Charles de Coster

Born in Munich on August 20, 1827, and raised in Belgium, Charles de Coster wrote in French at a time when Belgian literature was still finding its identity. He became one of the key early figures in that tradition, drawing on local history and folklore rather than copying French models.

His most famous book, The Legend of Thyl Ulenspiegel and Lamme Goedzak, reimagined the old prankster figure Ulenspiegel against the background of the Low Countries under Spanish rule. The novel's energy, earthy comedy, and love of freedom made it unlike anything else in Belgian writing of its day, and it later came to be seen as a landmark work.

De Coster died in Ixelles on May 7, 1879. Though recognition came slowly, he is now remembered as a foundational Belgian novelist whose imagination helped shape a national literature.