Charles De Coster Books

Based upon scatterings of European folktales and mythologies, this is a romantic drama of human vice and virtue spun around the wanderings of Tyl Ulenspiegel, artist, prankster, and fool. First published in 1867, it is a saga of witches and martyrs, torture and heroism that sings of the national character of heartiness and generosity of the Flemish people, with Ulenspiegel the embodiment of Flemish spirit. From its fascinating depiction of Flemish life in the 16th century to its stalwart pluck in the face of the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition that then was raging, this is the first classic of Belgian literature, the personification of the tiny country's honor and courage.

Dem für seine volkstümlichen Erzählungen bekannten belgischen Schriftsteller Charles de Coster gelang mit seiner Übertragung der Abenteuer Till Eulenspiegels in die Zeit des Achtzigjährigen Krieges (1568-1648) ein literarisches Werk, das den Bildern der großen flämischen Maler in nichts nachsteht. Mit seiner Erzählung, die den Freiheitskampf der Flamen gegen die spanische Unterdrückung thematisiert, schuf de Coster als erster Belgier ein nationales Opus in französischer Sprache und begründete damit die moderne französischsprachige Literatur Belgiens.

Ulenspiegel lives happily in Koolkerke, cherished by a farmer's widow who gives him everything. His contentment is disrupted when a rival, an alderman, ambushes him one morning outside a tavern, intent on violence. In a bid to defuse the situation, Ulenspiegel retaliates by throwing the alderman into a duck-pond, leaving him soaked and humiliated. This narrative, rooted in European folklore and mythology, unfolds as a romantic drama exploring human vice and virtue through the adventures of Tyl Ulenspiegel—an artist, prankster, and fool. Originally published in 1867, this 1918 English translation by Geoffrey Whitworth presents a saga filled with witches, martyrs, and heroism, reflecting the hearty and generous spirit of the Flemish people. The story vividly portrays 16th-century Flemish life and resilience amidst the brutality of the Spanish Inquisition, marking it as a seminal work in Belgian literature that embodies the nation's honor and courage. This classic appeals to readers of European literature and those interested in myth and folklore.