The best books on Belgium

1

The Sorrow of Belgium
by Hugo Claus

A literary masterpiece by (probably) the greatest Flemish writer of the second half of the 20th century Some links: http://www.flandersliterature.be/books-and-authors/book/the-sorrow-of-belgium http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/_low001201101_01/_low001201101_01_0009.php http://www.onserfdeel.be/en/blogs/detail/the-clever-letter-thief-ten-years-after-the-death-of-hugo-claus

2

Flemish Legends
by Charles de Coster

Charles de Coster "Legend of Ulenspiegel" Stefan Zweig wrote that De Coster's book signals the beginning of Belgian literature, just as the Iliad marks that of Greek literature

3

Het Belgisch labyrint
by Geert van Istendael

"The bestseller that helps explain Belgium" Available in Dutch, French, Czech, Hungarian , Albanian and Macedonian, unfortunately not in English.

4

Chapel Road
by Louis Paul Boon

Another literary masterpiece by one of Flanders's greatest authors. Context: http://www.literaturefromthelowcountries.eu/against-the-status-quo/ More: http://www.flandersliterature.be/books-and-authors/book/chapel-road

5

Belgium, een utopie voor onze tijd (Dutch Edition)
by Philippe van Parijs

This is new book by Belgian leading intellectual (Dutch & French only) Is Belgium the most difficult country in the world? Where others see insurmountable problems, @pvpbrussels sees unexpected solutions. http://www.polis.be/belgium.html