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.
‘Atman!’ is first-rate, as we’ve come to expect from Bart Moeyaert: sharp, clever and highly relevant.****1/2
Knack
Atman goes to get a loaf of bread for himself and his dad, but he gets lost on the way back. Before he knows it, he’s been kidnapped by a female pirate captain who won’t be trifled with. Bart Moeyaert wrote ‘Atman!’ as a libretto, and it shows: the sentences flow and the rhythm is unmistakable. Mark Janssen goes to town with paint and coloured pencil. Together, they light-heartedly address sensitive subjects like uprootedness, loneliness and homesickness. ‘Atman!’ is a brilliant book that begs to be read aloud.
This beautifully illustrated book shows that migration is common to all eras. From prehistory to the recent past: the reasons for migrating were as numerous then as they are today. De Gendt and De Jongh in no way limit themselves to Western history, which makes the book exceptionally valuable. ‘On the Move’ is much-needed and shows convincingly, and with empathy, that all humans are migrants – or at the very least, descendants of those who once set out in search of a life elsewhere.
How do we hold on to hope in dark times? How do we stay human when faced with inhuman conditions? And what can we do when fundamental values such as freedom, tolerance and pluralism come under pressure? These are the central questions explored by Alicja Gescinska in ‘Women in Dark Times’.
Bear is a self-confident expert at spotting animals. But he rarely follows his own well-meant tips – stay alert, adopt a good posture, look underwater and in the sky – and invariably peers in the wrong direction. This sparks great hilarity among young readers. Read-aloud pleasure guaranteed!
A clever, caustic book that, like every good comedy, leaves a bitter aftertaste.
NDR Germany
From one day to the next, Berlin is swarming with elephants. As a thank you’ for tighter legislation governing the import of hunting trophies, the president of Botswana has given the Germans 20,000 elephants as a present. Germany’s federal chancellor Winkler is challenged to deal with the crisis, while elections are due and the extreme right is hot on his heels in the polls. Gaea Schoeters has written a light and humurous political satire that interrogates the way the West treats Africa and is a plea for ecological seriousness.
Nuyts has written a novel that is bizarre, tense and surprising. ‘Groundwork’ is a penetrating, socially critical and deeply literary work. ****
De Standaard
From her colony in the Horn of Africa a naked mole rat was sent to Vaderlandsplein, a square in Brussels. She waits in her hiding place for a briefing from her colony, which fails to arrive. While awaiting the briefing, she keeps herself busy by digging, undermining her new city. Sink holes appear everywhere, literally fragmenting the infrastructure of the political heart of Belgium and Europe. A meeting and growing friendship with a climate activist, however, produces an unexpected twist.
In beautifully detailed black-and-white drawings alternated with series of colourful, breathtaking spreads in acrylic, Leo Timmers depicts the close friendship between Mimi and her horse. For ‘Mimi & Me’, he learned how to use a dip pen to make fine line drawings full of shading, a supremely successful choice that places a lot of emphasis on the horse’s muscular body and its body language. This intimate, moving book marks a new step in Timmers' oeuvre.
Modern diplomacy, that centuries-old dialogue between nations, must urgently reinvent itself. What might that look like? In ‘The World and the Earth’, David Van Reybrouck offers a passionate and boundary-pushing proposal to radically broaden our thinking – and our politics.
an original explanation for the crisis of liberalism
Süddeutsche Zeitung
Anyone who has ever participated in heated discussions can confirm that politics has returned to everyday life and that debates about COVID-19, ‘wokeness’, and identity have long since spilled beyond the confines of X (Twitter). After an era of post-politics in which technocratic governance prevailed and citizens could at most comment from the sidelines, almost everything is now under political high tension.
