Knowing your Brontë dogs!

It is a fact that the Brontës loved animals and that the family always had pets in their home, especially dogs. I am a dog lover as well. So I was pleasantly surprised to learn that someone had gone to the trouble of writing a book of more than 340 pages dedicated to the Brontë family dogs. 

Unexpected – and memorable – day out in Brontë Country

My husband Paul and I headed again to Haworth last month for our annual visit and participation in the June weekend of events organised by the London Brontë group. Our friend Joanne Wilcock, an active volunteer at the Brontë Birthplace in Thornton, suggested a few Brontë-related locations “in the neighbourhood.” 

Some of the places that she suggested we had already visited, but there were still some that we had not seen yet. She saw potential and was eager for us to tick some of the boxes of Brontë-related places that we had not been to. 

Former Cowan Bridge School building

Let Me In – The Brontës in Bricks and Mortar

Let Me In – The Brontës in Bricks and Mortar by Ann Dinsdale and Sharon Wright is a book that explores the buildings where the Brontës would have lived and visited, and which consequently influenced their writings. 

Sharon spoke to the Brussels Brontë Group on Saturday April 25 about the book and the places that were important to the literary sisters.  

Irene Lofthouse on the Brontës, Boggarts and Brogue

Irene Lofthouse provided a thespian treat for the Brussels Brontë Group with her April 25 talk on the influence of folklore and local stories on the Brontës as they grew up in Yorkshire. 

 

Amongst other things, Irene is an author, writer, storyteller, playwright, actor, director, dramaturg and creative consultant, and she kept her audience on its toes by switching effortlessly between the various dialects that the Brontë children would have been exposed to throughout their lives.

credit: wikicommons

A Night with the Brontës

Love it, hate it or tolerate it, the new Wuthering Heights film has succeeded in bringing Emily Brontë's only novel and the beloved works of all three Brontë sisters to a whole new audience. 

On Thursday 12 March, I had the pleasure to attend “A Night with the Brontës” organised by Waterstones and the Brussels Brontë Group to celebrate Emily and her great book in light of the new movie. 

‘Do you never laugh, Miss Eyre?’

Jones Hayden, Brussels Brontë Group Master of Ceremonies, bookgroup leader and sometimes tour guide, took us on an engaging journey to find the funny in the Brontës. His talk to the group on Saturday, Feb. 7, focused on the Brontë sisters’ novels, but also touched on their letters and the essays they wrote while in Brussels. 

My very Brontë week

Dear reader, I had a very Brontë week. 

Genies and Genius: Middle East influences on the Brontës

Paul Willocx, a member of the Brussels Brontë Group and graduate in Arabic and Islamic studies, took us on a very interesting literary journey, from Persia and Iran to the libraries and theatres of 19th-century Europe. His talk on Saturday, Feb. 7, focused on the influence of Middle Eastern writings on Western literature, including of course the Brontës. 

'The Brontës in Brussels' at St Pancras in London

Travellers preparing to board the Eurostar to Brussels at St Pancras in London can buy Helen MacEwan’s book The Brontës in Brussels at Hatchards bookshop in the station.