A Dog of Flanders by Ouida. The Victorian children's novel set in Antwerp — Nello and his loyal dog Patrasche, the boy's longing to see the Rubens paintings in the Cathedral. Largely forgotten in the West, but a cultural touchstone in Japan and Korea; both produced animated TV versions that have made millions of pilgrimages from Asia to the Cathedral.
Conscience: the Lion of Flanders by Hendrik Conscience. The nineteenth-century historical novel that more or less invented the modern Flemish identity, telling the story of the Battle of the Golden Spurs (1302). Available in English translation; the Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library on the square named for him preserves the original manuscripts.
The Sorrow of Belgium by Hugo Claus. Claus's autobiographical novel covers the Flemish experience of the Second World War, much of it set in Antwerp. One of the great Belgian novels of the twentieth century.
War and Turpentine by Stefan Hertmans. A grandson's reconstruction of his grandfather's life — the boy from Ghent who fought in the First World War and ended his days in Antwerp. Quiet, lyrical, and beautifully translated.
Antwerp by Roberto Bolaño. The short, fragmentary first novel by the Chilean novelist — set partly in the city, partly in the head. Difficult, slim, recommended for fans of his later work more than for first-time readers.