Is the 'A dog of Flanders' story (also known as Patrasche after the dog's name) known in the UK or US? It's based on an 1872 Belgian novel in Dutch about this kid Nello and his dog who go through hardships in the port city of Antwerp. The kid dies in a cathedral on Xmas evening w/ his dog in arms.
For some reason the story is cultural heritage in Japan (don't know how it got there) and is hugely popular there
Is it known in your countries as an Xmas story? Down here nobody knows the story anymore, except for some people in the city of Antwerp
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the story was turned into a comic story for the most popular comic strip series in Flanders, revolving around the boy and girl pictured in the background. It is the only one out of the series that got a Japanese translation, which apparently sold well over there. They added a sci fi element to the plot too to make it even more palatable to the Japanese. (The series has a time travel motif as it is anyways.)
Retired.
I gotta check those out.
Tradition is there for a reason, but I realized when I host this year it has to be different. I'm just telling my relatives to do what I want.
https://focusonbelgium.be/en/facts/d...s-around-world
Known as "Spike and Suzy" (UK) and "Willy and Wanda" (US). they're a fringe phenomenon at best abroad I think. The pic on the page shows translations to many languages though.
I used to have the whole collection. They still issue 4 new adventures every year.
Retired.
Just remembered I think Dooch once told me he knew the story (not 100% sure anymore) when it came up previously so I guess this Xmas story could be known in the US
originally it was meant as a social critique of child and animal labour in the industrial age of the 1870s and the (sad) Xmas ending was only a small aspect of it
Retired.
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