As if history had not already been tough enough to the Belgians, media and public opinion in the surrounding world is at best tolerant, often dismissive and at times hostile.
Richard Hill, the British author of We Europeans and EuroManagers & Martians, sets out to redress the balance. Drawing on 40 years of life in Belgium, he describes the culture and character of the people, examines the lifestyles and value systems of the communities that make up this varied country, and offers his assessment of their strengths and their shortcomings. The result is an informed and sympathetic account of an often underestimated but always vital piece of the patchwork of Europe.The book takes the reader on a relaxed ramble through the maze of Belgian cultures, highlights the idiosyncrasies, differences and commonalities, and closes by comparing the Belgian mentality with that of its closest neighbours. As the Belgian cartoonist Picha points out, the best way to define a culture is by a process of exclusion: "what characterizes the Belgian is everything that is not French, German, English or Dutch."
