Following the success of our weekend of events in April 2007 timed to coincide with Charlotte Brontë's birthday on 21 April, for which we were joined by our members from the Netherlands and also by members from the UK, this April we are organising another Brontë weekend.
This year's programme is much more ambitious since it will include a Brontë conference being organised by the Brussels public library Bibliothèque des Riches Claires with our assistance. This conference is an initiative of the chief librarian, who had the idea of organising an event to honour the Brontës' stay in Brussels after reading our member Eric Ruijssenaars' books on this subject and agreed to hold the conference during our Brontë weekend.
BRONTË WEEKEND IN BRUSSELS
Friday 18 April to Sunday 20 April 2008
Programme:
Friday 18 April
19.00: A BRONTË EVENING in Waterstone's bookshop, Bvd. Adolphe Maxlaan 71-75, 1000 Brussels
Robert Barnard, former Chairman of the Brontë Society, author of A Brontë Encyclopedia and writer of crime fiction, who will give an introductory talk, will be in Waterstone's with fellow writers and Brontë enthusiasts Eric Ruijssenaars (Charlotte Brontë's Promised Land: the Pensionnat Heger and other Brontë places in Brussels), Derek Blyth (Brussels for Pleasure and other guide books) and Maureen Peeck O'Toole (Aspects of lyric in the poetry of Emily Brontë) to talk about their books and answer your questions about the Brontës.
There is no charge for this event and no need to reserve - just turn up on the day.
Contact person: Helen MacEwan (helen.macewan@ec.europa.eu)
Saturday 19 April
10.00 to 12.30 and 14.00 to 16.30: THE BRONTË SISTERS IN BRUSSELS
Conference organised by Bibliothèque des Riches Claires, 24 rue des Riches Claires, 1000 Brussels, with assistance from the Brussels Brontë Group. (Interpretation provided, French-English and English-French.)
Morning:
Roel Jacobs: Bruxelles au 19ème siècle, ville dynamique?
Robert Barnard: The world the Brontës grew up in (class and social change in early 19th century England).
Eric Ruijssenaars: Down the Belliard steps (and what Charlotte found there).
Afternoon:
Georges Mayer: Les soeurs Brontë: quartier Isabelle, vie universitaire et artistique à Bruxelles.
Paul Héger: Ascendance et descendance de Constantin Héger.
Pierre Leclercq: Du Yorkshire à Bruxelles, un voyage culinaire tout en contrastes
There is no charge for the conference but you must reserve your place by emailing marie-angele.dehaye@brunette.brucity.be
10-29 April: Exhibition in Bibliothèque des Riches Claires showing Brussels in the period of the Brontës' stay. Open 13.00 to 17.30 Monday-Friday and 10.00 to 12.00 on Saturdays (except Saturday 19 April).
19.00: 19th century English meal provided by the Centre de Gastronomie Historique de Bruxelles.
Information and bookings: georges.verly@brunette.brucity.be / 0485 637 102
Sunday 20 April
10.00: Guided walk around Brontë places in Brussels.
Information and bookings: Helen MacEwan (helen.macewan@ec.europa.eu)
All events are open to non-members.
More details of all the events on the Events page of the Brussels Brontë Group website:
www.thebrusselsbrontegroup.org
