Charles De Coster

The Legend of Ulenspiegel and Lamme Goedzak: and Their Adventures Heroical, Joyous, and Glorious in the Land of Flanders and Elsewhere. Charles De Coster

Publisher Marketing: The Legend of Thyl Ulenspiegel and Lamme Goedzak (French: La Legende et les Aventures heroiques, joyeuses et glorieuses d'Ulenspiegel et de Lamme Goedzak au pays de Flandres et ailleurs) is a 1867 novel by Charles De Coster. Based on the 14th century Low German figure Till Eulenspiegel, Coster's novel recounts the allegorical adventures as those of a Flemish prankster Thyl Ulenspiegel during the Reformation wars in the Netherlands. De Coster was one of many 19th Century nationalist writers who made use of - and considerably adapted and changed - pre-existing folk tales. In this case, Thyl Ulenspiegel is made into a Protestant hero of the time of the Dutch War of Independence (or rather, of the major part played in that war by the Flemish, even though Flanders itself was doomed to remain under Spanish rule). De Coster incorporated in his book many of the original amusing Ulenspiegel tales, side by side with far from funny material - for example, graphic depictions of tortures by the inquisition and auto de fe. As depicted by De Coster, Ulenspiegel carries in a locket around his neck the ashes of his father, burned at the stake on charges of heresy - a feature never hinted at in any of the original folk tales.