Brussels is one of the most written about cities in European literature. According to Aura Print’s analysis of the Google Books archive, the Belgian capital was mentioned in books nearly 11 million times between 1920 to 2019,
Along with the abundance of political non-fiction books examining the goings-on in the city's European quarter, Brussels has also inspired fiction and travelogue writers.
Here, the Brussels Times has put politics aside to make a list of some of our favourite works of literature that have captured the life and culture of the Belgian capital.
Brussels in historical fiction
Villette by Charlotte Brontë, 1853
Credit: Penguin Books
Although not explicitly named, Brussels was the inspiration for the setting in Charlotte Brontë’s Villette. Brontë’s experience studying and later teaching at a girls' school, Pensionnat Heger in 1842-1843, profoundly shaped the novel, both emotionally and artistically.
The story follows Lucy Snowe, an Englishwoman who moves to a fictional city, Villette. There she teaches at a girls' school while navigating isolation, emotional repression, religious conflict and ambiguous romantic attachments.
33 Place Brugmann by Alice Austen, 2025
Credit: Alice Austen/Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Set in Brussels during World War II, the debut novel by American playwright and screenwriter Alice Austen tells the story of residents at 33, Place Brugmann as Nazi Germany invades Belgium.
Austen alternates narration between the central character, a young artist named Charlotte, and other residents. Austen's detailed description of the building stems from her time living on Place Brugmann.
Expo 58 by Jonathan Coe, 2014
Credit: Penguin Books
This spy novel is set during the first post-WWII World's Fair in 1958, also known as Expo 58 - an event which inspired post-war optimism, technological progress, and Cold War competition. Expo 58, according to The Guardian, gave Coe “the jump on the tricky subject of Britishness,” as its main character, an unassuming English civil servant, gets entangled in Cold War espionage and as well as romance.
EU bubble in modern fiction
The Capital by Robert Menasse, 2017
Credit: Liveright Publishing Corporation
Referencing the de facto capital of the European Union, The Capital interweaves the lives of people in the EU bubble as they prepare for a European Commission anniversary meant to improve the Union's image.
The novel both satirises the bureaucracy and fragmentation of European institutions and exposes the institutional cynicism, while a murder investigation and other subplots underscore the gap between the ideals and the practice.
Brussel by Basje Bender, 2015
Credit: J.M. Meulenhoff
Brussel, a novel by Dutch author Basje Bender, explores life in Brussels' EU bubble through the experience of a young woman working as a civil servant.
In the environment where networking prevails in daily interactions, the emotional development of a lead character, Elvie, is shaped by her connection with Flemish artist Camille. The story is also vivid in its depiction of the expat bubble around the EU institutions.
Brussels in memoirs and travelogues
A Tall Man in a Low Land: Some Time Among the Belgians by Harry Pearson, 1999
Credit: Little, Brown Book Group
An amusing and mildly ironic account of English journalist Harry Pearson's summer spent travelling around Belgium. Over the course of his stay, Pearson dove into local culture, drank various Belgian beers, ate local delicacies, and visited museums. The book provides keen observations of everyday life and insights about Belgian society and history. Brussels is among the featured locations.
Look! Over There, Look! by Eric de Kuyper, 2024
Credit: Boom
In his memoir Look! Over There, Look! 81-year-old Belgian film director, film theorist and writer Eric de Kuyper wanders through the city of Brussels with a young son of his housemate.
Returning to his native city after years living in France, the Netherlands, and Germany, De Kuyper reflects on the urbanisation of Brussels' municipalities and neighbourhoods, while his impressionable companion allows the reader to see Brussels with the fresh eyes of a child.
