DOCSLIB.ORG

From Holland and Flanders

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
From Holland and Flanders no. 13-2 10 Bookautumns 2004 from Holland and Flanders Annelies Verbeke Arnon Grunberg Kristien Hemmerechts Robert Anker Thomas Rosenboom Marja Brouwers Leo Pleysier Christine Otten Manon Uphoff Willem Jan Otten Foundation for the Production and Translation of 10Dutch Literature 2 A strikingly insightful vision of life Annelies Verbeke Sleep! aya is an insomniac whom M2nothing and nobody can help. She wanders the city at night envying those who can take a good photo Stephan Vanfleteren night’s rest for granted. When her boyfriend walks out on her, she meets Annelies Verbeke (b. 1976) studied Germanic the equally insomniac, much older languages and literature and scenario writing. Her Benoit, and they feel an immediate scenario Dogdreaming was selected as ‘European mutual sympathy. She reminds him of Pitch Point’ at the Berlin Film Festival in 2003. his mother, with whom he had a deep This, her first novel was greeted with great enthu- but ambiguous bond6–6unknown to siasm in Flanders and the Netherlands, and him she was a prostitute which made glowing reviews and numerous interviews have him a vulnerable outsider even in his attracted interest from outside the usual literary childhood. Maya recognises in him a circuit. Within months, the novel has been fellow-sufferer, and he helps to make her existence a little more bear- reprinted several times and it is currently being able. Thanks to their clumsy expressions of despair, Maya ends up in considered for a film adaptation. ‘My stories are hospital and Benoit in a psychiatric institution where they each usually about the underdog,’ says Verbeke, encounter other unfortunate loners. Back outside again, the bewil- ‘because to my mind, he is closer to the essence of dered couple is wafted back into each other’s vicinity, two outcasts life, and is therefore more interesting in his quest tending each other’s wounds. Verbeke relates Maya’s story with for his own truth. I want to move people, make Benoit’s, alternating their own interpretation and version of events, them laugh and give them a feeling of solidarity, chapter by chapter. This device allows Verbeke to bring their back- in the hope that this6–6even if only briefly6–6will grounds fully to the fore as well as the dramatic confrontation of both draw them a little closer together.’ their lives. Annelies Verbeke writes about people one cannot help but feel sym- pathy for, so poignant is their yearning for a normal life. At the same Slaap! is the most impressive debut in Dutch literature time they realise that, with their expectations and longings, the since Arnon Grunberg’s Blue Mondays. Read it! superficial outside world will not satisfy them. Annelies Verbeke uses nrc handelsblad powerful, well-chosen metaphors to underpin her story and she is penetrating in rendering her characters’ loneliness, impotence and A literary phenomenon. feelings of insignificance. Most surprising of all is the tone of the trouw book: simultaneously laconic, spare and poetic, with a dash of irony, and nevertheless brimming with genuine sympathy. Slaap! is a con- Funny, singular and moving (…) Insomniacs will feel less vincing novel in which the author uses the complex personalities of alone for at least one night with Annelies Verbeke’s her characters to pen a strikingly insightful vision of life and its expe- debut. riences. de morgen publishing details rights Slaap! (2004) De Geus 160 pp Oude Vest 6 nl6–64811 hr Breda tel. + 31 76 522 81 51 fax + 31 76 522 25 99 e-mail [email protected] website www.degeus.nl 3 Jetblack triumph of folly Arnon Grunberg The Jewish Messiah ecause his grandfather had served ‘B7the ss with genuine enthusiasm and an abiding belief in progress, the grandson also wanted to serve a movement with enthusiasm and belief in progress.’ This is the kick-off to a slapstick story with a grim twist. The move- ment that 16-year old Xavier Radek decides to serve is Zionism. More specifically, his goal is to photo Klaas Koppe console the Jews. Initially, he thinks he has to accomplish this Arnon Grunberg (b. 1971) has been a by writing the Great Yiddish Novel. Later on, he phenomenon ever since his debut, Blauwe shifts his vision to politics. The first practical maandagen (Blue Mondays, 1994). His step towards Judaism is becoming a Jew among books are read all over the world. He the Jewish. He joins the Jewish youth move- writes as if the devil is at his back. Last year ment in his home town of Basel, visits the synagogue, becomes a regular at the he published the novel, De asielzoeker (The home of the Rabbi’s large family, and develops a special friendship with Asylum Seeker) this year the novella Awromele, the eldest son. The big consolation has started, and the big suffer- Monkey Grabbing Hold of Happiness, and a ing. Xavier loses a testicle while being circumcised by a nearly blind circum- anthology of travel columns. Arnon Grun- ciser. The testicle ends up in a jar with nitrous acid and is baptized King David. berg lives and works in New York. That moment marks the beginning of a roller-coaster ride, from Xavier Radek’s tumultuous progress as consoler of the Jewish people, with King David –6the Messiah reincarnate6–6at his side, to the absurdities the writer has in store the press on the asylum seeker: for us. In Israel, Radek develops into a formidable political leader at the level of he-whose-name-we-cannot-speak. Having retreated to his bunker after The Asylum Seeker is an exceptionally nuclear weapons have been put on engage, he comes to the final conclusion oppressive book … Meanwhile we readers are that the only consolation is total destruction. In all its craziness, The Jewish exceptionally lucky. Thank God. Arnon Messiah is a jet-black novel. Grunberg writes about a hopeless war in the only Grunberg is only 32. sensible way; namely, through the triumph of folly. Nothing is sacred, noth- de groene amsterdammer ing is spared, all so-called identities are mocked, whether Jewish, the sexual or masculine. Paedophiles, the autistic, anti-Semitics, rabbis, Arabs and We are lucky that this writer has been Kierkegaard-supporters: whores and whoremongers, all of them. Xavier tells enriching the landscape of our literature for the his beloved Awromele ‘Do not compete with mediocrity’ and ‘I want to baffle past six years. the people.’ pzc In terms of tempo and intrigue, Grunberg has reverted in The Jewish Messiah to the more satirical style of his early novels, Blue Mondays and Silent Extras. No less than a masterpiece. Considering the merciless view of the world he unfolds, one wonders whether het parool this ‘Great Yiddish Novel’ is not his version of the Satanic Verses. publishing details rights other titles in translation De joodse messias (2004) Vassallucci Blue Mondays (Blauwe maandagen). New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997. Herengracht 505 Also in German (Diogenes, 1997), in French (Plon, 1999), in Spanish (Mondadori, nl6–61017 bv Amsterdam 1998), and in many other languages. tel. +31 20 623 02 70 Phantom pain (Fantoompijn). London: Secker & Warburg 2003. Also in French fax +31 20 623 67 61 (Plon, 2003), in German (Diogenes, in prep.), in Swedish (Brombergs Bokförlag, e-mail [email protected] 2002) and in Hungarian (Gondolat, 2002). website www.vassallucci.nl Silent extras (Figuranten). London: Secker & Warburg, 2000. Also in German (Diogenes, 1999), in Italian (Mondadori, 2000), and in Spanish (Grijalbo Mondadori, 2000). 4 The difference between film and reality Kristien Hemmerechts The Last Time n The Last Time the reader I2sees through the eyes of Yoko Debondt, who has survived a seri- ous accident the previous year in photo Klaas Koppe which she lost her husband. Since then, Yoko has been in ‘a no-man’s Emotional relationships are often the central theme of land’, ‘a shadowy, grey waiting Kristien Hemmerechts’s (b. 1955) work, imperfect rela- room’. She finds support in a good tionships between men and women, or between friend of the family, David, who is parents and children. Her characters’ longing for secu- amiable, well mannered and loyal, rity and the fulfilment of profound but ill-defined but also a bit dull. One day, Yoko desires, lands them in an emotional labyrinth. Her picks up a scruffy hitchhiker, best known novels are Brede heupen (Wide Hips, 1989), Hichi, who’s completely different Zonder grenzen (No Boundaries 1991), Wit zand (White from David. She takes him home Sand, 1993), Veel vrouwen, af en toe een man (Lots of with her, feeds and clothes him and goes to bed with him, but Women, a Man Now and Then, 1995), Margot en de neither he nor David, will do as a replacement for her dead hus- engelen (Margot and