The Sorrow of Belgium
Encyclopedia
The Sorrow of Belgium is a novel by the Belgian
author Hugo Claus
published in 1983. It's his best known work. In 1994 it was translated in English by Arnold J. Pomerans. It was made into a mini-series in the same year.
The novel is classified as bildungsroman
and comprises two parts:
It tells the story of the childhood and youth of Louis Seynaeve (Claus's alter ego
) in the Flemish
village of Walle (a part of Kortrijk
) from 1939 to 1947, coinciding with the period Second World War, the German occupation of Belgium, and its aftermath.
. Louis has a lot of fantasy. He and his friends call themselves the Four Apostles and they possess seven forbidden books. His father comes to tell him that his mother fell down the stairs, which actually means that she is pregnant. Several months later the baby is stillbirth
.
His family members are Flamish nationalists
. Louis' father buys a printing press
in Germany and a Hitlerjugend doll. During the German occupation of Belgium in the Second World War his family sympathises with the Germans. Louis attends meetings of the Hitlerjugend in Mecklenburg
.
Louis discovers more "forbidden books" and becomes interested in Entartete Kunst. Gradually he becomes aware of the narrow-mindedness of his family and his education. He ends up being a writer. He's the author of "The Sorrow", the first part of the novel.
will be able to write such a big and in many views great book about Belgium in wartime. He's the only one who could handle such a subject and he did it."
Suzanne Ruta in The New York Times Book Review
: "Mr. Claus' wonderful novel is a chronicle of war in a small corner of one small country and a painstaking portrait of the artist as an obnoxious young man.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
author Hugo Claus
Hugo Claus
Hugo Maurice Julien Claus was a leading Belgian author who published under his own name as well as various pseudonyms. Claus' literary contributions spanned the genres of drama, the novel, and poetry; he also left a legacy as a painter and film director...
published in 1983. It's his best known work. In 1994 it was translated in English by Arnold J. Pomerans. It was made into a mini-series in the same year.
The novel is classified as bildungsroman
Bildungsroman
In literary criticism, bildungsroman or coming-of-age story is a literary genre which focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood , and in which character change is thus extremely important...
and comprises two parts:
- "The Sorrow" ; 27 numbered chapters with titles
- "of Belgium" ; text not divided in chapters.
It tells the story of the childhood and youth of Louis Seynaeve (Claus's alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
) in the Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
village of Walle (a part of Kortrijk
Kortrijk
Kortrijk ; , ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province West Flanders...
) from 1939 to 1947, coinciding with the period Second World War, the German occupation of Belgium, and its aftermath.
Synopsis
Belgium, 1939. Louis Seynaeve, who becomes eleven in April, goes to a boarding school led by nuns in KortrijkKortrijk
Kortrijk ; , ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province West Flanders...
. Louis has a lot of fantasy. He and his friends call themselves the Four Apostles and they possess seven forbidden books. His father comes to tell him that his mother fell down the stairs, which actually means that she is pregnant. Several months later the baby is stillbirth
Stillborn
Stillborn may refer to:*stillbirth in medicine*Stillborn , from Poland*"Stillborn" , a 2003 song by Black Label Society*Stillborn , a 1993 album by Malevolent Creation...
.
His family members are Flamish nationalists
Flemish movement
The Flemish Movement is a popular term used to describe the political movement for emancipation and greater autonomy of the Belgian region of Flanders, for protection of the Dutch language, and for the over-all protection of Flemish culture and history....
. Louis' father buys a printing press
Printing press
A printing press is a device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium , thereby transferring the ink...
in Germany and a Hitlerjugend doll. During the German occupation of Belgium in the Second World War his family sympathises with the Germans. Louis attends meetings of the Hitlerjugend in Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
.
Louis discovers more "forbidden books" and becomes interested in Entartete Kunst. Gradually he becomes aware of the narrow-mindedness of his family and his education. He ends up being a writer. He's the author of "The Sorrow", the first part of the novel.
Main characters
- Louis Seynaeve is a Belgian boy who grows up during the Second World War.
- Staf Seynaeve is his father. He's a printer and a Flemish nationalist with German sympathies.
- Mrs Clarence Seynaeve-Bossuyt is Louis' mother. She will work for a German company during the war.
- Gerard Vlieghe is Louis' best friend at the boarding school. He will join NSJV, a Belgian movement related to the Hitlerjugend.
- Rebekka Cosijns is a girlfriend of Louis. His parents forbid him to play with her because she's a gipsy.
- Evariste de Launey is a JesuitSociety of JesusThe Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
and a teacher of Louis. He will work for the Belgian resistance.
Criticism
Wim Hazeu in Hervormd Nederland: "After Claus probably be no one in our SprachraumSprachraum
Sprachraum is a linguistic term used to designate a geographical region/district where a language, dialect, group or family of languages is spoken. The German word Sprachraum literally means "language area"....
will be able to write such a big and in many views great book about Belgium in wartime. He's the only one who could handle such a subject and he did it."
Suzanne Ruta in The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry. The offices are located near Times Square in New York...
: "Mr. Claus' wonderful novel is a chronicle of war in a small corner of one small country and a painstaking portrait of the artist as an obnoxious young man.