Books

The Adventures of Tintin by Herge

This classic series of 24 comic strip albums feature the young reporter Tintin as the hero in an epidemic of petty crimes around Brussels. Written and illustrated by Georges Remi under the pen name Herge, the first strip appeared in 1929 and over the subsequent 50 years the capers have been reprinted in newspapers, magazines, and books around the world as well as adapted for film and theater.

Villette by Charlotte Bronte (1853)

Charlotte Bronte's final novel is set in Brussels, where she lived and taught for two years. Bronte's novel does not portray Brussels in a flattering light, instead reflecting her personal experiences of loneliness, cultural alienation and unrequited love. Still, Villette paints a moving picture of 19th-century Brussels through Bronte's heroine Lucy Snowe.