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High Road to Culture in Flanders and the Netherlands
In his monthly column, Dirk Vandenberghe draws attention to literary debuts from Flemish and Dutch writers which garnered less notice upon release than they deserve.
In her debut novel Caroline van Keeken subtly sketches a portrait of an unhappy, dysfunctional family.
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 himself and those around him.
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.
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.
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.
In pared-back prose, Angelo Tijssens tells the story of a gay man’s laborious search for a speck of love and affection.
In her debut novel, Ananda Serné seizes upon a badly sleeping woman's search for footing to gently wake up the reader herself.
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.
Hannes Dedeurwaerder's semi-autobiographical debut novel about his upbringing in the Pentecostal community is an unusual glimpse into an otherwise closed world.
Nadia de Vries has written an angsty debut about a young woman afraid of remaining in the shadows.
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.
A young woman in search of meaning is inspired by the wanderings of a Japanese monk from the nineteenth century.
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.
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.
Lisa Weeda's excellent debut novel tells the story of a divided Cossack family.
In his debut novel, Koen Caris exposes just how difficult it is to be left behind, especially in an oppressive, village setting.
