Postcard

society Derek Blyth

11 min reading time

Kortrijk Has Come a Long Way Since 1302

Calling Kortrijk a hidden pearl along the River Lys might be too much honour. Yet there are numerous treasures to be found.

First Book

literature Dirk Vandenberghe

6 min reading time

Anneleen Van Offel Shows the Cracks That Shape Our Lives

In her gripping debut novel ‘Hier is alles veilig’, Anneleen Van Offel tells her story with subtle clues, precise and detailed descriptions, in beautiful language.

Column Hind Fraihi

society Hind Fraihi

6 min reading time

Radical Islam Remains Among Us

Hind Fraihi warns us of the growing influence of ‘a second generation of Salafist organizers’.

arts Karin Wolfs

11 min reading time

Village Idiot and Troubled Genius, the Many Faces of Vincent Van Gogh in Cinema

Throughout the history of film, the Dutch painter was given many identities.

arts Tom Christiaens

2 min reading time

Van Gogh Painting Stolen From Dutch Museum

The theft took place on the same day as the artist’s birthday.

Series: Our Colonial Legacy

arts Jos van der burg

6 min reading time

‘Stones Have Laws’ Portrays Past and Present Traumas of the Maroon Community

Finally, a documentary with the Maroons, rather than about them.

society Dirk Van Assche

4 min reading time

Gates Foundation Finances Leuven University Research for Coronavirus Treatment

In the search to find a cure for the Coronavirus, The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation has sent 15,000 medicinal molecules to the Rega Institute in Leuven.

history Tom Christiaens

2 min reading time

Google Books Digitises Antwerp Collection

The Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library and Plantin-Moretus Museum put a substantial part of their collection accessible online.

language Fieke Van der Gucht

4 min reading time

Nomen Est Omen

Linguist Fieke Van der Gucht investigated the way the old Germanic people chose their first names. As for her own name? Turns out her parents weren’t very good at German.

arts Orpheus Institute

3 min reading time

Orpheus Institute Acquires Prestigious Library Ton Koopman

The focus of the collection is 17th- and 18th-century music, its cultural context and performance practice.

history Tom Christiaens

2 min reading time

All Dutch Medieval Manuscripts on One Website

Research institute Huygens ING will set up a new website to access and study medieval manuscripts in Dutch collections.

society Tom Christiaens

2 min reading time

Jozef Deleu Awarded 2020 Ark Prize of the Free Word

Jozef Deleu is the personification of the self-confident, critical, tolerant and self-willed Fleming.

history Sandra Langereis

9 min reading time

Christophe Plantin Was a Cultural Entrepreneur Who Bound People With Books

Five hundred years after his birth, publishers can still learn from his cultural entrepreneurship.

New at the Museum

arts CODART

5 min reading time

Flemish Flowers for New York and Street Lamps for Amsterdam

An overview of the latest museum acquisitions of Dutch and Flemish Art.

history Leo van Bergen

8 min reading time

Like A Scythe Across the Country

One hundred years ago the world encountered a Spanish flu pandemic which cost an estimated 50 to 100 million lives. But in the Netherlands it was long underestimated by the government. Medical historian Leo van Bergen sketches the devastation caused by Spanish flu between 1918 and 1920.

arts CODART

2 min reading time

Leiden University Library Puts 20,000 Drawings and Prints Online

The core of Leiden University’s collection of European ‘art on paper’ is now available in digital form for education, research and the interested public.

arts Tom Christiaens

4 min reading time

Ten Art Books to Bring the Museum Into Your Home

Covid-19 prompts all museums to close doors. With our selection of recently published books on Flemish or Dutch talent, you bring art into your home.

Series: Our Colonial Legacy

society Elsbeth Etty

12 min reading time

Multatuli in the Age of Decolonisation and #MeToo

Was the Dutch writer really such an anti-colonial rebel? And what about his preference for young girls?

Series: The Cultural Attaché

arts Sara Luijters

7 min reading time

Cultural Attaché Hanna Oosterbaan in Brussels: ‘We Challenged Ourselves to Go off the Beaten Track’

language Fieke Van der Gucht

3 min reading time

Who Gives a Fuck About an Oxford Comma? Me!

Linguist Fieke Van der Gucht declares her love to a comma.

Series: Our Colonial Legacy

history Viktorien van Hulst

5 min reading time

‘For Many Decades, Most Dutch Have Heard Only Limited Stories About the Former Dutch East Indies’

The speech of festival director Viktorien van Hulst at the seminar ‘Indonesia and the Netherlands: a joint future’.

literature Tom Christiaens

2 min reading time

16 Dutch Books You Need to Read This Spring

Why not read a novel by a Dutch or Flemish author this spring? Take a look at our selection.

The L-Spot

society Derek Blyth

3 min reading time

In Praise of Old Flemish Cafés

Derek Blyth urges you to visit the old-fashioned pubs of Flanders, while you still have the chance.

Miscellaneous

literature Luc Devoldere

5 min reading time

Here Is Why We Should Continue to Cherish Multatuli

Editor-in-chief Luc Devoldere takes the start of the Multatuli year as an opportunity to explore the author’s legacy.

language Fieke Van der Gucht

4 min reading time

Do You Know What ‘a Flandrian Facial’ Is?

The Flemish tenacity for cycling inspired the English to invent much of today’s cycling lingo.

