Down the Belliard Steps: Discovering the Brontes in Brussels

by Helen MacEwan

In 1842 Charlotte and Emily Bront arrived in Brussels to study French in the Pensionnat Heger at the bottom of the Belliard Steps. Their stay in the Belgian capital is the least-known episode of their lives, even though two of Charlotte's four novels (Villette and The Professor) were inspired by her Brussels period and her love for her teacher, Constantin Heger. This book tells the story of a group of Bronte enthusiasts coming together in Brussels to explore the sisters' time in the city.

Paperback

Published September 3, 2012

About the author

Helen MacEwan studied modern languages at Oxford University. A translator and former teacher, she has lived in Brussels since 2004. She is the author of 'The Brontës in Brussels' (2014), an exploration of Charlotte and Emily Brontë's time at the Pensionnat Heger, and 'Down the Belliard Steps: Discovering the Brontës in Brussels' (2012), an account of her experiences setting up the Brussels Brontë Group to promote interest in the Brontës' stay in the city. Her latest book, 'Winifred Gérin: Biographer of the Brontës' (2015), reveals Gérin's fascinating and hitherto largely unknown life, based on her unpublished memoir, letters, poems and plays.