the Angels, 1997) and Donderdag- band. Besides, Yoko has meanwhile embarked on another phase middag. Halfvier. (Thursday Afternoon: Three Thirty, in life. As a young girl, she used to let men pick her up and take 2002). her to a hotel for casual sex. Now she returns to this way of life, although it is not always clear where her fantasy takes over from reality. In this sex without tenderness or caress, she fathoms the An agreeably readable mix of satire and relational comedy, depths of her lust and libido, unencumbered by moral considera- a deconstruction of eroticism in a light-hearted packaging. tions or fear of risks. de standaard The story takes place in Antwerp, where an unbearable stench is creeping across the city and making people physically ill. The The Last Time is an ode to fantasy, where real life doesn’t cause is sought down the drains, where Yoko, too, is heading.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • From an Institutionalized Manifest Catholic to a Latent Christian Pillar
    Karel Dobbelaere1 Оригинални научни рад Catholic University of Leuven and University of Antwerp, Belgium UDK 322(493) RELIGION AND POLITICS IN BELGIUM: FROM AN INSTITUTIONALIZED MANIFEST CATHOLIC TO A LATENT CHRISTIAN PILLAR Abstract After having described the historical basis of the process of pillarization in Belgium, the author explains the emergence of the Catholic pillar as a defence mechanism of the Catholic Church and the Catholic leadership to protect the Catholic flock from sec- ularization. He describes the different services the Catholic pillar was offering for its members and the development of Belgium as a state based on three pillars: the catho- lic, the socialist and the liberal one that were all three institutionalized. This structure meant that Belgium was rather a segregated country that was vertically integrated. In the sixties of last century, the pillar was confronted with a growing secularization of the population, which forced the leadership of the pillar to adapt the collective con- sciousness: the Catholic credo, values and norms were replaced by so-called typical values of the Gospel integrated in what is called a Socio-Cultural Christianity. Under the impact of the changing economic situation, the politicization of the Flemish ques- tion and the emergence of Ecologist parties, the Christian pillar had to adapt its serv- ices and is now based on clienteles rather than members. Only in the Flemish part of Belgium is it still an institutionalized pillar. Key words: Collective Consciousness, Pillarization; Pillar; Institutionalized Pillar, Solidarity: Mechanical and Organic Solidarity,Vertical pluralism, Secularization. The concept of ‘pillar’ and the process of ‘pillarization’ are translations of the Dutch terms zuil and zuilvorming to describe the special structure of vertical pluralism typical of Dutch society.
    [Show full text]
  • De Stallaert Jaren
    NERO DE STALLAERT JAREN 1967-19681967-1968 Nero_Integraal1_Binw.indb 5 16/02/18 15:07 En toen vond Marc Sleen zijn opvolger Hij was de man die het altijd alleen gedaan had, zonder noemenswaardige hulp. Marc Sleen was fi er op die prestatie. En al helemaal toen ze op 20 februari 1987 werd opgetekend voor een vermelding in het Guinness Book of Records. Maar in 1992 ging hij op zoek naar een opvolger. – Noël Slangen en Yves Kerremans “Gaston Durnez heeft er indertijd voor gezorgd dat ik in het dag twee. Je hebt alle soorten records. De man die het grootste Guinness Record Book kwam als de langst actieve tekenaar die aantal biljartballen in zijn mond kan steken, bijvoorbeeld, de man dagelijks in de krant stond en zonder medewerkers werkte. die het langst kan neuken of paalzitten. Mijn record is een stuk De Amerikanen kwamen toen aanzetten met een man die al hoogstaander, en ik ben er fi er op”,1 vertelde Sleen. Maar na zijn tekende van in 1943 en werkte voor de Walt Disney Studios. Ook zeventigste verjaardag, een leeftijd waarop de meesten al jaren die man staat dagelijks in de krant, zeiden ze. Zelfs op zondag. op pensioen zijn, breekt voor Sleen een nieuw en productief Die man heeft u geklopt, mijnheer Sleen. Toen heeft Gaston tijdperk aan. Met Dirk Stallaert slaat hij de perfecte rechterhand Durnez de zaak onderzocht. Hij ontdekte dat die man elke dag aan de haak. ‘Een tweede Hergé’ noemt hij hem later.2 “Zes jaar slechts één strookje voor de krant maakte.
