The Rose and the Swine

The Beauty and the Beast in medieval Antwerp. An amazing new version of an old fairy tale.

The Rose and the Swine was inspired by Beauty and the Beast, a fairy tale which was written down by Gianfresco Straparola in the first half of the sixteenth century. Provoost transforms the story into a saga of guilt and penance, mercy and justice. The reader is given detailed accounts of battles between angels and elves, travel with mirrors, and embracing 'double people'. She shows that existence is nothing other than a rehearsal for disappearing and that some stories never end.

Awards: nomination Golden Owl 1998, Golden Kiss 1998, Booklion 1998, German Luchs-Award 2000, North Rhine- Westphalia Prize (for her oeuvre as a whole)
Translated in German, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish