Set during the turbulent years of 1939 to 1947, this is the story of a nation's coming of age, seen through the eyes of an adolescent, Louis Seynaeve. Returning home from his Catholic boarding-school to Walle, he finds that his family is more than willing to collaborate with the Germans.
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From Library Journal
As the war rages and ebbs in occupied Belgium between 1939 and 1947, Louis is struggling through the trials of adolescence. Knowledge in all its forms is his personal battleground as he moves from the sheltered world of the convent school to the chaos of death, internment, and reunification. His family, staunchly Flemish, collaborates willingly with the Germans. His pompous father hints at Gestapo connections, his bored mother blossoms in her new responsibility for German munitions, and the rest of his extended family lies enthralled by Nazi "discipline and order." Laced through everything is the constant tension between the Flemish and French linguistic and cultural traditions. Claus's well-written novel of discovery is a fine depiction of life under occupation that offers American readers a fresh perspective of events during the war. While its innovative structure makes for some tedious moments, it finally succeeds through its careful attention to Louis's changing awareness in a dynamic time.
- Paul E. Hutchison, Fishermans Paradise, Bellefonte, Pa.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
- Paul E. Hutchison, Fishermans Paradise, Bellefonte, Pa.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
About the Author
Hugo Claus was born in Bruges, Belgium, in 1929, and his work has been translated into more than nine languages. He is Holland's most esteemed contemporary writer and has been a candidate for the Nobel Prize.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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Customer Reviews
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Hugo Claus, most famous writer in the Low Countries, wrote this "piece de resistance". For his oeuvre he should be awarded a Nobel Prize for Literature.
The work, although looking quite bulky, fascinates from the first till the last page. It decribes in a painfull manner the hypocritical way well-to-do families live in pre-war Belgium, how religious superficiality leads to short-sighted nationalism, conservatism and collaboration with members of the occupating "Herrenvolk".
Reading it, it helps to understand the ambiguous nature of the kingdom of Belgium (language, politics, economy and culture).
Format:Paperback
I never understood why 'The Sorrow of Belgium/Het verdriet van België' created such a fuzz in the Dutch language community (Flanders + The Netherlands). Possibly, the fact that it was a 'must reed' in school, makes that I'm not that overwhelmed by it.
Mind you, it certainly isn't a bad novel, but (from my point of view) it isn't the highlight of twentieth-century Dutch literature that some people say it is. It does help to understand the Flemish feelings towards 'higher authorities' (like Belgium, like the (catholic) church), and maybe (given the correct interpretation of the whole background regarding the German occupation of Belgium during WWII) it can give this novell an universal angle.
Mind you, it certainly isn't a bad novel, but (from my point of view) it isn't the highlight of twentieth-century Dutch literature that some people say it is. It does help to understand the Flemish feelings towards 'higher authorities' (like Belgium, like the (catholic) church), and maybe (given the correct interpretation of the whole background regarding the German occupation of Belgium during WWII) it can give this novell an universal angle.
I would like to point out that Hugo Claus is a much better poet than he is a novellist. If he'll ever get the Nobel Prize (for the last ten years his name is mentionned), it should be for his poetry, which is (without any exeption) extraordinary and amazing. Obvious problem: it's easier to translate a novell than a poem...
By Randy Keehn
Format:Paperback
I review this book reluctantly because I read it over 11 years ago. Frankly there is little that I remember about except two things. The first is that there is an hilarious part on pre-pubescent boys sharing their misconceptions about girls. The second thing I remember about it is my disappointment that the book lacked what I was looking for. I had fairly close relatives in The Netherlands during WWII and some of the stories I heard from them (and others) gave me a totally different picture from what I found in Claus's book. From them I got a sense of being occupied by a sinister enemy. Clandestine meetings, people being hauled off to forced labor, and a sense of fear were among the impressions that I was left with. From "The Sorrow of Belgium" I got a sense of life somewhat altered but still pretty much like normal. Perhaps that was the point. Perhaps the residents of Belgium experienced a different life than my relatives. Perhaps my relatives embellished their tales of woe. Perhaps I only heard what was interesting to me when my great aunts and uncles shared their experiences with me. All I can say is, this comfortable life style caught me by surprise and left me disappointed. I have read a number of books by European authors trying to get a sense of life in Hitler's Europe. Maybe I have already found it in "The Sorrow of Belgium" but just don't realize it. If so, I'm disappointed in Belgium.
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3.6 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
The worst of the bad
How can someone who has ever learned to write, produce such a stupid paperfilling. If you enyoy reading, pass this bunch of nonsense, else you maybe never touch one book again. Read more
Published on Sep 7 1999
4.0 out of 5 stars
Coming of age in war-time Flanders
I agree with Ozzie from Ghent, although I read The Sorrow of Belgium in English after having lived in Flanders. It gives a real feel for life in a West Flemish town (? Read more
Published on Oct 24 1998
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