Search - the low countries

In her debut novel, Ananda Serné seizes upon a badly sleeping woman's search for footing to gently wake up the reader herself.

Hanan Faour, a Dutch author with Lebanese roots, has written a moving story about what it is like to discover the land of her father and brother.

Nadia de Vries has written an angsty debut about a young woman afraid of remaining in the shadows.

A young woman in search of meaning is inspired by the wanderings of a Japanese monk from the nineteenth century.

Petra Thijs grants us a glimpse behind the scenes in the art world, with the remarkable life story of the life model for Edouard Manet’s Le déjeuner sur l'herbe.

How to live? It’s no mean feat, even less so as a single lesbian woman with a desire to have children, as Brecht De Backer’s philosophical debut novel reveals.

In pared-back prose, Angelo Tijssens tells the story of a gay man’s laborious search for a speck of love and affection.

In 'Rozeke', we follow the ups and downs in the life of an Antwerp entrepreneur in the Belle Époque. In figurative language, Van der Stighelen describes how his namesake climbs the social ladder, but struggles on a personal level with himse...

Do you remember what you were doing on 14 February 1990? Not very likely. But author and screenwriter Stijn Vranken does remember, and it makes for an entertaining debut.

Hannes Dedeurwaerder's semi-autobiographical debut novel about his upbringing in the Pentecostal community is an unusual glimpse into an otherwise closed world.

In her debut novel, Jante Wortel paints a stark portrait of a teenager whose family is held in the grip of her OCD.

Corinne Heyrman wrote a gripping novel about mental fragility.

Flemish composer Annelies Van Parys is one of the most sought-after contemporary composers in Europe. What makes her talent so unique?

Artificial Intelligence opens new ways for language research. You can programme a bot to write sonnets like Shakespeare, and one day we might be able to converse with someone from the 16th century.

Regardless of how long NATO remains standing, strengthening military cooperation between European countries is essential.

Seventy-five years after the declaration of Indonesian independence, it is high time for apologies to be made at the level of government, and for a national memory that is more inclusive.

Lisa Weeda's excellent debut novel tells the story of a divided Cossack family.

In her debut novel 'Ook bomen slapen', Annemarie Peeters intertwines the lives of former opera director Corneille and young opera singer Ofelia. With success.

After 1945, Belgium and the Netherlands rolled out a monumental social security system that brought prosperity and emancipation. Today, this welfare state has come under pressure.

Dutch writer Godfried Bomans died on December 22th 1971. He was one of the first writers to star on television. And though people like to think they know him, he was difficult to grasp.

By linking the course to contemporary issues, Dutch and Flemish Studies in Michigan is now more in demand than ever.

In the Brussels European Quarter you'll find a museum dedicated to the - at times turbulent - history of Europe.

Since the 1980s improvisational theatre has seen an impressive uptake, in the Netherlands and Belgium. The competitive nature ensures improv’s lasting popularity.

In the science fiction novel 'Concept M' author Aafke Romeijn takes the reader forward to the Netherlands of 2020, where the disease of colourlessness makes for heated, polarizing debate and protest.

Linguist Fieke Van der Gucht attempts to disentangle the issue.

Tülin Erkan has written a debut novel about trying to find the right words and about how difficult it is to say goodbye to places and people.

Belgium was one of Europe’s founders and main supporters, but in recent times the consensus for the European project has been somewhat worn down.

Marieke Lucas Rijneveld is the youngest writer to win the International Booker Prize, which celebrates the finest fiction translated into English from around the world.

In Daniël Samkalden's ambitious debut novel 'Nova', the three main characters become more involved with one another than they would like.

The Antwerp museum is the first ever to be established solely around the existing collection of one person.

The Dutch artist shows in the Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC’s) in Le Grand-Hornu how Western culture tries to archive and dominate the world.

In her debut novel 'Niemand keek omhoog’ Evelien Vos raises the question: to what extent can we control our lives?

Is the protagonist of Yves Petry’s eighth novel just a raving madman? Or does he have a point, with his philosophical and societal statements? Mainly mad, we are led to conclude.

The flamboyant South African writer has eighty candles to blow out. Portrait of a complex artist.

In her debut novel 'Kleihuid' (Clay Skin) Herien Wensink provokes with pressing questions, seen in the light of the First World War.

The Dutch writer has received the prestigious PC Hooft Prize 2022 for his extensive and diverse oeuvre. Portrait of a prolific writer with a mission.

In her debut novel 'Lam', singer-songwriter Hannelore Bedert paints the portrait of a strong woman, one who has suffered hard knocks but still struggles through life with her head held high.

Herlinde Leyssens wrote a story of a strong, rebellious, adventure-seeking woman, determined not to be stopped.

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

How to deal with Dutch words, concepts and expressions that simply cannot be translated into another language?

