ANDRE DE VRIES is a linguist, teacher and writer, with interests in oriental languages and the dialects of his native country, Belgium.
De Vries, a linguist, writer, teacher, and native of Belgium, has contributed a readable volume to the "Cities of the Imagination" series, which already covers such locations as Buenos Aires, Rome, Havana, and Calcutta. Each chapter centers on a different area of the city, and the author weaves the history of Brussels into the story, hopscotching between the past and the present. This cosmopolitan city has been home to exiles (Victor Hugo, Karl Marx), talented native sons (Jacques Brel, author and cartoonist Herg? of Tintin fame), and world politics, including the European Parliament. While the text is appealing, the small drawings are unremarkable, the index is incomplete, and the only map is too small to provide any useful detail for travelers trying to follow the author's directions. Individual detailed maps for each chapter would have greatly enhanced the value of the book. Travelers will benefit more from the appropriate volumes of Insight, Frommer's, and DK's "Eyewitness" travel guides, to name only a few currently available choices. However, those seeking diversion in the privacy of their living rooms will welcome the narrative-like approach. Recommended for large public libraries serving fans of armchair travel.-Linda M. Kaufmann, Massachusetts Coll. of Liberal Arts Lib., North Adams Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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