This play delves into the forgotten connections between the first atomic bomb and the colonial history of Belgium
etcetera
Stijn Devillé brings together four contrasting decors and eras surrounding the bombing of Hirsohima: New York 1933, London 1944, Hiroshima 1945 and Congo 2025. This play lays bare the political and social responsibility for the trade in raw materials. Devillé sheds light on the political backroom music, the moral arguments and the human suffering that nuclear weapons have left to us. This play is highly topical.
Spit knows how to squeeze your throat again. A book without compromises.
NRC Handelsblad
In this deeply personal work, Spit reflects on her difficult relationship with her mother, who is terminally ill. Spit’s mother had long struggled with alcohol and found communication very difficult, often expressing a desire to disappear. Growing up this way, Spit internalized some of these patterns, resulting in a complex relationship with her own body. ‘Autobiography of My Body’ is a deeply moving, confrontational, yet ultimately loving exploration of a daughter’s attempt to understand both her mother and herself.
Julie is a 37-year-old performance artist with a broken relationship to deal with when her father offers her a sum of money. He advises her to have her eggs frozen and to invest in real estate. Julie is not planning simply to accept that role, however. In a radically honest and vulnerable quest, her attempt to liberate herself results in a collective family breakdown.
‘Wolf’ is a book you’ll want to read at one sitting.
De Volkskrant
Wolf travels as far north as his bank balance will allow, without telling anyone where he is. Wolf wanted to be a writer; his sister Lara became one. In the autobiographical ‘Wolf’ she looks back, ten years later, on their childhood in a family with five children, on the turbulent months after Wolf’s disappearance and the even more turbulent years after his death. A rock-solid book about grief and profound sorrow.
A fully rounded, spot-on comedy, taken straight from the modern day.
Theaterkrant
‘Gen X Has Left the Chat’ is a tightly composed comedy in which different generations try to engage in a conversation with each other, but every attempt ends in chaos. The play was awarded the Toneelschrijfprijs 2025 for the best Dutch-language play and was described by the jury as a "powerfully composed text" that honours and renews the art of playwriting.
Sometimes the very best books originate at the interface between fiction and nonfiction.****
De Standaard
Ten factories open up their doors for once. Pieter Gaudesaboos and Bart Rossel show how ten objects are made, each time in eight clear steps. While the text sticks to reality, the pictures steal the show with their playfulness and fantasy; the factories run flat out to produce everyday and familiar objects. The sparkling colours, delightful compositions, humour and rich details in the illustrations hold your attention throughout.
Refined, layered, bloodcurdling, a book about sensuality and desire on the one hand and purity on the other. ****
Bazarow
Marieke and Vik have been a couple since they were fourteen and are devoted parents to their twin daughters Hasse and Lotte, who were the result of IVF treatment. Years later, Marieke mourns the loss of sexuality. The combination of her sexual frustrations and her exploratory, practical nature prompts Marieke to undertake research into male sex workers. In ‘Gentlemen’ Patricia Jozef frankly investigates female desire and sexual morality. What happens when we reverse traditional roles and expectations?
An ode to the aesthetic, sensory and natural life, which supposedly has no place in today’s world. ****
De Standaard
Anton teaches art. One evening one of his students calls by and offers him his unconditional friendship. Dius and Anton find each other in their yearning for beauty, classical painting and the wide-open polder landscape. What starts as mutual curiosity gradually becomes a firm friendship, with a shared fascination for the sublime. Against a rich background of artistic associations and references, a special bond grows between two artists’ souls.
This is an exquisitely brilliant novel. Politically exciting and wild and beautiful
Holly Pester
Young refugee Hannah arrives in London with only her late mother's diaries. As she navigates the complexities of Britain's immigration system, she reflects on her family's war-torn past and uncovers a different side of her mother. Far away from her native country, Hannah finds solace in British literature and explores her identity and desires with a fellow asylum seeker. ‘The Seers’ is a compelling and experimental novel about love, loss, resilience, colonial traumas, and the true face of Britain’s immigration policy and its impact on young refugees. A confronting and chastening reading experience.
