- the low countries

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

Four years after her victory lap through the Low Countries, Lize Spit will now delight English-language readers with her translated debut novel.

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

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

Birney's throat-grabbing novel 'The Interpreter from Java' about the colonial past in the Dutch East Indies highlights the lasting consequences of a civil war in a penetrating way.

In her masterful novel 'Your Story, My Story' Dutch author Connie Palmen gives Ted Hughes a voice.

With her latest publication, the Dutch photographer Awoiska van der Molen continues her own modest search for places of human origin.

Thanks to two biographies published at the same time, the Dutch physicist and Nobel Prize winner Hendrik Lorentz finally gets the attention he deserves.

A new biography gives the seventeenth-century Dutch astronomer and inventor the credit he deserves.

Here's a photobook that depicts the sensation of covering hundreds of kilometres on horseback in a snowy landscape without civilisation.

The road to success of the iconic Book Tower in Ghent has been all but linear, as historian Ruben Mantels writes in 'Towers of Books'.

Jaap Robben has in recent years gained an international reputation thanks to his novels 'You Have Me to Love' and 'Summer Brother'.

Huib Billiet Adriaansen wrote an exciting book about the shared history of Cuba and Belgium since the early sixteenth century.

An exhibition in Mechelen shows portraits of young Habsburg princes and princesses that tell us a lot about the political powers struggles of sixteenth-century Europe.

The French general and emperor left behind deep traces in Dutch society that are still visible today.

Antwerp painter Jules Schmalzigaug (1882-1917) deserves more prominence in the canon of the European avant-garde.

Jane Judge’s book provides a profound analysis of the rich sources surrounding the events that shaped the Belgian identity.

Those who know where to look can read the history of the planet and the human race in trees and landscapes. Two researchers from the Low Countries, Salomon Kroonenberg and Valerie Trouet, tell the story of the earth, our past and perhaps al...

Between 1600 and 1900, Dutch was the dominant European language in Japan. A new book examines how this affected the local culture and society.

‘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.

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.

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

Mariken Heitman has written a penetrating debut about gender identity.

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.

After 132 years, Gorter's masterpiece has finally been published in English, even in two versions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Since the original Dutch version of this book came out in January 2019 it has dominated the bestseller lists.

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

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

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.

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

A simple press report about a death in a commune inspired Blees to write her debut novel.

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

Important to know