In Flemish actress Maaike Neuville's successful debut novel, her experience of theatre comes through in the precision of her sentences.

A captivating debut about a son who may want to break away from his mother, but gradually understands that this is impossible.

In 'Meral', author Froukje Santing subtly unravels the entanglements of a Dutch-Turkish family.

In a loud monologue full of metaphors and reflections on life and literature, Karel De Sadeleer tells the story of Ali, a bubbly Swiss with Palestinian roots.

In her debut novel, Wuck paints a portrait of her hippy parents. The detached tone makes the novel stand out all the more.

In her debut novel "Ongehoord" (Unheard) Pascale Petralia tells the story of how a victim gradually becomes ensnared in the net of someone obsessed. And no one can save her.

This debut is a dreamy novel about the love of trees and the loneliness of surviving in a new country.

Loes Wijnhoven has written a funny debut novel about a millennial living life passing from hotel to hotel.

De Afwijking by debutant Dries Muus is a beautiful coming-of-age novel against the backdrop of an urban football environment.

In his debut novel, Koen Caris exposes just how difficult it is to be left behind, especially in an oppressive, village setting.

In his debut novel, Dirk Elst manages to describe a life of poverty without romanticising it.

A novel about art, about cycling, but perhaps above all a story about the fear of an insignificant life.

In her debut novel, Katrien Scheir portrays the often very difficult position of women in a #MeToo situation.

The debut novel by Dutch writer and performer Joost Oomen is a whimsical book brimming with wonderful fantasies.

The diverse groups in the Netherlands must work together. This might explain why the Dutch have developed a high degree of tolerance.

They are a colourful and curious bunch, the artists that Hans Depelchin assembles in his debut novel Weekdier (Mollusc).

In her debut novel, Valerie Tack unpicks skilfully how a young woman, marked by life, slowly but surely turns into a cold-blooded murderer.

In Was (Wax), debut author Jilt Jorritsma eschews linear time, constructing a mysterious and fascinating story.

In his debut novel Frank Heinen lays bare the state of the care system in contemporary society as well as the role played by the media in how we perceive certain events.

In his first novel 'Vijd' Jonas Bruyneel paints a vibrant portrait of the Burgundian family who commissioned the world-famous 'Adoration of the Mystic Lamb' of the Van Eyck brothers.

Femke Vindevogel has written a blackly comic tale about a quest for one’s true self on the disadvantaged side of town.

Mariken Heitman has written a penetrating debut about gender identity.

‘Het nabestaan van Anna Portier’ is a poignant debut about mourning, dying and the lives we lead or don't.

Who's helping who? That is the question in Siel Verhanneman's poignant debut novel, 'Or else everyone dies'.

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

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

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.

Kevin van Vliet's debut novel 'Wolfsjong' is a classic tale with an edgy and dark side.

Jan Renkema provides a clear analysis of the Dutch identity in his pamphlet ‘The DNA of the Netherlands’. He starts with a conversation on a flight to Schiphol.

‘Augustus’ by Irma Maria Achten is a sensual debut novel about improbable love, in which passion, a longing for death and family secrets play an important role.

Actress Romana Vrede writes a letter to her autistic son, which makes for a tough, but loving book.

Christina and Tom face the same dilemma: what to put first, each other or their careers in art?

In the last episode of the series ‘The DNA of the Netherlands’, we find out what the national motto ‘Je maintiendrai’ really stands for.

The Dutch like to fend for themselves, for fear of further interference. They love their freedom and independence.

In a country of polders, flatness defines everything. This flatness means that nobody can rise above you, nor you above them.

Marieke De Maré has written a dreamy, poetic story about how people who at first live apart eventually come together.

Due to the openness and the usually quick acceptance of various groups the Netherlands has been able to develop as a country in which modern ideas can flourish.

Ewoud Kieft offers a lot of food for thought in his debut novel. Even the perfect world of the future is not to everyone’s taste.

Due to the population density, the Dutch have developed a strong sense of individuality and privacy.

Marije Langelaar’s debut novel is a short triptych in which dreams and reality are softly entwined, in search of perfect symbiosis.

The Dutch have a strong entrepreneurial spirit. In the seventeenth century, they were responsible for the world's first multinational company.

Jan Renkema gives an overview of the core trademarks of Dutch identity.

A melancholic and funny debut novel about people who tend to follow the herd but still want to be noticed.

The Dutch have a constant willingness to compromise and whose aim above all is a general consensus.

Beyond the preoccupations and times of their curators, musical instrument museums such as the MIM in Brussels are testament to the creativity and skill of sound and music makers, allowing us to learn about and imagine the musical and sonic...

The United Kingdom and The Netherlands' shared history has a big and often funny impact on each other's language.

Important to know