For a long time, French-speaking Belgian literature hesitated to be born : how could it exist so late – Belgium is a recent country, born in 1830 -, being so small, so unconvinced of its existence, its legitimacy, and with such intimidating neighbors ? So we had to be cunning, like Thyl L’Espiègle, this young hero to whom Charles De Coster gave, more than 150 years ago, the character that he considered to belong to the Belgian citizen : orphan – and therefore free ! -, sarcastic, mocking, rejecting all forms of authority and good-natured. Ruse, therefore, by exploring less established genres, by sabotaging language, by slipping into the interstices between critical recognition and popular success, notably through comics or thrillers…
