Work
photo credits: Wikimedia Commons
De Leeuw van Vlaanderen
wd:Q977727
The Lion of Flanders, or the Battle of the Golden Spurs (Dutch: De Leeuw van Vlaenderen, of de Slag der Gulden Sporen) is a major novel first published in 1838 by the Belgian writer Hendrik Conscience (1812–83). An early example of the historical fiction genre, the Lion of Flanders focuses on the medieval Franco-Flemish War and the Battle of the Golden Spurs of 1302 in particular. It is written in Conscience's typical stylistic romanticism and has been described as the "Flemish national epic".Unusually for its time, the work was written in Dutch and it is considered one of the founding texts of Flemish literature. It became a significant work for the emerging Flemish Movement, reviving popular interest in the Battle of the Golden Spurs and Flemish Medieval history as part of a modern political agenda. Despite its importance, the work has become little-read. It has nonetheless be the subject of numerous adaptations, including several cartoons and a film.
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original title:
De Leeuw van Vlaenderen
language:
Dutch
date of publication:
1838
genre:
historical novel, war novel
main subject:
Battle of the Golden Spurs
on Wikisource