lanoye reflects on the actual function of writing and the vital importance of language in these circumstances.
When it comes to style, theme and narrative power, Olyslaegers proves to be a worthy bastard son of the great Hugo Claus. ‘We’ is a gift to Dutch-language literature.
Humo
Fast-paced and perceptive, ‘We’ is a many-layered book written in a natural, poetic language. It is a portrait of a man who is horrified by the pressure exerted by his environment as well as an incisive portrait of both the 1970s and today.
Little Man and Little Woman are longing for a child. But before they make one, Little Man and Little Woman start to fantasize about what their child should look like. However, when their baby is finally born, he is not at all how his parents imagined him to be. Still, he is just right…
This book is worth three literary Michelin stars. It is a masterpiece.
Liberales
This is a gripping novel about how chance and random pieces of information, transformed into poignant memories and delusions, can have a lasting impact on somebody’s life. Vanderstraeten creates an engaging human drama about a guilt-ridden man and manages to sustain the tension up until the surprising conclusion.
Moving and cheerful at the same time, this story is told with sparkling wit
Boekenpluim jury
‘Mister Cookie Writes a Book’ is a series of small read-aloud books in the shape of a petit-beurre biscuit. The text and visual humour are tailor-made for children of four years and up. The most charming aspects of this colourful series lie in the details; of the countless visual jokes, some are no bigger than a square centimetre. Anyone with the patience to look for them all will be kept happy for hours.
Hadewijch's Songs are the beating heart of Dutch-language literature. This mystic was the first woman in Europe to have dared to sing of mystical love in pure love poetry. Hadewijch created with astounding mastery and linguistic skill a mysticism of desire.
This is not simply a comic book for adults – it is literature.
De Standaard
For thirty years, Adan Diss has been waiting for San Borondón, a mythical island that appears on the horizon every once in a while. He used to have his whole life ahead of him. He could have been a butcher or a doctor, but he chose to become nothing. He believes patience is all he needs to find happiness. Waiting for an Island is about you and me, about our rays of hope and our daydreams, which in the worst case can become real demons.
A pink alien discovers the world without saying much. His sense of amazement creates ample opportunities for successful jokes. The enormously surreal situations from Letzer’s brain are taken to a very high level by Cromheecke’s clear and deadly efficient style.
A powerful look into the complexities of the human heart and prejudice *****
Comic Heroes Magazine
An enjoyable, flowing and exceptionally readable graphic novel about the author’s relationship with a Togolese political refugee. The story consists of two parts, in which we see the same relationship from two different perspectives. The visual narrative is vivid and follows a rhythm that matches the story perfectly.
Linthout’s choice to leave his pencil-work bare, is a masterstroke
Blog Critics
Willy Linthout has created a powerful, groundbreaking graphic novel that grabs the reader by the throat. From the very first page, he draws us into the difficult processes that await Charles as he lurches between loneliness, grief, incomprehension and love, often losing sight of the difference between reality and fiction.
Upon its publication, ‘The Wrong Place’ set off artistic fireworks in the Flemish graphic novel scene. This comic strip is bursting with artistic ambition: Brecht Evens has introduced a new and daring style with his expressive drawings and powerful choices of colour.
Monique gains a new lust for life in her devotion to protesting against the worldwide depletion of the fish population. This good cause justifies the flight from her own problems. Until she can no longer hide behind cod and tuna. An intelligent, intense and admirable novel full of ambiguous and laconic humour.
A tremendous novel, often horrifically funny and always unsettling
Irish Times
‘The Guard’ is set largely in the underground car park of a luxurious block of flats. Two guards, are never relieved. Terrin tells a strongly allegorical story of 21st century society. ‘The Guard’ is not only an enthralling psychological novel, but also encompasses oppressiveness, emotion and sensuality.
Sammy is a little boy with a huge appetite, he feels like eating the biggest, tallest sandwich in the world.
An ode to the creative fantasy of toddlers, who love to convert features of their surroundings into something quite different for a while. This is a look-and-find book full of visual discoveries that will endlessly excite the smallest of children, and indeed their parents.
The story is about eight boys and girls who view the worlds of school and adulthood as empty. Free and secluded, they dispel tedium with uninhibited sexual games, continually shifting their limits. When one of them dies as a consequence, even this fails to move them.
Grief, caring, love, despair – the whole panorama impresses with its light tone.
Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis jury
As fifteen-year-old Jonas is eradicating all traces of his mother’s restless night, he discovers that she has committed suicide. He barely reacts at all, deciding to concentrate on the events of the day. With great verve, Jan De Leeuw succeeds in creating a sense of alienation, a concept that lies at the root of this cross-over novel. He pairs metafiction with seriousness and slapstick with sadness, all with flair.
Are we experiencing the dying throes of psychotherapy? Is Freud finished for good? Following a line of reasoning as subtle as it is logically necessary, Paul Verhaeghe shows how psychotherapy and the psychiatric profession have lost ground due to the combined effect of pseudo-scientific psychology and the corruptive influence of the pharmaceutical industry.
An extraordinary novel, told in words and sentences of the finest crystal
De Standaard
In the enlightened 18th century, Leon is abandoned and taken in by an uncaring foster mother. Méline, the daughter of the family, takes pity on the tough little boy and makes his hard life bearable. When she commits suicide, Leon knows there is only one thing he can do: live.
A richly documented novel written in a sensual style
De Standaard
Papinette, a curious servant girl in sixteenth-century Antwerp, has no father but many mothers, because all the other servants boss her around. Kristien Dieltiens interweaves the moving, yet disturbing story of Papinette with the history of Antwerp and the rich artistic tradition that has developed in this Flemish city.
