The Brontës in Brussels
Speaker: Helen MacEwan
Date: Tuesday 14 April 2026 via Zoom at 18.30
In 1842, a few years before becoming bestselling authors, Charlotte and Emily Brontë travelled to Brussels to improve their French. For Charlotte, her two years as a pupil and then teacher at the Pensionnat Heger were pivotal for her, both as a writer and personally. Life in a foreign city and the influence of her literature teacher Constantin Heger, for whom she developed something of an obsession, shaped her intellectually and emotionally and gave birth to two novels, Villette and The Professor. Drawing on Charlotte’s letters and novels, Helen MacEwan will look at her experiences in the Belgian capital -both positive and negative – and how these fed into her writings.
Helen MacEwan is a retired translator and former teacher who has lived in Brussels for the last 20 years. Shortly after moving to the Belgian capital, she re-read Villette and became fascinated in Charlotte and Emily’s time in the city and the novels that came out of it. Helen is the author of The Brontës in Brussels and of Through Belgian Eyes: Charlotte Brontë’s Troubled Brussels Legacy. She has also written the life of Winifred Gérin, the renowned Brontë biographer. Her book Down the Belliard Steps: Discovering the Brontës in Brussels recounts her adventures as founder of the Brussels Brontë Group, which has been promoting interest in the Brontës through talks and guided walks since 2006.
This talk will take place over Zoom, no in person option will be offered. A link will be sent out to ticket holders prior to the event with a link to join the zoom live, and a recording of the talk will be provided to all ticket holders a few days afterwards. If you are experiencing technical difficulties, or have not received a link within 24 hours of the event please email us at bookings@brontebirthplace.com.
Ticket price: £6