Ischa Meijer

In 1811, hilarity ensues when a corrupt Dutch colonel mistakes a quack dentist for one of Napoleon's inspectors general.

The story takes place in 14th-century Flanders, a region suffering under the oppressive and bloody occupation of the French King, Philip the Fair. Tensions between the arrogant French nobility and the proud Flemish guilds reach a boiling point. Following the bloody uprising known as the Bruges Matins, an armed conflict becomes inevitable.Without their imprisoned leader, Robert of Bethune—the "Lion of Flanders"—craftsmen, peasants, and local nobles unite. This leads to the legendary Battle of the Golden Spurs on July 11, 1302, near Kortrijk, where an untrained Flemish citizen army faces the elite French cavalry.

Born in Amsterdam in 1943, Paul, a Jewish man, attempts to locate his twin brother (or perhaps his alter ego), who was abducted forty years ago and sent to a Nazi concentration camp. As he searches, he becomes increasingly immersed in the story of his life, as well as in an analysis of post-war Jewish identity.