Series

Forgotten Female Painters

First Book

literature Dirk Vandenberghe

7 min reading time

'Uiterste Dagen’ Is a Dark Family Novel About What Drives People

In his debut novel ‘Uiterste dagen’, Ferdinand Lankamp undertakes a search for our motives, which can sometimes be very dark.

literature Lucelle Pardoe

8 min reading time

American Readers Have a Love-Hate Relationship With Dutch Children's Books

When Dutch children's literature deals with taboos, some books are too unconventional for the anglophone market.

arts Kate Deni

4 min reading time

Van Gogh Museum Shows How Artists Present Themselves in Their Portraits

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is presenting artist's portraits in an exhibition on identity and image.

The Low Countries Radio

history Republic of Amsterdam Radio

1 min reading time

PODCAST: The History of Cycling in the Low Countries

Why are the Dutch so crazy about cycling? We tell you all about it in the first episode of The Low Countries Radio.

The L-Spot

society Derek Blyth

2 min reading time

Smoked Sausages and Sensible Knickers

Whoever visits the Netherlands, can't ignore them. Sooner or later you walk into one of the 550 Hema shops to buy a bicycle bell, sandwich or stapler. The brand is as Dutch as the tulip.

language Christopher Joby

5 min reading time

From Dwile to Forlorn Hope. This Is Why English Sometimes Sounds Like Dutch

Due to its geographical closeness to the Low Countries, Britain has played an important role in the history of the Dutch language.

Friday Verses

literature Max Greyson

2 min reading time

Max Greyson: Relativity

This week's Friday Verses are written by the Antwerp poet, theater writer and spoken word performer, Max Greyson. We selected his poem ‘Relativity’.

arts Tom Christiaens

9 min reading time

Flanders Rewards Its Creative Talent With Ultimas

These Flemish artists and organisations across cultural disciplines have been rewarded with an Ultima for their outstanding contributions.

Series: The Cultural Attaché

arts Josine Backus

5 min reading time

Cultural Attaché Nanna Stolze in Brazil: ‘Brazilians Continue to Share a Mutual Interest With the Dutch in Cultural Cooperation’

arts Michael Palmer

9 min reading time

Léon Spilliaert, a Troubled and Troubling Painter

From his celebrated self-portraits to dreamlike scenes of the North Sea coast, a major exhibition in London will introduce UK audiences to the visionary work of Flemish artist Léon Spilliaert.

Series: Babel in the Low Countries

language Luc Devoldere

4 min reading time

Why Language Is Always Linked to Territory

Luc Devoldere rejects the existence of a bond between language and ethnicity – or Blut und Boden. Instead, he suggests the term ‘territory’.

arts Tom Christiaens

1 min reading time

Young Belgian Artist Exhibits in ‘Banksy hotel’

20-year-old artist Mitya from Antwerp is exhibiting in the world-famous The Walled Off Hotel, the hotel museum that was designed by street artist Banksy.

literature Anne Sluijs & Maarten Dessing

5 min reading time

This is How the World Discovers Dutch Literature

Foreign publishers, foreign rights agents, cultural foundations, translators and a bit of luck. This is what you need to get your book translated.

Museum Explorer

history Virginie Platteau

7 min reading time

The Museum of Natural Sciences: Much More than a Dinosaur Dwelling

The Museum of Natural Sciences in Brussels is a must-see for every single person who cherishes our planet.

First Book

literature Dirk Vandenberghe

7 min reading time

Fen Verstappen’s Debut Novel Is a Tender Farewell to a Mother Still There

What makes you a mother? Fen Verstappen looks for answers in her touching debut novel ‘Moeder af’.

arts Maarten Buser

5 min reading time

Niek Hendrix Gets to Grips With Images by Repainting Them

The young Dutch artist is as fascinated by famous paintings as he is by trivial images.

literature Dutch Foundation for Literature

2 min reading time

Vondel Translation Prize to Michele Hutchison

Michele Hutchison has been awarded the prize for Stage Four, her English translation of Sander Kollaard’s Stadium IV.

arts Tom Christiaens

1 min reading time

Painter Luc Tuymans Is Awarded for his Entire Career

The Antwerp artist wins an Ultima, a tribute to his active artistry at the height of his ability.

The L-Spot

arts Derek Blyth

2 min reading time

The Lost Archive at Verbeke Foundation

In the midst of nature, in the East Flemish municipality of Stekene, you can visit one of the largest private art collections in Europe.

Friday Verses

literature Meliza de Vries

1 min reading time

Meliza de Vries: Grown-Up

This week's Friday Verses are written by Meliza de Vries. We selected her poem ‘Grown-Up’.

society Tomas Vanheste

12 min reading time

Banning, Preserving or Editing: What to Do with Offensive Books?

How do we have to treat books that have fallen out of favour or have become taboo due to a changing Zeitgeist and more progressive perceptions?

arts Filip Luyckx

4 min reading time

A Utopian Desire for Harmony. Remembering Artist Johan Van Geluwe (1929-2020)

Johan Van Geluwe died unexpectedly at home. The artist knew how to combine the global dimension of his work with regional and folk culture.

Column Hind Fraihi

society Hind Fraihi

6 min reading time

Information Overload? Time for a News Diet

Hind Fraihi suggests a digital detox. ‘Why not try a Digital Free Month to drastically free ourselves from social media?’

society Lode Delputte

11 min reading time

When You Care to Share. The Collaborative Economy in the Low Countries

Flanders and the Netherlands are fertile ground for the collaborative economy because they are densely populated and very connected. But is it a success?

Series: Jan van Eyck

arts Lieven Van Den Abeele

6 min reading time

An Optical Revolution in the Middle Ages. The Hidden Talents of Jan van Eyck

At the largest Jan van Eyck exhibition ever you can discover his refined oil-painting techniques, pointed observations of the world and unique talent for painting light that is almost tangible.