‘Under the Bridge’ has the presence of a thriller, but also lifelike characters and astute sentences.****
NRC
After a Friday night celebration under the bridge, Jowi ends up in a coma after a fall from that very bridge. Did he jump? Was it an accident? Or did someone push him? In an ingeniously structured story, the reader gradually finds out exactly what happened. ‘Under the Bridge’ is an intense reading experience and a demonstration of De Vlieger’s extraordinary voice.
Carlo Collodi’s wooden puppet continues to inspire authors and illustrators all over the world. With ‘Oh Pinocchio’, Carll Cneut and Imme Dros add a remarkable retelling to that tradition. In the book Dros works magic with her pen and Cneut with his paintbrush.In ‘Oh Pinocchio’, Cneut and Dros bring the 140-year-old wooden puppet back to life in a way that is truly impressive.
De Vlieger approaches her subject with sincere admiration, and it shows.
NRC
The chicken is more intelligent, more important and more beautiful than we tend to think. It’s high time to become more familiar with this exceptional creature that’s found everywhere but about which we know little. 'The Big Chicken Book' is bursting with love for the bird, convincing even the most ardent chicken-haters.
A consummate storyteller. Narrative history of the most fascinating kind
Knack
The French Revolution and Napoleon: two epic, captivating tales from western history brought together in a vibrant and compelling narrative. This revised and expanded edition is the result of working on the French translation, published by Flammarion in 2023.
In this coming-of-age novel we follow Ajali during her final year at secondary school. As a child of Rwandan refugees, she has difficulty finding her place in society. She feels distanced both from her family and from her white classmates. Not a single word is wasted in ‘Companions in Fate’. In a style both clear and incisive, Ingabire has written a relevant and necessary tale about growing up, trauma and love in a family that struggles both with silence and the past.
Olaf's world is shaken by the sudden reappearance of his best friend W. in Antwerp. The news marks the start of thirteen gripping days in which he goes searching for answers. Why did W. disappear? How real are Olaf's memories of their friendship? Hiemstra's debut pays tribute to youth and the idealism that goes with it. An addictive novel with distinctly layered characters, playful in its language and composition.
‘Sunday’ follows a man from morning till midnight. For 472 pages, we follow every single one of his banal, uninteresting, sometimes embarrassing and frequently irritating thoughts. From this seemingly dull and unlikely premise, Olivier Schrauwen manages to distil a brilliant graphic novel.
The Pellinors have been hunting the Beast for a thousand years - to no avail. Reluctantly, their descendant Pelli decides to accept the quest of his forefathers. With its colourful, dynamic drawings and wondrous events, ‘The Quest’ is bound to appeal to young and old alike.
Another gorgeous Timmers spectacle, full of captivating details.
De Morgen on 'The Monster Lake'
Bear can’t find his glasses anywhere, and without them he can’t see properly. On his way to Giraffe, Bear sees all kinds of animals that were never there before. He makes Giraffe curious and they set off together to retrace the route. But now with his glasses on (they were on his head all along), Bear can no longer find the deer, the crocodile, the elephant and the flamingo. Might his glasses be broken?
If this doesn’t get you to read, you might as well give up.
De Morgen
Unpopular eleven-year-old Jimmy's luck changes when a new boy arrives in the class. Tristan Ibrahimi is a refugee from Kosovo and Jimmy throws himself into the coaching of his new friend. When the Ibrahimi family receives a deportation letter, Tristan thinks up a plan in which Jimmy will play a crucial role. Born storyteller Lize Spit unfolds the plot of this topical and moving novella in an extremely exciting way.
‘The Smells of the Cathedral’ by art historian Wendy Wauters takes us to one of the hotspots of the sixteenth century: the Church of Our Lady, Antwerp’s ‘cathedral’ ever since 1559. This majestic building was the beating heart of the city, where intensely religious parishioners crossed paths with dogcatchers, pilgrims, and livestock dealers. Religious serenity was sometimes hard to find inside.
