An exquisitely drawn exploration of three lost souls’ emotional terrain As night falls in the City of Belgium, three strangers in their late twenties—a most dangerous age—arrive at a popular restaurant. Jona is about to move away; he calls his wife, who’s already settled in Berlin, before trying to make plans with friends for one last night on the town. No one bites—they’re all busy or maybe they just don’t want to party—but he’s determined to make this night something to remember. Victoria is lively and energetic, but surrounded by friends and family who are buzzkills, always worrying about what is best for her. Rodolphe glumly considers his own misery and then suddenly snaps out of it, becoming the life of the party. The three careen through the city’s nightlife spots and underbelly, getting ever deeper in the messiness of human existence as they chase pleasure—or at least a few distractions from their daily lives. Each has a series of misadventures that reveal them to be teetering on the edge of despair, of destruction, of becoming the people they’ll be for the rest of their lives. The City of Belgium occupies a place between lucid dream and tooth-grinding nightmare.

- One if the first titles in the new Hidden Secrets series - countries and regions- Follows on from the phenomenally successful 500 Hidden Secrets series which focuses on cities around the worldJournalist Derek Blyth was born in the U.K. but has lived in Belgium for more than 25 years. He has written countless articles about Belgian cities (for example as editor-in-chief of The Bulletin) and books like Flemish Cities Explored. He is the author of The 500 Hidden Secrets of Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, and Flanders Fields and the Belgian Coast. This brand new guide is his personal ode to the most beautiful and intriguing spots in what he calls 'the world's strangest country'. He shares secrets such as: - 3 weird rocky outcrops - the 3 most dreamy castles to visit - 4 places to see eccentric art - the 6 most bizarre buildings - 5 adventurous Ardennes hikes... and much more.

A comprehensive dissection of the making of urban society in the Low Countries during the middle ages and the sixteenth century.

Following My Thumb follows the wandering, rambling, bumbling travels of Gabriel Morris from 1990-2000. In the summer of 1990, at the age of 18, he sets off to Europe with his over-sized backpack, thumb guiding the way. He hitchhikes the entire length of Great Britain, sleeps in barns, on bridges and beaches and under benches, explores the Greek Isles, sneaks into a Parisian movie theater, spends a night at the center of the Place de la Concorde roundabout, and more. In Part 2 of the book, he spends the bulk of the mid-1990s as a wandering traveler back home in the United States, searching for something elusive: a place to call home, a community, love, adventure, meaning, purpose. He both finds and loses all to varying degrees as he attends tribal Rainbow Gatherings in the woods, falls in and out of love on the road, lives on farms and communes, and spends several months in an idyllic valley, far from civilization in the Hawaiian rainforest. The book culminates with his amazing and thought-provoking travels in the mystical land of India. ,

Charlotte Brontes years in Belgium (184243) had a huge influence both on her life and her work. It was in Brussels that she not only honed her writing skills but fell in love and lived through the experiences that inspired two of her four novels: her first, The Professor, and her last and in many ways most interesting, Villette. Her feelings about Belgium are known from her novels and letters her love for her tutor Heger, her uncomplimentary remarks about Belgians, the powerful effect on her imagination of living abroad. But what about Belgian views of Charlotte Bronte? What has her legacy been in Brussels? How have Belgian commentators responded to her portrayal of their capital city and their society? Through Belgian Eyes explores a wide range of responses from across the Channel, from the hostile to the enthusiastic. In the process, it examines what The Professor and Villette tell Belgian readers about their capital in the 1840s and provides a wealth of detail on the Brussels background to the two novels. Unlike Paris and London, Brussels has inspired few outstanding works of literature. That makes Villette, considered by many to be Charlotte Brontes masterpiece, of particular interest as a portrait of the Belgian capital a decade after the country gained independence in 1830, and just before modernisation and expansion transformed the city out of all recognition from the villette (small town) that Charlotte knew. Her view of Brussels is contrasted with those of other foreign visitors and of the Belgians themselves. The story of Charlotte Brontes Brussels legacy provides a unique perspective on her personality and writing.

