Literature of Flanders

Literature of Flanders or Flemish literature is literature from Flanders, historically a region comprising parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. Until the early 19th century, this literature was regarded as an integral part of "Dutch" (Nederlandse) literature. After Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830, the terms Flemish literature and literature of Flanders acquired a narrower meaning, and refer to the Dutch-language literature produced in Belgium. Most of the literature created in Flanders remains part of Dutch-language literature.