Charlotte Brontë’s Secret Love

Jolien Janzing

Translated from Dutch by Paul Vincent – Published October 1st                                       £10.99 · ebook available

Introducing a captivating novel, based on true events, about the secret love affair of Charlotte Brontë with the man who would inspire her to write The Professor, Villette and Jane Eyre.

Charlotte Brontë’s Secret Love will also be published in German, French and Turkish. The film rights have been sold to David P. Kelly Films.

She tells him everything, at a furious tempo. About the safe but oppressive life in her father’s house and how she escaped from it. How she thought she would be able to enjoy freedom in Brussels, but allowed herself to be shut up in a boarding school. The priest’s face comes closer to the grille: she feels his breath on her cheek.

‘Tell me what your sin is.’

And she tells him. She tells him everything.

Charlotte Brontë’s Secret Love shines a light on a tantalising episode in the lives of two of the greatest nineteenth-century authors, Charlotte and Emily Brontë. Charlotte Brontë, a parson’s daughter from Yorkshire, longs for adventure. She conceives the idea of going abroad to study languages and persuades her sister Emily to accompany her to Brussels. This Catholic yet worldly capital comes as quite a culture shock for the Brontë sisters. In Madame Heger’s elegant boarding house, amongst many wealthy and spoilt young ladies, Charlotte and Emily try to stay true to themselves. But then Charlotte falls in love with her teacher, Constantin Heger, the man of the house.

Reviews Charlotte Brontë’s Secret Love – Original title in Dutch ‘De Meester’

UK reviews:

‘Charlotte Bronte is among the iconic names of English literature and in this wonderful novel Jolien Janzing gives readers a fascinating fictionalised glimpse into the life of the woman behind Jane Eyre.’ We Love This Book – The Bookseller

Review We Love this Book – The Bookseller

‘Imagination and knowledge are harnessed with impeccable precision to weave an extraordinarily insightful and credible story packed with wisdom and empathy, and offering a dazzling portrait of two geniuses in the making.’

Review Lancashire Guardian/Evening Post

Dutch and Belgian reviews:

‘A successful biographical novel, evocatively written […] impressive and contemporary.’ Trouw (Letter en geest) review Trouw – Letter en Geest

‘Even if you already know the story, you’ll continue to read with enthusiasm. Janzing’s ornate style fits this classical tale like a glove. She describes heat as ‘the breath of a fire god’ and Emily’s profile as ‘a pallid crescent moon’.’ De Standaard der Letteren 

‘I wouldn’t be surprised if they make a film of it in the not too distant future.’Mieke’s Leesclub

‘In an ornate tone, appropriate to the historical genre, Janzing creates a world in which you want to linger, long after you’ve finished reading the book.’ Happinez

‘Elegant, traditional language […]. The Master is bound to appeal to those who enjoy a well-written historical novel’. Lucas Zandberg, TZUM

‘A compelling historical novel […]. The Master is written in a pleasantly accessible and vigorous style.’ Editie Enigma

‘What a marvellous novel […]. The Master is written in such a filmic manner that it immediately draws the reader back into the nineteenth century.’ Margriet

‘Jolien Janzing’s elegantly penned The Master takes us back to 19th century Brussels, to a story of forbidden love. She clearly knows her subject like the back of her hand: she portrays Charlotte Brontë’s first steps on the path to love with genuine affection, and never goes too far. The relationship between Charlotte Brontë and Constantin Heger was already the focus of many a question one and a half centuries ago. Was it platonic or physical? Janzing fills the gaps in a plausible and respectful manner. For Brontë fans, The Master is a must; for those who know little of the English writer, it is a magnificent historical novel with a warm pounding heart.’ Karin Quint, journalist NRC Handelsblad

‘The Master carries the reader back to a time that isn’t our own, which is an experience in itself. It does so in a filmic manner – and it doesn’t surprise me that the book was selected for the Berlinale. It reminds me of Palliser’s The Quincunx, another equally compelling novel.’ Ludo Permentier, columnist and journalist for De Standaard

For more information please contact Becke Parker, PR Collective 07810 480924 / becke@bparpkerpr.co.uk / @beckep24

 

 

Charlotte Brontë’s Secret Love (previous title ‘De Meester’) was selected for Books at Berlinale 2013 and was first published in Dutch (May 2013). In the meantime the novel has been translated in English by the award-winning translator Paul Vincent, in German by Wibke Kuhn and in Italian by Maddalena de Leo. A Japanese translation by Akiko Higuchi is on its way. The French (Danièle Momont – Editions l’Archipel & Archipoche), English (World Editons), German (LangenMüller) and Turkish (Gündünya Yayinlari) rights have been sold. The film rights have been sold to UK producer David P. Kelly Films.

English language edition:

About the translator

Paul Vincent (United Kingdom), Honorary Senior Lecturer in Dutch at UCL, has been one of the most renowned translators of Dutch literature for the past twenty years. He was awarded the first David Reid Poetry Translation Prize (2006) for his translation of ‘Herinnering aan Holland’ (‘Memory of Holland’) by Hendrik Marsman and the Vondel Translation Prize 2012 for My Little War, his translation of Mijn kleine oorlog by Louis Paul Boon.