    [Show full text]
  • Nieuwsmonitor 23 Nieuwsbrief Steunpunt Media September 2015
    Nieuwsmonitor 23 Nieuwsbrief Steunpunt Media September 2015 Meer van hetzelfde? Een longitudinaal onderzoek naar de gelijkenis van het nieuws in de Vlaamse kranten (1983-2013) De Vlaamse krantenmarkt en –inhoud is in de laatste vier decennia sterk veranderd. De kranten uit 1983 brachten relatief vaak dezelfde nieuwsverhalen. Van alle onderzochte jaren (1983-1993-2003-2013) is de overlap in nieuwsverhalen tussen de kranten het grootst in 1983. Sindsdien brengen kranten steeds minder nieuws dan vroeger, zowel in aantal nieuwsverhalen als in aantal artikels. In 1993 en 2003 waren er minder gelijkenissen tussen de kranten, ze hadden meer een eigen nieuwsprofiel. Maar in 2013 brengen kranten weer meer dezelfde nieuwsverhalen dan in 1993 en 2003. Twee factoren bepalen mee in welke mate de kranten inhoudelijk op elkaar lijken: het profiel van de krant (elite versus populair) en de eigendomsstructuur. Kranten die behoren tot dezelfde groep gelijken meer op elkaar dan kranten die tot verschillende mediagroepen behoren. Steunpunt Media in samenwerking met GOA-project UAntwerpen Het Steunpunt Media is een aanspreekpunt en expertisecentrum voor alles wat met nieuws en media te maken heeft. In opdracht van de Vlaamse minister van Media voert het Steunpunt wetenschappelijk onderzoek naar nieuwsberichtgeving en mediawijsheid in Vlaanderen. Het Steunpunt Media maakt deel uit van de steunpunten voor Beleidsrelevant Onderzoek van de Vlaamse overheid (2012-2015). De vier Vlaamse universiteiten die onderzoek doen naar nieuws en massamedia zijn partner van het Steunpunt: de KU Leuven, de Universiteit Antwerpen, de Universiteit Gent en de Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Dit onderzoek werd uitgevoerd in samenwerking met volgend GOA-project aan de Universiteit Antwerpen (UA) onder leiding van Hilde van den Bulck: ‘Een interdisciplinair onderzoek naar de impact van media-eigendomsconcentratie op de diversiteit aan media-inhoud, -productie en –outlets in longitudinaal en internationaal vergelijkend perspectief’.
