The Low Countries 19 is hot off the presses. This English-language yearbook about the Low Countries comes from the Ons Erfdeel stable.

The theme of this nineteenth number is ‘(self-)images’. The Netherlands and Flanders are set in front of a half-transparent mirror: from abroad this region of the North Sea appears as if through a window, but at the same time the two Dutch-speaking areas can see and explore themselves.  

Mirrors, windows, reflections

How does a Scot living in Brussels see the political situation in Belgium? What does an American historian think of the Netherlands, which has undergone a complete metamorphosis in just a decade?  What impression does a foreigner get of the Netherlands if he reads Max Havelaar or Turkish Delight? What is the image of Flanders that emerges from The Sorrow of Belgium and The Legend of Ulenspiegel? 

In The Low Countries 19 you can read more about how the classic dichotomy between Burgundians and Calvinists, between Catholics and Protestants influences the image of the Low Countries.

You can read the article about orange, the colour that unites and divides North and South here.  

Reve in England

In addition to this thematic section of the book there are also wide-ranging articles on more general topics. Read about the graphic novel in Flanders, the huge success enjoyed by rock festivals in the Low Countries, the monarchy in Belgium and the Netherlands, or Flemish belfries, to name but a few. 

And there’s plenty of literature, too: Nop Maas on Gerard Reve’s excursion into English, a portrait of the city of Leuven by Johanna Spaey, articles on Maurice Maeterlinck, Leonard Nolens, Herman Gorter, Maarten 't Hart and Hans Verhagen.

But that’s not all. For the complete list of contents of the new TLC have a look here.

Order

To order a copy of The Low Countries 19, email us at adm@onserfdeel.be. The yearbook costs 37 euros in Belgium and 39 euros in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe. The book is available in the rest of the world for 50 euros.