Celebrated nonfiction

Flanders is currently experiencing a real nonfiction boom: more nonfiction titles are being published than ever before, more nonfiction is being read than fiction, and many people now regard the genre as a full part of literature. We would like to introduce two highly acclaimed titles that, despite dealing with rather specific subjects, have achieved remarkable sales figures thanks to their compelling storytelling.

In ‘Bold Ventures’ Charlotte Van den Broeck has gathered thirteen tales about tragic architects – tragic because these well-known or forgotten master-builders committed suicide in or on account of a building designed by them. Their intervention in the public arena culminated in a fiasco or they viewed it as such. Over the past few years, Charlotte Van den Broeck travelled extensively to find out more about these architects and their fate. A full Danish translation published by Jensen & Dalgaard is available.

This highly successful book, which was translated into several languages, including German, English, French, Spanish and Italian, also deserves a Swedish translation. Debuted as a poet, Charlotte Van den Broeck is a master of detailed observation with an original point of view to address her topics. As a young and innovative author she does not hesitate to mix objective facts with subjective thoughts. Her latest book, A Flame of Thylacines, on the Tasmanian tiger, is also proof of her unique approach.

Following his bestseller The Burgundians, of which over 375,000 copies were sold across Europe, Bart Van Loo has written another fascinating journey about our distant past. In the final part of his diptych, the author brings the Late Middle Ages back to life in inimitable fashion.

Bart Van Loo is a Francophile who really masters the way to tell stories in an extraordinarily manner. In his books he bases himself on the most recent scientific research, but succeeds in making history, whether it is about the cultural remains of the Burgundian dukes or an historical figure as Napoleon, captivating and readable in texts that readers will devour.