    [Show full text]
  • De Prijs Van Het Publieke Debat
    DE PRIJS VAN HET PUBLIEKE DEBAT Een bedrijfseconomische geschiedenis van de Vlaamse krantenpers, 1830-1980 Johan Van Croonenborch Scriptie ingediend tot het behalen van de graad van Doctor in de Communicatiewetenschappen Universiteit Gent academiejaar 2017-2018 Promotoren: Prof. dr. K. Raeymaeckers Prof. dr. T. Evens 1 2 Woord vooraf Met dit proefschrift wil ik een stilaan oude belofte aan mijn mentor Ferdinand ‘Fred’ Chaffart (1936-2010) inlossen. Tijdens mijn jaren aan de leiding van een Vlaamse mediaonderneming was ik in de gelegenheid met hem van gedachten te wisselen over de natuur van media in het algemeen en van de toenmalige Vlaamse Uitgeversmaatschappij in het bijzonder. Freds brede zakelijke ervaring, intellectuele openheid, warme persoonlijkheid en gastvrijheid maakten van de gesprekken bij hem thuis in Tienen bijzondere ervaringen. Tot een studie als deze, naar het bedrijfseconomische beginsel van één en ander om het zo maar te formu- leren, heeft hij mij aangezet. Apart van die inspiratie was de weg naar een academisch werk in vele opzichten uitdagend. De werelden van het ondernemen enerzijds en academia anderzijds vertonen nogal wat ver- schillen. Voor de interesse, aanmoediging en het geduld dat mijn promotoren aan de dag hebben gelegd en bijzonder voor hun academische toets ben ik veel meer dan erkentelijk. Oprechte dank hierbij aan Prof. dr. K. Raeymaeckers en Prof. dr. T. Evens. Dit werk is even- zeer schatplichtig aan de erg welgekomen suggesties van Prof. em. dr. E. De Bens en Prof. dr. R. Picard. Hierin wil ook graag de andere leden van de Examencommissie betrekken: Voorzitter Prof. dr. P. Vyncke, Prof. dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Bruno De Wever the FLEMISH MOVEMENT and FLEMISH NATIONALISM INSTRUMENTS, HISTORIOGRAPH
    Bruno De Wever THE FLEMISH MOVEMENT AND FLEMISH NATIONALISM INSTRUMENTS, HISTORIOGRAPHY AND DEBATES The historiography of the Flemish movement and the Belgian nationality conflict is very extensive and diverse. The seven-part Bibliografie van de Vlaamse beweging (Bibliography of the Flemish movement) on the years 1945 to 2001 contains almost 20,000 titles.1 Although by far not all titles are scientific and historiographical, it says something about the extent of the production. It is obviously impossible to strive for completeness in the few words of this article. I will limit myself to the main working instruments with which I also address the scientific infrastructure. Furthermore I provide an overview of the basic works and the most significant literature in English, French and German. Finally I give a concise overview of the smouldering historiographical debates. Instruments Jo Tollebeek, one of the most important connoisseurs of the Belgian historiographical production, concludes that from the 1970s on quantitative as well as qualitative research increased greatly as the result of a process of professionalisation and the development of an infrastructure specifically focused on the study of the history of the Flemish movement.2 Bruno De Wever, ‘The Flemish movement and Flemish nationalism. Instruments, historiography and debates’, in: Studies on National Movements, 1 (2013) pp. 50-80. http://snm.nise.eu Studies on National Movements, 1 (2013) | ARTICLES The input of the Flemish universities was very important in this regard. Broadly speaking, from the 1960s on and culminating in the years 1970- 1980, hundreds of dissertations and dozens of doctoral theses on the Flemish movement were written in the history departments of Belgian universities.3 The above-mentioned Bibliografie van de Vlaamse beweging offers a voluminous but rather unselective overview of the literature.
