Background on Belgium: Its location surrounded by larger powers has led to Belgium being called “the Battlefield of Europe.” At various points, it was part of the Roman Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, Hapsburg Spain, the Austrian Hapsburgs, and Revolutionary France. It has been independent since 1830 and was the first country in continental Europe to become industrialized. After it industrialized, it became a brutal colonizer of what is now Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Once those colonies became independent, it seems that Belgium turned that desire for conflict inward and its recent history is marked primarily by tension between its northern Dutch-speaking region, called Flanders, and its southern French-speaking region, called Wallonia. Most notably, after their 2010 federal election, they had a record 589 days without a government formation.
My visit: I’ve been twice. Once with Alan, where we based ourselves in Antwerp and focused more on the northern Flemish region, and a second time with Sam on a day trip to Namur from Luxembourg. It was important to me to see both the Flemish and Walloon regions of the country. I find their tension between these regions to be fascinating. The north is more economically developed than the south, which is clear at almost every point. If it gives you any indication, my first train trip in the Walloon region was an hour delayed. I’m not the biggest fan of Brussels, but I really liked Antwerp, Ghent, and Namur, and would definitely be open to returning to Belgium to explore more of their towns.
Fiction: I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
This was originally published in 1995, but it’s been having a moment again after being republished in 2022 and it went viral on TikTok. People give BookTok a lot of shit for promoting books that aren’t good, but this one really is deserving of a second wind. It’s a bleak dystopian novel with feminist themes in the same vein as The Handmaid’s Tale and Oryx and Crake. I didn’t realize it was from the 90s when I read it; it still feels fresh and as relevant now as it was then. I would definitely recommend it.
Nonfiction: King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild
I thought about saving this book for the Democratic Republic of Congo, but ultimately I couldn’t find anything else that interested me for Belgium and I found a different nonfiction book about the exploitation of the DRC for resources to read when I get there. And really, at least some of my reads about Europe should grapple with colonialism. Plus, as the author frequently reminds us, most of the sources he has are the voices of Europeans and not Africans due to the difficulty of getting local Congolese records given what was happening to them at that time.
This was such an excellent nonfiction book. It’s a heavy read, obviously, but meticulously researched and documented. I knew some of the details of what happened in the Belgian Congo, but King Leopold’s reign there was absolutely horrific. When all the other European colonial powers are looking on in shock, you know you’ve really gone beyond the pale. If you are at all interested in this period of history or European colonialism in Africa more broadly, I can’t recommend this book enough.
Movie: Man Bites Dog (1992)
I’ve only seen 2 movies rated NC-17, and this is one of them. The other was the director’s cut of Infinity Pool that I saw at Sundance 2023. Man Bites Dog is described as a black comedy crime mockumentary. The premise is essentially that the crew of filmmakers are making a documentary about a serial killer, and as the film progresses, they end up as accomplices to his various murders. It is violent and it vacillates brilliantly between funny and disturbing. I’ve never seen anything else even remotely like it. It’s definitely not for everyone but I am glad I stumbled upon it.
If you are instead interested in a movie that shows Belgium off well, even if it is not actually a Belgian movie… may I recommend In Bruges (2008), where two hitmen have to lay low after they accidentally kill an alter boy. It shows off the city of Bruges beautifully, and I think it is part of why that has become so popular as a tourist destination.
Reflection: All my picks for Belgium are extremely dark! Which is a bit surprising for the country whose biggest contribution to popular culture is probably Tintin, and who is well-known for chocolate, waffles, and frites. They were also a brutal colonizer, which explains the nonfiction, but I have no explanation for the others. To any Belgians reading: are you guys okay?