Tegneserie - graphic novel. Gary struggles to let go of his inhibitions while his childhood friend Robbie attracts both women and men with his charisma at a dinner party with old classmates and at parties throughout town

"Evens is the finest ambassador for Belgian illustration since Hergé." --The Guardian Brecht Evens, the award-winning author of The Wrong Place and The Making Of, returns with an unsettling graphic novel about a little girl and her imaginary feline companion. Iconoclastic in his cartooning and page layouts, subtle in his plotting, and deft in his capturing of the human experience, Evens has crafted a tangled, dark masterwork. Christine lives in a big house with her father and her cat, Lucy. When Lucy gets sick and dies, Christine is devastated. But alone in her room, something special happens: a panther pops out of her dresser drawer and begins to tell her stories of distant Pantherland, where he is the crown prince. A shape-shifter who tells Christine anything she wants to hear, Panther begins taking over Christine's life, alienating her from her other toys and friends. As Christine's world spirals out of control, so does the world Panther has created for her. Panther is a chilling voyage into the shadowy corners of the human psyche. The Drawn & Quarterly edition of Panther is an extended "director's cut," featuring additional material not included in the original book.

"This book shows that there are few stories as remarkable as the complicated love affair Brussels has with beer." - Jonny Garrett, Co-Founder of The Craft Beer Channel, Beer Writer of the Year 2019From the brewery that once employed Congolese freedom fighter Patrice Lumumba, to the race against time to rescue Brussels' rich industrial heritage from the maws of rapacious developers, and the see-sawing fortunes of the city's artisan brewers, Brussels brewing has had a tumultuous past. The city is rightly famed around the world for its vitally important lambic brewing traditions, but there is a history of Brussels brewing brewing that goes so much further and deeper than that. And more than that, the history of beer in Brussels is the history of modern Brussels itself - from a regional backwater to an industrial powerhouse, to the hubris of post-war de-industrialisation and the subsequent revival of local brewing at the end of the 20th century, Brussels and its brewers have seen it all.This collection, bringing together work by Eoghan Walsh on his award-winning blog Brussels Beer City and for Belgian Beer and Food Magazine, brings to life the family dynasties, the brewers, and the activists that sought to keep this invaluable legacy alive into the 21st century. Santeï!"Part picaresque dig into the archives, part elegy for the city's lost breweries, part celebration of Brussels' ineffable spirit, this lucidly written and deeply researched Brussels brewing history is a delight at every turn. Walsh shares key anecdotes from centuries past, draws surprising comparisons, and makes some compelling prognostications for what's next for the city's brewers and beer lovers. This necessary work is a must for anyone who appreciates Belgian beer." - Claire Bullen, Editor, Good Beer Hunting""Fascinating, enjoyable, packed with anecdotes and stories about people and beer (and, er, football skullduggery), this gives the reader an insider's guide to Brussels' beer and brewing history and evokes a sense of nostalgia without being sickly or fussy. Read with a pint or two of Zinnebir to hand And then pour another." - Adrian Tierney-Jones

A full-scale examination of every aspect of life in Belgium, Belgium Stripped Bare is an aesthetico-diagnostic litany of often vitriolic observations whose victory is found in the act of analysis itself, in the intoxication of diagnosis. Baudelaire's plethora of notes and vast collection of related newspaper clippings are summarized within.

Brussels may be the heart of the EU but unassuming Antwerp has long been one of Europe's most prosperous ports. Join us as we drop anchor at both cosmopolitan hubs - and dip in and out of a few of Belgium's smaller, canal-laced cities in between. It's a boon and burden to Belgium that Brussels is the capital of both the country and the rest of Europe. There are many benefits to hosting this lofty seat of power but the city can also fall victim to the associated red tape. An hour away by train, Antwerp is a more relaxed affair, where the creative and cultural scenes almost outshine the city's famous diamonds. For this travel guide we've toured both destinations and found plenty of gems throughout.