Erudite, adventurous, and lucid reflections on climate, democracy, identity, and more.
De Morgen
If there is one line that’s been reverberating in Stefan Hertmans’ mind for years, it’s a well-known quote from Victor Klemperer, which was written with a steady hand in his famous journals during the Nazi period, amid terror and uncertainty: ‘The contemporary witness knows nothing.’
The few, but beautifully chosen words support the magical pictures in the same way the friends are a powerful support for one other.
Boekenzoeker
A girl looks out of the window, bored. She’s searching for something, even though she doesn’t know what. Suddenly, she hears wings flap. She goes outside, curious, and meets Bird and Fox.
'Fox, Bird and Me’ is a hopeful tale about the power of friendship and it shows how we can overcome difficulties with the help of others. But it can also be read as a book that calls for a revaluation of nature whilst also paying attention to mental wellbeing: a book about life itself.
Van Der Veken’s line is so sharp that his world is beautifully streamlined.
THE NEW YORKER ON ‘FABRICA GRAFICA’
Jan Van Der Veken plunges with panache into the history and technological developments of space flight. With his fantastic retro-futurist drawings he proves himself an extraordinary illustrator with a style all his own. This nonfiction title for astronauts-to-be is once again an impressive achievement of graphic design.
Bursts with sensuality & deep emotion. A modern masterpiece *****
The Daily Telegraph
This raw, semi-autobiographical debut tells the story of the unnamed protagonist’s childhood and a night with his former lover. It takes the reader through an emotional landscape that’s reminiscent of Ocean Vuong and Douglas Stuart. In cinematic scenes, Angelo Tijssens depicts the pain and longing of a life spent searching.
Another gorgeous Timmers spectacle, full of captivating details.
De Morgen
Four ducks get bored of their little pond. ‘Come on, we’re going to the lake!’ decides one of the four fearlessly. Erik walks at the back of the group and cautiously expresses his doubts. The lake? Doesn’t a terrible monster live there? Unimpressed by Erik’s objections, the group continues undaunted, off on an adventure. In ‘The Monster in the Lake’, Leo Timmers demonstrates once again what makes him unique as an illustrator.
A tender tale, chronicling the ever-complex quest of an adolescent boy coming of age
Faro
The Cyclades, five thousand years ago. Atan has an extraordinary gift for modelling clay. During his training as a sculptor, the boy is forced to abandon his creativity to concentrate on skill and technique, until his master recognises that Atan’s muse must not be silenced. 'Atan of Kea' is a touching and intimate story, that proves, yet again, that Vanistendael is a peerless story-teller.
A literary masterpiece. ‘Morris’ is Moeyaert at his best.
De Standaard
Morris climbs a mountain to fetch his grandmother's dog safely home for the hundredth time when a snowstorm catches them by surprise. Moeyaert depicts Morris, with masterly precision, as a loner who carries sadness within him and at the same time – almost to his own surprise – doesn’t let anyone mess him about. Sebastiaan Van Doninck's illustrations bring warmth and colour into the snow-white cold of the story.
A tight and funny play that unerringly rips apart the patriarchal rhetorical conjuring tricks of our politicians and other media personalities
De Standaard
‘Uproar’ manages to capture the debate over feminism in lightning fast and quick-witted dialogues. It is an incisive story with contemporary relevance that feels both absurd and almost alienating at the same time.
A delightfully designed period thriller that can both speak to a broad public and a connoisseur of graphic novels
Knack
François is a driver for a dry-cleaning business. When he suddenly comes upon a gruesome scene and spots a chance to grab a bagful of money, it proves his downfall. In panoramic spreads that highlight faded glory, Joris Mertens creates a universe all his own. Its noir atmosphere is offset by the tragicomic aspect that Mertens has given his antihero. A beautifully crafted graphic novel.
We seldom see so much humour, beauty and linguistic creativity.
