Short stories
De wonderbare wereld
Not translated into English
Herman Teirlinck · 1902
Synopsis
Three village stories. In the first, a lone poplar stands on a hill above the simple life of Den-Djuze, an old widowed peasant who watches the insects around his dahlias and thinks of his wife, who loved her flowers so much. The second, a rural story, opens on four faces lit by the embers of a stove. The third follows Corneel, a stubborn, taciturn miller, who begins to reflect on the human condition and believes he can solve the social question with sticks and a crystal ball.
Context
The collection appeared with the Dutch publisher Van Dishoeck, and its binding, designed by the author himself, began a collaboration of several years with that house, for which he also designed books by Cyriel Buysse. The stories draw on the childhood years spent at Zegelsem, in the Flemish Ardennes. Buysse, in his review, likened these pages to those of Stijn Streuvels, who came from the same region, and the critics, who praised their attention to detail, ranked the author among the renewers of Flemish prose.
Who it is for
Three country stories, slow and full of local words; no French or English translation has been found.
Prizes and reception
Favourable reviews as early as 1902 and 1903, in Flemish and Dutch journals alike; one of the two books by which its author entered literature.
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The pages consulted to check this page.