    [Show full text]
  • Gopress Academic
    Gopress Academic Toegang De databank Gopress Academic is toegankelijk vanop pc, smartphone en tablet, zowel on als off campus (EZproxy). Ga naar https://biblio.vub.ac.be/vlink/WWWURN.csp?ID=GOP en klik op “Autologin”. Daarna kan je meteen aan de slag! Eigen profiel Het is ook mogelijk om Gopress Academic te openen vanuit je individuele account. Zo kan je onder meer artikels opslaan, favorieten aanduiden en je zoekgeschiedenis raadplegen. Inloggen In plaats van te klikken op “Autologin”, geef je je login (VUB e-mailadres) en paswoord in. Registreren Heb je nog geen logingegevens en zou je graag een persoonlijk account aanmaken? Kies onderaan voor “Registreer nu”. Registreren kan aan de hand van een actief VUB e-mailadres en een vrij te kiezen wachtwoord. Vragen - Via http://knowledgebase.belga.be/article-categories/gopress/ - Via [email protected] (E-mail Dienst Digitale Bronnen). 1 Zoeken en lezen Gopress Academic biedt zowel publicaties aan die vervat zitten in het contract van de universiteit alsook publicaties waarvoor moet worden bijbetaald (bv. de twee jongste nummers van een krant of tijdschrift). Via Gopress kan de toegang wel aangekocht worden. Zoek je enkel resultaten die binnen onze licentie zitten (zonder bijbetalen)? Vink het groene icoontje “Fulltext beschikbaar” dan aan. Beschikbare bronnen Magazines Archief vanaf Trends/Tendances Januari 1995 Knack/Le Vif Januari 1995 Krant van West-Vlaanderen 2005 Datanews (NL + FR) 2008 Plusmagazine (NL + FR) 2011 Sport Voetbalmagazine (NL + FR) 2004 Steps Magazine 2011 Télépro 2012
    [Show full text]
  • Gedru Kt E Media
    BELGIE BLOOTGELEGD GRAFIEK 2 GEDRUKTE MEDIA KRANTEN: TIJDSCHRIFTEN: Vlaamse Uitgeversmaatschappij (VUM) (100%) Sydes (95%) VUM Media - De Standaard (75.859 ex.) - Clickx Magazine (50%) (33.259 ex.) - Het Nieuwsblad/De Gentenaar (200.512 ex.) - Het Volk (94.189 ex.) RADIO & TELEVISIE: Franstalige kranten: SBE (33%) - Medi@bel (58,9%) De Vijver (20%) - Vers l'Avenir - Woestijnvis KRANTEN: Aurex (100%) RADIO & TELEVISIE - Het Laatste Nieuws/De Nieuwe Gazet (287.707 ex.) - VMMa (50%) De Persgroep KRANTEN: nv De Morgen (100%) - ATV (50%) - De Morgen (50.600 ex.) (*) Inclusief de oplage van Expres sinds december 2001 TIJDSCHRIFTEN: Magnet Magazines (100%) (**) Samenvoeging van Familie en Blik, - Dag Allemaal (*) (375.908 ex.) nog geen oplagecijfers beschikbaar - TV Familie (**) KRANTEN (regionaal): HUIS-AAN-HUIS-BLADEN - Krant van West-Vlaanderen (79.906 ex.) - De Streekkrant/De Weekendkrant (80%) Roularta - ... TIJDSCHRIFTEN Media - Knack (inc. Weekend Knack & Focus) (124.282 ex./week) RADIO & TELEVISIE Groep - Trends (NL- + FR-editie) (36.685 ex./week) - VMMa (50%) - ... - Kanaal Z / Canal Z (100%) - Focus (50%) GRAFIEK 3 KRANTEN: KRANTENVERKOOP - Financieel Economische Tijd (100%) (44.915 ex.) Uitgevers- per 1.000 inwoners bedrijf Tijd Noorwegen 705,5 664,0 Japan KRANTEN: De Vlijt (100%) TIJDSCHRIFTEN: Cascade (100%) Finland 543,9 - Het Belang van Limburg - Eos (37.020 ex./maand) Concentra/ Zweden 543,4 (101.554 ex.) - Zondagsblad (32.596 Regionale - Gazet van Antwerpen ex./week) 444,2 Zwitserland (118.549 ex.) - TV Gids (54.715 ex./week) Uitgevers- IJsland 393,2 - Metro RADIO & TELEVISIE groep (RUG) Groot-Brittannië 383,4 HUIS-AAN-HUIS-BLADEN: - De Streekkrant/De - ATV (50%) 371,1 Duitsland Weekendkrant (25%) - Kanaal 3 (87,5%) Denemarken 370,9 - RTV Mechelen (33,33%) Nederland 363,5 TIJDSCHRIFTEN: Patio (100%) - TV Limburg (65,48%) - Groovy Oostenrijk 363,1 Luxemburg 339,0 TIJDSCHRIFTEN: Ver.
