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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 "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.
De Afwijking by debutant Dries Muus is a beautiful coming-of-age novel against the backdrop of an urban football environment.
In Was (Wax), debut author Jilt Jorritsma eschews linear time, constructing a mysterious and fascinating story.
Loes Wijnhoven has written a funny debut novel about a millennial living life passing from hotel to hotel.
This debut is a dreamy novel about the love of trees and the loneliness of surviving in a new country.
In her debut novel, Wuck paints a portrait of her hippy parents. The detached tone makes the novel stand out all the more.
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.
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.
The debut novel by Dutch writer and performer Joost Oomen is a whimsical book brimming with wonderful fantasies.
They are a colourful and curious bunch, the artists that Hans Depelchin assembles in his debut novel Weekdier (Mollusc).
A melancholic and funny debut novel about people who tend to follow the herd but still want to be noticed.
Marije Langelaar’s debut novel is a short triptych in which dreams and reality are softly entwined, in search of perfect symbiosis.
Christina and Tom face the same dilemma: what to put first, each other or their careers in art?
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.
Marieke De Maré has written a dreamy, poetic story about how people who at first live apart eventually come together.
Actress Romana Vrede writes a letter to her autistic son, which makes for a tough, but loving book.
In her debut novel, Valerie Tack unpicks skilfully how a young woman, marked by life, slowly but surely turns into a cold-blooded murderer.
