Belgian literature

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Belgium is a multilingual country in which, depending on the part of the country, French ( Wallonia ), Dutch ( Flanders ) or German ( East Belgium ) are spoken. The Belgian literature and the corresponding authors are therefore mostly of French , Dutch or German literature assigned.

The areas from which Belgium emerged in 1830 belonged to Burgundy in the late Middle Ages and later to the Spanish Netherlands . Thereafter these areas formed the Austrian Netherlands , were part of France from 1795 to 1815 and part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1815 to 1830 . The Kingdom of Belgium was founded in 1830 .

See also: History of Belgium

French literature in Belgium

Main article: French literature

During the time of the Spanish and Austrian Netherlands, French also became the language of the upper class in the Dutch-speaking areas. This tendency intensified during the time when the Belgian territories later belonged to France. As a result, French literature in Belgium does not necessarily have to come from Walloons, but also from Flemings, who preferred to write in French.

In the Kingdom of Belgium, which was founded in 1830, French was the cultural language, also in the Dutch-speaking parts of the country. From the end of the 19th century, Belgian literature took off with big names such as Charles de Coster , Georges Rodenbach , Émile Verhaeren and Maurice Maeterlinck . In the 20th century, authors such as Henri Michaux , Géo Norge , Marguerite Yourcenar , Georges Simenon or, more recently, Amélie Nothomb show . Hergé is one of the big names in the comic scene.

Different phases

Several phases can be identified in the French-language literature of Belgium.

  • During the first phase, which began with the founding of Belgium in 1830 and subsided in 1918 with the end of the First World War , the majority of writers did not hesitate to emphasize their pride in their homeland through their style, language and subjects to express that Belgium has its own characteristics that are different from other countries. They use words and expressions that have their origins in the French spoken in Belgium or in the various dialects (for example, in French for seventy one says "soixante-dix" while in Belgium "septante" is common) and put the actions of their works in different locations from Belgium, and Belgian protagonists appear.
  • During the second phase, beginning in the early 20th century, the authors began to adopt a more "French" stance and tell stories that generally take place in countries other than Belgium.

The first phase has been rediscovered by the authors since around 1960. (Cf. also some works by Georges Simenon , whose commissioner Maigret makes various "trips" to Belgium.)

Dutch literature in Belgium

Main article: Dutch literature

In the late Middle Ages, Flanders and Brabant set the cultural tone for the rest of the Dutch-speaking areas of the Spanish Netherlands. See also Dutch literature , section Middle Ages.

Towards the end of the Eighty Years' War , many intellectuals left Flanders and Brabant and settled in Holland . This meant a weakening of Dutch literature in the southern Spanish Netherlands. In the Treaty of Munster in 1648, the Spanish Netherlands were divided into a Protestant independent north and a Catholic south (which remained under Spanish rule). During that time, cultural contacts between the south and the north became very weak.

The people were not influenced by writings from the Netherlands at that time. For this reason, the number of Belgian works in Dutch is lower than that of French-speaking authors. Flemish remained a popular language (or dialect) until the 20th century, while the language of the Flemish elite was French. Flemish writers are also read in the Netherlands and Dutch in Belgium. Well-known Flemish writers in Belgium include Hugo Claus , Kristien Hemmerechts , Tom Lanoye , Anne Provoost and Geert van Istendael .

German literature in Belgium

Main article: German-language literature

In the German-speaking community in East Belgium, since the region became part of Belgium, a literary scene has developed at the transition between the Walloon-French and German cultural areas. An example of this is the young Krautgarten Literature Forum , in which numerous authors from both language areas publish. The Grenz-Echo publishing house, which also owns the daily newspaper of the same name , has played a leading role in public awareness for many years .

bibliography

  • Frickx (Robert), Trousson (Raymond) et al. Lettres françaises de Belgique. Dictionnaire des oeuvres, I, Le roman, II, La poésie, III, Le théâtre. L'essai et IV, 1981-1990 (Paris-Gembloux: Duculot, 1988, 1988, 1989 et 1994).
  • J.-P. Bertrand, M. Biron, B. Denis, R. Grutman (dirs), Histoire de la littérature belge. 1830-2000, Paris, Fayard, 2003.
  • Benoît Denis and Jean-Marie Klinkenberg, La littérature belge. Précis d'histoire sociale, Bruxelles, Laboratory, coll. Espace Nord, "Référence", 2005.
  • Bibliography des écrivains français de Belgique, 5 vol. (jusque O), Bruxelles, Palais des Académies, 1958-1988.
  • Christian Berg and Pierre Halen (dir.), Littératures belges de langue française. Histoire et perspectives (1830-2000), Bruxelles, Le Cri, "Histoire", 2000

See also