The Sorrow of Belgium by Hugo Claus. [Photo/Agencies]

Title: The Sorrow of Belgium

Author: Hugo Claus

Country: Belgium

Published: 1983

The Sorrow of Belgium, one of the best known works by Hugo Claus, is a bildungsroman comprises of two parts: "The Sorrow" and "of Belgium".

The story tells the child- and young-adulthood of Louis Seynaeve living in Belgium from 1939 to 1947, the numbing sadness of the country during German occupation, and maturing of a young man.

Eleven-year-old Louis Seynaeve is a student at a boarding school. The young boy, who loves to read, has lots of fantasies, and formed a small group called the Four Apostles with his friends. Louis discovers joy in reading "forbidden books", from which he learned more about the world. He eventually becomes aware of the narrow-mindedness of his family, his education and his town, and becomes a writer in hopes to change things. Louis then pens "The Sorrow", which is the first part of the novel.