Netherlands/Belgium Reading List?
 

Such a wonderful response to the request for reading material about England, thought that I would try the same for my next destination :)

I like history, historical fiction, novels, mysteries and such.

Will be visiting Amsterdam & environs, Brugge, Ghent, Antwerp and Brussels.

Any good suggested background reading?

Thanks!

A much harder question than similar ones about England or Italy.

Doesn't "The Girl with the Pearl Earring" take place in Amsterdam? I never read this one, but it's been very popular.

David Plante's "The Accident" takes place in the medieval university city of Liege in Belgium.

And if you don't mind some homoerotic stuff, Hollinghurst's "The Folding Star" takes place in Brussels.

I've been meaning to post this exact same question, as we are visiting all the same places as you (except for Ghent)!

I really enjoyed "Girl with a Pearl Earring," a fictionalized account of the girl who inspired Vermeer's famous painting. It takes place in Vermeer's hometown of Delft.

I'm interested to see what everyone else suggests for the Netherlands and Belgium - thanks!

Meredith

Thanks Cimbrone.

Have just ordered two from Amazon UK, but they don't have David Plante's "The Accident".

Will have to search further for that. Shipping from the US is ridiculously expensive. As is the cost of shipping doubled the cost of the order for just the two books :(

Looking forward to more suggestions...
;;)

I believe that two of Charlotte Brontë's novels, the Professor and Vilette were both set in Brussels.
And of course there's always Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, also set in Brussels.

And then there's Tintin: the flea market in the Secret of the Unicorn is based on the Place du Jeu de Balle in Brussels...

Two other sources for used books online are Abebooks and Alibris. Check those out for "The Accident." Also, I think "The Folding Star" might be set in Brugge, not Brussels. Or else both. In any case, it's an amazing novel.

Seven Roads to Hell. An account of the Battle of the Bulge.

If it wasn't for our victory at the Bulge, it's likely we would be speaking German and you wouldn't be taking this trip.

Tulip Fever is good; can't remember the author, but I enjoyed the book.
For some (really) serious reading about The Netherlands, Simon Schama's The Embarrasment of Riches. And there's also Anne Frank's diary of course.
I really can't think of any about Belgium; perhaps Belgian writer Hugo Claus is translated in English?

Just remembered this one; a tall man in a low land, by Harry Pearson; very funny view of Belgium.
And the Hugo Claus book is The Sorrow of Belgium.

The Diary of Anne Frank.

"If it wasn't for our victory at the Bulge, it's likely we would be speaking German and you wouldn't be taking this trip."

Likely I wouldn't even exist...

Thanks again Cimbrone.

I knew about abebooks, bout Alibris is new for me. Much appreciated.

hanl

Bronte, Conrad and of course Anne Frank's Diary I have read, but will probably re-read before my trip.

I was undeer the impression that Tintin was a comic strip character...no?

Tulips

Tulip Fever was written by Deborah Moggach, but the reviews are so-so. I wouldn't choose a hotel with those kinds of reviews :))

Schama's The Embarrasment of Riches is of course on my must read list. Thank you.

Pearson's A Tall Man in a Low Land does look intriguing.

The Sorrow of Belgium is not available on Amazon UK. Will search for it on Abebooks and Alibris, along with The Accident.

Thanks again.

Tulips made me think of "The Black Tulip" by Dumas. Murder and romance in 17th century Amsterdam. I remember being captivated by a miniseries version of this novel on PBS when I was a young boy.

Cimbrone,

You did it again.
Now why didn't I remember that one?!?
*

=D>


Thanks once more!!!

When I was in London in May, I went to Dault's Bookstore, which arranges books by country. I was looking for books set in Amsterdam, and picked up "The Coffee Trader" by David Liss? Set in Amsterdam in 1619.

Longitude Books (on the web) also sorts books (mainly travel and history) according to country. They list "Headlong" by Michael Frayn. It's described as a hilarious tale about a heist of a Bruegel painting gone awry. Brueghel lived in the Netherlands, Antwerp, and Brussels. The book is more about the heist than the artist, but there is some small link to your destinations. I read it a few years ago, and didn't think it lived up to its reviews.
The other one that's on my "to read" list is "Tulipomania" by Mike Dash. It's non-fiction, but all the reviews say it is a very enjoyable read.

I promise this is my last one :)

"The Girl in Hyacinth Blue" is a series of short stories that traces a Vermeer back through each of its owners, including a Jewish family from whom it was confiscated by the Nazis. This is now on my reading list.

AnneteTx,

Thanks for all the great info. Am looking into it just as soon as I finish here!

Cimbrone,

Please don't threaten me like that! Don't stop now!

Will this help? ((d))
Or this? ((b))