An introduction to Belgian literature: Discover more

Perhaps the most renowned satire about life in Brussels and the European Union was written by an Austrian author, The Capital by Robert Menasse. This is a novel about the European Union in all its facets. It transports you to the Schuman roundabout. You will meet determined bureaucrats with competing interests. There are idealists and tragic heroes, and people scaling the political ladder.
Fundamentally this is a novel about European identity and the future of the European project. For although Menasse can be critical at times, and funny throughout, you can tell that there is an underlying understanding of what the European Union represents at its core.
This book is also available to be borrowed in French (La capitale), Dutch (De Hoofdstad) and German (Die Hauptstadt).

Sandwiched between the grand and prolific literary traditions of France, Germany and the UK, Belgium’s own substantial literary contributions often get dwarfed. With so much coming out of the other countries, little of Belgium’s literature gets widely translated or marketed on the international stage. But Belgium has produced quite a number of novels that give someone living here a deeper, richer sense of the society and history surrounding them. So if you’re looking for a good summer read, here are six great books by Belgian (or Belgian-based) writers to let yourself get lost in.

Flanders Literature helps publishers and festival organisers find that one particular title or author that is the perfect fit for their list or audience. So take a good look around, we present a selection of the finest literature from Flanders. If you like what you see, please get in touch with us for further information.

Le portail des littératures belges.

Bela est le site de la création et ses métiers en Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles. Le public cible ? Des auteurs et autrices tous domaines confondus (écrit, son, audiovisuel, spectacle vivant et multimédia), ainsi que les opérateurs et opératrices du secteur culturel francophone (libraires, journalistes, éditeurs, programmatrices, etc.).

La Foire du livre de Bruxelles est une foire du livre annuelle qui se déroule depuis 1969 à Bruxelles, en Belgique. La Foire du livre de Bruxelles se tient actuellement sur le site de Tour et Taxis.

Located in the heart of Brussels, in a majestic Art Nouveau building, created by Victor Horta in 1906, the Comic Art Museum opened its doors to the public on October 6th 1989. In no time this impressive museum became one of the main attractions of Brussels. The Comic Art Museum collects and preserves anything that deals with European comics, from its prestigious beginnings to its latest developments.