'The Dog Eaters' describes the plight of ordinary citizens during WWI, as seen through the eyes of Victor, the epileptic 17-year-old son of a notary. With its mythical atmosphere and almost unbearable tension, this is an unforgettable novel for readers of all ages.
A revelation. Reading a story like this makes you happy
Corriere della Sera
Robin, young and ambitious, takes a tour of all the capital cities of Europe on behalf of his world-weary employer, looking for new marketing strategies for promotional gifts. In ‘Great European Novel’ – a tongue-in-cheek reference to ‘The Great American Novel’ – Koen Peeters has found the perfect form for a book about Europe and the European idea that lies behind it.
Russia’s Fortune. A Journey to the Loneliest People on Earth
An impressive collection of travelogues
Geert Mak
When Johan De Boose packs his bags, readers know they are in for a treat. Russia’s Fortune takes him to the heart of his first love. Given that De Boose is both a romantic and a sceptic, he manages to find a perfect balance between unconditional enthusiasm and sober observation. De Boose never flinches from asking questions about himself either. Could his passion for Russia have anything to do with a predilection for tragedy and suffering?
The Sons of the Sun’ is an anthology of his seven published poetry collections, each of which has an internationally-inspired theme as its foundation. Paul Claes’ poems conjure up meaning using the alchemy of words, blend in Shakespearian sonnets, showcase rhyming sound poetry alongside pastiches, visual poetry and epigrams, and so on.
Moeyaert is at his most interesting when he allows himself to be driven by subject matter. It is then that he knows best how to disarm and move his readers in a fresh and elegant way
Cutting Edge
In ‘Poems for Happy People’, happiness and love are inseparably linked. Love (in all its forms) emanates from every page. Young readers discover a love of reading for the first time, the lighthouse loves seeing people around its town, and the sea loves washing ashore (because, after every low tide, it always changes its mind and returns).
Literature of wonderment. For children. And for those few adults who are still capable of wonder.
De Groene Amsterdammer
In winter everybody hopes spring will arrive soon. Squirrel is counting down to his final beechnut, Elephant would like to push winter away, while Owl is writing a letter… Nothing seems to help. Until suddenly spring arrives and everybody starts visiting everybody else.
Adventures that are very recognizable for anybody who has gone through babyhood
Forbidden Planet International
This comic book series is a contemporary, humorous stop-comic about a young couple and their girl twins. The neurotic father, quick-witted mother and two pig-headed children live in a pink bunker and drive a pink tank. But apart from their eccentric residence and means of transport, they lead a perfectly ‘normal’ life. At least they try.
Joseph Pearce asks relevant and nuanced questions about the Jewish identity.
Het Nieuwsblad
Starting with a Jewish man requesting euthanasia in Belgium in 2008, Pearce traces the history of a Jewish family back to Poland at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Each chapter presents timeless conflicts between father and son. Do we stay or go, integrate or retain our own identity, cling to faith or enter the big, wide world? And how do we respond to persecution?
In the early twentieth century, Jean-Baptist Van Hooylandt travels from fair to fair with his collection of living human curiosities. The most astonishing piece in his collection is a ‘derodyme’: female Siamese twins, who unfortunately die in dramatic circumstances in 1912.
‘Pitbull’ is a chilling psychological thriller with a strong streak of horror. With a keen eye for detail, Deflo sketches a razor-sharp portrait of a tormented psychopath’s obsessions. Not suitable for sensitive readers.
A small boy compiles a mythical portrait of his grandfather: he is the father of the wood, of the village, even the whole country. But sometimes the roles are reversed. On such occasions the little boy waits until it’s his turn to be the comforting ‘little dad’ to his mournful grandpa-without-grandma.
Old Helena looks back on her youth, the loves she has known, her marriage and the distressing time she experienced in World War I. The topic and style make ‘While the Gods Were Sleeping’ in all respects an exceptional literary experience.
A masterful symbiosis of colour, form and composition
Boekenpauw jury
Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale, ‘The Secret of the Nightingale’s Throat’ is a literary retelling that will appeal to readers of all ages. In the long line of illustrators who have made pictures to accompany Andersen’s tale, few have managed to catch the emperor’s despair as vividly as Carll Cneut.
Buelens has written a brilliant and accessible book about the hyperbole of the Great War.
De Volkskrant
In' Europe, oh Europe!' Buelens describes how Europe was shooting itself to pieces while desperately seeking a new identity. It is a book about the destructive and healing power of the word, a chunk of lively cultural history and a meditation on nationalism and international cooperation.
Journalism, only better than that; the literature of reality
Liberation
They walk from market to market, sleeping in huts and schools, but gradually the power of the colonel starts to decline and the guide becomes increasingly insecure. The ancient landscape brings back powerful memories of Joris’ childhood village.
The clear prose offers a broad readership a reassuring perspective on a confusing time.
De Standaard
These turbulent times represent an enormous challenge to all of us, the world over. New questions that lack clear answers are making many people feel insecure. But fear is a poor counsellor.
Majestic. A book like this is written once a decade at most.
Dagblad van het Noorden
1943. In rich and vivid language, Els Beerten maps out the hopes, dreams and desires of four friends, deftly capturing the blurring of the boundaries between good and evil, black and white. A moving and subtle portrayal of the darkest pages of our history. All of the characters follow their instincts and act in good faith. But what happens when the course you have chosen turns out to be the wrong one?
