Overview

'A craze blown across the Channel from Britain to Brussels - people who meet to talk about the works of the Brontë sisters.' (From a Brussels press article about the newly-formed Brussels Brontë Group) In 1842 Charlotte and Emily Brontë arrived in Brussels to study French at the Pensionnat Heger boarding school at the bottom of the 'Belliard steps'. Their stay in the Belgian capital is the least-known episode of their lives, despite the importance of Charlotte's years in Belgium for her life and work; two of her novels ('Villette' and 'The Professor') were inspired by her time in Brussels and her love for her teacher, Constantin Heger. 'Down the Belliard Steps' tells the story of a group of enthusiasts coming together in Brussels to explore the sisters' time in the city. Beginning with her personal experience as a newcomer to 'the capital of Europe' in 2004, Helen MacEwan tells of her journey of discovery into the history of a vanished quarter of Brussels and her quest to seek out fellow Brontë enthusiasts - a quest that leads to the formation of a literary society, the Brussels Brontë Group. 'Down the Belliard Steps' describes the people she encounters and the adventures she has along the way. We meet an Heger descendant, learn about the re-discovery of a lost Brontë 'devoir' (one of the Brontës' 40 extant French essays written under Heger's direction) and search in Brussels cemeteries for the tomb of a friend of the Brontës who died in a Brussels school. We meet researchers and people inspired creatively by the Brontës. We delve into what it is that draws so many people, from all walks of life, to feel an affinity with members of the world's most famous literary family. Today, the Brussels Brontë Group is a flourishing, multinational literary community, promoting interest in the Brontës through talks, guided walks and reading groups. 'Down the Belliard Steps', crammed with information and anecdotes about Charlotte and Emily's time in the Belgian capital, is a light-hearted but intensely personal and romantic account of the Group's genesis and flowering. The book is a 'must-read' for literary enthusiasts and if any encouragement were needed to visit the Brontës' Brussels, it would be difficult to find anything more seductive than this enchanting narrative.

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9781803818658

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Helen MacEwan's infectious enthusiasm turns the history of the Brussels Brontë Group into something which is a work of literature in its own right ... It has a real human interest and is also full of humour. (Brontë Studies) 'Down the Belliard Steps' is an enjoyable, cosy read that feels like a chat with a Brontëite friend ... an all-encompassing Brussels experience without leaving your comfortable sofa. A side-effect, though, is the urge to book a trip to Brussels and immerse yourself in it all. (Brontëblog) Helen MacEwan's book about her passion, 'Down the Belliard Steps', is a surprise. She describes one of the most improbable literary fan clubs in Belgium, the Brussels Brontë Group and its colourful members ... MacEwan is the best kind of fan any dead author could wish for, namely one who, despite all the fine research, opts for the imagination. She confesses she put off visiting the Parsonage in Haworth, afraid to be disenchanted by so much reality. The Brontës' Brussels, on the other hand, can't disappoint, because so much has disappeared. Here imagination is required. (De Standaard der Letteren).

Author Information

Helen MacEwan has a degree in modern languages from the University of Oxford. A translator, she has lived in Brussels since 2004. She became fascinated in Charlotte and Emily's time in Brussels after re-reading 'Villette' shortly after moving to the city. In 2006 she founded the Brussels Brontë Group, a literary society that organises talks, guided walks and reading groups. 'Down the Belliard Steps' was her first book. She is also the author of 'The Brontës in Brussels', 'Through Belgian Eyes: Charlotte Brontë's Troubled Brussels Legacy', and 'Winifred Gérin: Biographer of the Brontës'.

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