F. M. Atkinson Libri

Based upon scatterings of European folktales and mythologies, this is a romantic drama of human vice and virtue spun around the wanderings of Tyl Ulenspiegel, artist, prankster, and fool. First published in 1867, it is a saga of witches and martyrs, torture and heroism that sings of the national character of heartiness and generosity of the Flemish people, with Ulenspiegel the embodiment of Flemish spirit. From its fascinating depiction of Flemish life in the 16th century to its stalwart pluck in the face of the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition that then was raging, this is the first classic of Belgian literature, the personification of the tiny country's honor and courage.