author
Charles de Coster
1827–1879
A pioneering Belgian novelist writing in French, he is best remembered for turning the folk trickster Tyl Ulenspiegel into the hero of a sweeping, rebellious epic. His work helped shape a distinct Belgian literary voice in the 19th century.
7 Audiobooks
The Legend of Ulenspiegel, Volume 2 (of 2) And Lamme Goedzak, and their Adventures Heroical, Joyous and Glorious in the Land of Flanders and Elsewhere
by Charles de Coster
De legende en de heldhaftige, vroolijke en roemrijke daden van Uilenspiegel en Lamme Goedzak in Vlaanderenland en elders
by Charles de Coster
The Legend of Ulenspiegel, Volume 1 (of 2) And Lamme Goedzak, and their Adventures Heroical, Joyous and Glorious in the Land of Flanders and Elsewhere
by Charles de Coster
Flemish Legends
by Charles de Coster
Tyll Ulenspiegel und Lamm Goedzak: Legende von ihren heroischen, lustigen und ruhmreichen Abenteuern im Lande Flandern und andern Orts
by Charles de Coster
The Legend of the Glorious Adventures of Tyl Ulenspiegel in the land of Flanders and elsewhere
by Charles de Coster
Schetsen uit Zeeland De Aarde en haar volken, Jaargang 1875
by Charles de Coster
About the author
Born in Munich on August 20, 1827, and raised in Belgium, Charles de Coster became one of the key early figures in Belgian literature written in French. Reference works and biographical sources consistently describe him as a writer who helped lay the groundwork for a native Belgian literature.
His best-known book is The Legend of Thyl Ulenspiegel and Lamme Goedzak, a lively, inventive retelling of old folk material set against the struggles of the Low Countries. The novel’s blend of legend, history, humor, and resistance made it the work most closely associated with his name.
De Coster died in Brussels on May 7, 1879. Although recognition came slowly, his reputation grew over time, and he is now widely remembered as a major Belgian novelist whose writing gave national history and folklore a vivid literary life.