As part of the “De boeken van de Buren” book series, the Flemish-Dutch centre is now collaborating with De Bezige Bij publishers in Antwerp and Museum BELvue to bring a renowned British historian to Brussels for a discussion. Norman Davies has lectured at the universities of London, Harvard, and Stanford, and is the author of various popularising history books, including volumes about Poland, the United Kingdom, and Europe. Europe: A History, published in 1996, has become a standard reference work, but the reason for Davies’s visit to Brussels is the publication of the Dutch translation of his latest book Vanished Kingdoms: The History of Half-Forgotten Europe. It is yet another solid piece of work, but has an unusual premise. Davies tells the story of fifteen European states (duchies, kingdoms, princedoms, and republics), both big and small, which no longer exist. From the Scottish “Kingdom of the Rock” Alt Clut to the immeasurable Soviet Union, from the Carpatho-Ukrainian Republic that lasted one day, Ruthenia, to a place we all know, Burgundy, which lasted for 1,300 years. The book contains a wealth of by turns curious and major history which is, furthermore, beautifully illustrated. It’s a book you can get lost in, but can also discuss at length. In a period in which states are under a lot of pressure both from “below” and from “above”, the perspective of a historian who studies “how states die” can be very enlightening. BELvue is a highly symbolic place in this regard, and it is there that Davies will hold a discussion with historian and philosopher Luuk van Middelaar.
Norman Davies: Vanished Kingdoms 30/1, 20.00, FULLY BOOKED!, Museum Belvue, Paleizenplein 7 place des Palais, Brussel/Bruxelles, 02-212.19.30, www.deburen.eu
As of 5 February, you will be able to watch a video summary of the Norman Davies lecture and talk on deburen.eu.
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