    [Show full text]
  • De Toekomst Van Vlaamse Kranten in Het Digitale Tijdperk
    Academiejaar 2011 – 2012 UNIVERSITEIT ANTWERPEN FACULTEIT TOEGEPASTE ECONOMISCHE WETENSCHAPPEN De toekomst van Vlaamse kranten in het digitale tijdperk Student: Femke De Souter Masterproef voorgedragen tot het bekomen van de graad van: Promotor: Master in de Toegepaste Economische Prof. dr. Chris Peeters Wetenschappen – Bedrijfskunde Inhoudsopgave Inhoudsopgave .................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Lijst van de figuren ............................................................................................................................................................ 4 Inleiding ................................................................................................................................................................................. 6 1. De huidige Vlaamse dagbladmarkt ........................................................................................................................ 8 1.1 Inleiding ......................................................................................................................................... 8 1.2 Huidige Vlaamse dagbladmarkt .................................................................................................... 8 1.2.1 Spelers op de markt ................................................................................................................ 8 1.2.2 Toegevoegde waardeketen geschreven pers ........................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • 15. the Destruction of Old Chemical Munitions in Belgium
    15. The destruction of old chemical munitions in Belgium JEAN PASCAL ZANDERS I. Chemical warfare in Belgium in World War I During World War I the northernmost part of the front line cut through the Belgian province of West Vlaanderen, running roughly from the coastal town of Nieuwpoort on the Yzer estuary over Diksmuide and Ypres to the French border.1 Both ends of the front line were alternately occupied by British and French troops, with Belgian forces holding the centre. In February 1918 the area controlled by Belgian troops extended to the North Sea, and by June Bel- gian forces held most of the Ypres salient. The front was relatively static until the final series of Allied offensives late in 1918. After the First Battle of Ypres (autumn 1914), which frustrated German hopes of capturing the French Chan- nel ports, the Belgian front remained calm although interrupted by some violent fighting, particularly in the Ypres salient (e.g., the Second Battle of Ypres in the spring of 1915, the Third Battle of Ypres in the summer of 1917 and the Allied breakout in 1918). In addition, Belgium assisted Britain and France in their major offensives in France. That assistance consisted of limited actions, such as raids or artillery duels, to occupy German troops.2 However, the flood- ing of the Yzer River to halt the German advance in 1914 meant that the area was not suitable for offensive operations. The relative quiet of the battlefront and the resulting hope of surprise proba- bly explain why experiments with new toxic substances were carried out in Flanders.
    [Show full text]
  • Focus on the DUTCH SPEAKING PART of BELGIUM Press Review Weekly, Does Not Appear in July • Number 28 • 3 July - 9 July
    flandersfocus on THE DUTCH SPEAKING PART OF BELGIUM press review weekly, does not appear in July • number 28 • 3 July - 9 July INTRODUCTION la fland Is Louis Michel fleeing to ur re s • s f ne thing is certain: there u o c c o u will be no new Flemish Gov- f s O • o n ernment by the Flemish nation- n Europe? r f e l a d al holiday on 11 July. Yves n n d a l e f Leterme, who is leading the ne- r f s u a • f o s k u gotiations on the formation of a hings have not been going well re- Foreign Affairs Louis Michel, is in turn new government, is aiming for T cently for the Mouvement Réfor- considering moving to the European 20 July. On 7 July the sticking points that technical mateur (MR). Several weeks ago the Commission. PS Chairman Elio Di working groups had studied over the past week were listed. De Standaard (8 July) summarises the party learned that it was being dumped Rupo is apparently prepared to offer key ones: tax cuts, for which the VLD is pressing, by the PS in all regional governments. him the commissionership of PS mem- building land policy, healthcare premiums, the ex- And recently there was also little com- ber Philippe Busquin in exchange for pansion of (free) bus and tram travel, direct elec- tions for mayors and obviously the budget, and forting news for the party from the Fed- chairmanship of the Chamber or Senate more specifically the surplus that must be aimed for: eral Government.