Cutting Edge, on ‘Show and Tell Me the World
In this unusual and colourful look-and-learn book, Schamp takes us on a journey through the centuries, from the invention of the wheel to the car of tomorrow. ‘The Biggest and Cheeriest Book of All Vehicles’ carries the unmistakable stamp of Tom Schamp. You’ll never tire of looking at the packed pages with their vibrant colours. A book that fills both children and the adults reading to them with joy.
‘The King’s Golden Beard’ is an allegorical fairy tale as absurd as it is topical, with delightful humour. It makes children think about the meaning of power and the use of power, and demonstrates the dangers of dictatorial rulers.
Penetrating and splendid, full of brilliant, somewhat harrowing images
NRC Handelsblad
A maverick of Flemish literature, Roger Van de Velde has had a lasting impact on the current generation of Flemish authors. The novel 'Crackling skulls' reflects his unique life. In twenty powerful short stories, Van de Velde portrays his ‘companions in misery’, people living on the fringes of society, with whom he found himself in psychiatric institutions. Empathy, combined with a powerful talent for observation, an eye for detail and literary flair, produces compelling portraits of lost souls.
Splendid true-to-life characters. Beerten’s sentences are measured and expressive, her dialogues informal, sometimes suggestive.
Het Parool
After the First World War, little Fredo migrates with his father to Liverpool, where he lives an unassuming but pleasant life. When the Second World War breaks out, every Italian in Britain is suddenly suspect. Fredo goes into hiding in the countryside with a woman with whom he finds solace, but when the war ends he’s asked to leave. In despair he travels back to his native Italy. Els Beerten’s sharply delineated characters and the profound psychological insights that we detect between the lines add up to a magnificent epic about migration, parent-child relationships and homecoming.
A book to cherish and enjoy, to take into your heart along with Bahar
Pluizuit
'Bahar Bizarre’ is a joyful and uncomplicated story about growing up and identity. How are you supposed to know what you want to become? And how soon do you need to know? Bahar is a happy little girl with a unique outlook on the world and recognizable feelings about searching an unfamiliar place for a way to fit in, about making friends and being accepted.
One day, Crocodile decides to leave his pond and to head into the big wide world. That’s when he realises that quite a few of his friends are in trouble. ‘Kind Crocodile’ is a light-hearted and funny cumulative tale about the unexpected power of teamwork.
'Swans' is a musical and atmospheric tale about those mysterious but oh so beautiful animals: swans.
CC De Adelberg
‘Swans’ is a moving and imaginative story about daring to dream big and taking the plunge to go look for adventure. And of course it’s a show full of swans. The play is performed by a single actor or actress with musical accompaniment from a string section made up of nine swans.
Extremely funny, sometimes touching and of course exceptionally well-drawn.
9e kunst
Brecht Evens brilliantly subverts the conventions of the fairy-tale and fantasy genres in ‘Idulfania’. Populated by trolls, giants, kings, witches and dwarves, Idulfania is a land where high hopes tend to be quickly and painfully dashed. Dark humour at its best.
Loveling gives us an uncompromising, heart-rending glimpse into the emotions of someone who repeatedly gets the short end of the stick in life.
Annelies Verbeke
Marie and her sister Georgine, who is eleven years younger, live together in the family home after the death of their parents. Both sisters fall in love with their neighbour Luc Hancq, but he strings them along, leading to his murder and Marie's madness. In this brilliantly structured book, with its virtuoso use of perspective, Loveling takes the reader on a harrowing journey through the protagonist’s psyche.
A heart-rending, silent scream, a struggle with the giants known as hurt and loss and an attempt to say the unsayable.
Knack
After seven years Mari is still in deep mourning for Tully, her deafblind sister for whom she was like a mother. She decides to leave her husband Felix at home and sets off on a walk towards the sea, in search of a new beginning. During her journey, she meets some remarkable people, who encourage her to formulate profound insights into mourning, relationships with others and the inadequacy of language.
