Flanders Literature

Are you a translator looking to deepen your expertise in Dutch-to-English literary translation? Join our upcoming workshops led by experienced professionals and expand your skills. Registration is open until Monday 1 June.

These sessions are part of Flip Through Flanders, our initiative to promote Dutch-language literature from Flanders in the UK and Ireland.

Find out more and register: https://www.flandersliterature.be/news/whats-going-on/literary-translation-workshops-2026

Literary Translation Workshops 2026 | Flanders literature Literary Translation Workshops 2026 Due to the popularity of our previous series of translation workshops, Flip Through Flanders is launching a further two online translation workshops as part of its initiative to promote Dutch-language literature from Flanders across the UK and Ireland and to nurt...

With great sadness, we say goodbye to translator Rolf Erdorf (1956–2026). Rolf was a leading translator from Dutch into German, especially in the field of children’s and young adult literature. His work was recognised many times, most notably winning the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis twice. In 2024, Rolf received the Sonderpreis for his entire translated body of work.
Rolf was a warm and charming man with a deep love for, and a clear opinion on, literature for young readers. He was also a beloved guest in our Translators’ House, where his enthusiasm always made a lasting impression. We will miss him.

� What was the Every Story Matters project? What did we do? What have we achieved? You'll find all the answers in our inspiration guide.

The guide also includes:
� Information about the 6 children’s books that were created through our talent development program, in which we coached 6 emerging authors and illustrators from 6 different countries.
� More than 40 good practices to inspire book professionals regarding diversity and inclusion in the book industry, ranging from practical ‘how to’ articles over interviews with book professionals to good practices from other creative industries.

� Download the guide on our website: https://ow.ly/xpc850Y82a9

We wish you a joyful holiday season and a wonderful start of the new year.
Please note that our offices will be closed for two weeks from 19 December, and will reopen on 5 January. We look forward to assisting you in 2026!

Lize Spit is honored by the universities VUB and ULB for her literary achievements and her engagement in the cultural and social life of Brussels. “Her novels, which explore deeply personal themes such as identity, family and vulnerability, have reached a wide readership and enriched public debate. As a lecturer and columnist, she embodies reflection, expression and education – values at the heart of both universities.”
Want to know which writers from Flanders have won literary prizes in 2025? Find out on our website: https://ow.ly/aG4N50XAui8.
📸 Keke Keukelaar

Christmas came early to our offices! These have found their way to us right in time for the Christmas break. Curious to see what (other) translations we supported throughout the year? Visit our website via the link in our bio! 🎅📚

All year long, translators from Dutch can apply for a grant for a sample translation. With this grant, they buy time to translate an excerpt from a Flemish literary work, and to bring that work to the attention of publishers in their language area. We have selected 10 sample translations of books that we actively promote.
Blanka Konečná translated an excerpt from ‘The Edges’ by Angelo Tijssens into Czech. Discover why she has chosen this novel: https://ow.ly/HBrH50XAufi.

Writer and word artist Hind Eljadid has been awarded the 32nd Human Rights Prize, a biennial award presented by the League for Human Rights. “We recognise her courage and determination in using her voice to speak out against injustice—regardless of the consequences.”
Want to know which writers from Flanders have won literary prizes in 2025? Find out on our website: https://ow.ly/opEF50XAueJ.

At the end of November, a few colleagues travelled to Stockholm together with colleagues from the Dutch Foundation for Literature. There, we organised a pitch and networking event for Swedish publishers. We wanted to highlight a few untranslated gems that we would like to see translated into Swedish for our Guest of Honour programme at the Gothenburg Book Fair in 2027. For the occasion, we worked closely with three translators, who translated excerpts from the selected titles into Swedish. The excerpts were then read aloud by actress Moa Astrom. Read more about the event below, and discover these and many other through our newsletter.

1-3: Welcome speeches by Joost Reintjes, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Sweden; Lotte Ysenbrandt, Deputy General Representative of Flanders in the Nordic Countries; and Johan Kollén, programme director of the Gothenburg Book Fair.
4: Fiction pitch by translator Urban Lindstrom. Urban pitches 'The Mircales' by Jeroen Olyslaegers and 'A Dog's Day' by Sander Kollaard.
5: Our colleague Patrick Peeters, non-fiction specialist, pitches 'Pride' by Martha Claeys.
6: Colleague Victor Schifferli, non-fiction specialist at the Dutch Foundation, pitches 'The Life of Mice' by Eva Meijer.
7. Translator Annika Johansson took on the pitch for children's and young-adult literature. Annika pitched 'We All Want Heaven' by Els Beerten and 'Winter Animals' by Bibi Dumon Tak.
8. Moa Astrom brought all the excerpts to life for our guests.

All year long, translators from Dutch can apply for a grant for a sample translation. With this grant, they buy time to translate an excerpt from a Flemish literary work, and to bring that work to the attention of publishers in their language area. We have selected 10 sample translations of books that we actively promote.
Micaela van Muylem translated an excerpt from ‘Faren’ by Ellis Meeusen into Spanish. Discover why she has chosen this play: https://ow.ly/xblx50XyUXy.