    [Show full text]
  • T Need Another Afrikaans’: Adequation and Distinction in South-African and Flemish Language Policies
    Sociolinguistic ISSN: 1750-8649 (print) Studies ISSN: 1750-8657 (online) Article ‘We don’t need another Afrikaans’: Adequation and distinction in South-African and Flemish language policies Jürgen Jaspers and Michael Meeuwis Abstract It has long been recognised that the similarity or difference between ways of speaking and their possible institutionalisation as ‘languages’ is an ideological matter, a matter of social opinions, rather than one of objective systemic relatedness. This paper emphasises that such language ideologies in any society are always to some extent competitive, that such lack of consensus is not a temporary stage in between moments of shared opinion but a fundamental aspect of the social life of language, and that the expansion or decline of particular sociolinguistic opinions is interactive with cultural changes, metacultural discourses, as well as political agendas. We argue this through a discussion of the valorisation and countervalorisation of linguistic practices in Flanders (Belgium) and South Africa. Drawing attention to discrepancies between articulated and embodied ideologies, we suggest it is the complex interaction of language ideologies with other factors, rather than the mechanical outcome of linguistic conditions, that drove the eventual recognition of Afrikaans in South Africa and the continuing absence of such a process with respect to ‘Flemish’ in Flanders. KEYWORDS: ADEQUATION, DISTINCTION, AFRIKAANS, DUTCH, FLEMISH, LANGUAGE IDEOLOGY Affiliation Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Belgium email: [email protected] Ghent University, Belgium email: [email protected] SOLS VOL 12.3-4 2018 419–438 https://doi.org/10.1558/sols.32703 © 2019, EQUINOX PUBLISHING 420 SOCIOLINGUISTIC STUDIES 1 Introduction In November 2014 literary author Benno Barnard published an op-ed in a Dutch- medium Belgian newspaper (De Standaard) in response to a questionnaire this newspaper had distributed.
    [Show full text]
  • Belgium Newspaper Collection
    http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c80p15pt No online items Inventory of the Belgium newspaper collection Finding aid prepared by Hoover Institution Library and Archives Staff, Simon Ertz, Sarah Cassone Hoover Institution Library and Archives © 2019 434 Galvez Mall Stanford University Stanford, CA 94305-6003 [email protected] URL: http://www.hoover.org/library-and-archives Inventory of the Belgium 2019C60 1 newspaper collection Title: Belgium newspaper collection Date (inclusive): 1914-1991 Collection Number: 2019C60 Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives Language of Material: In French, Dutch (Flemish), and German Physical Description: 710 oversize boxes(984.8 Linear Feet) Abstract: The newspapers in this collection were originally collected by the Hoover Institution Library and transferred to the Archives in 2019. The Belgium newspaper collection (1914-1991) comprises one-hundred and fifty different titles of publication, in French, Dutch (Flemish), and German. All titles within this collection have been further analyzed in Stanford University Libraries catalog. Hoover Institution Library & Archives Access The collection is open for research; materials must be requested at least two business days in advance of intended use. Publication Rights Due to the assembled nature of this collection, copyright status varies across its scope. Copyright is assumed to be held by the original newspaper publications, which should be contacted wherein public domain has not yet passed. The Hoover Institution can neither grant nor deny permission to publish or reproduce materials from this collection. Acquisition Information Materials were acquired by the Hoover Institution Archives in 2019 from the Hoover Institution Library. Preferred Citation The following information is suggested along with your citation: [Title/Date of Publication], Belgium newspaper collection [Box no.], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
    [Show full text]