About

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LEZENSWAARD / WORTH READING

- International Multilingual Anthology - World Literature - Book Excerpts - Poems

- A LIRE - Anthologie Internationale Multilingue - Littérature universelle - Morceaux choisis - Poèmes

- LESENSWERT - Internationale Mehrsprachige Anthologie - Weltliteratur - Textauszüge - Gedichte

REVIEW

by an online American literary magazine, February 2, 2026

"The free website Lezenswaard / Worth Reading welcomes you the way a reading room does: a warm yellow background, black type, and nothing tugging at your sleeve. This simplicity is intentional, and you feel it the moment you start clicking around. Everything is just a few steps away: authors, texts, translations. The 'You may also like' suggestions feel less like algorithms and more like a librarian pointing you toward a shelf you might enjoy. There's no pressure, no hidden agenda. What struck me most is what the site refuses to do. It doesn't interpret the literature for you or tell you what to think or why a text matters. It trusts you - the reader - to meet the works on your own terms. Lezenswaard / Worth Reading isn't flashy, but it's generous. It gives literature space to breathe and gives readers the freedom to wander. It's one of the more thoughtful literary corners of the internet."

NAVIGATION GUIDE

° Each time you return to the Home page, five short excerpts by different authors appear at random under "HIGHLIGHTED".

° You can choose a language and select the form of literature: poetry or prose.

° The authors are listed in alphabetical order. Scroll the list and search for the author of your choice. When clicking the author's name, a selection of his/her work appears as well as four short excerpts of related authors at the bottom of the page under "YOU MAY ALSO LIKE ...".

° You can also search for an author's Name, a title or a short phrase using the SEARCH bar.

SELECTION CRITERIA

All authors included in this anthology are considered worthwhile. Some are further distinguished with stars:

= very good,

= excellent,

= outstanding,

= among the very best.

Selections are guided by the Editor's personal judgment, the author's cultural significance and the intrinsic literary quality of the work - that is, writing that is well-crafted, evocative, empathic, gripping, moving, original, timeless or universally relevant as well as texts of particular social and historical importance.

DATA

The anthology includes 6 500 authors, among them approximately 1480 Dutch-speaking poets,1110 English-speaking poets, about 480 French-speaking poets & 445 German-speaking poets.To date the website has received 748 000 pageviews and 433 000 visits from literature lovers all over the world. Note: Dutch, English, French & German texts are always shown in the original language.

CONTACT

Please use the Contact page to suggest a noteworthy text or to report an inaccurate or misattributed text. Suggestions for additions or improvements to the anthology are always welcome. Lezenswaard is on FACEBOOK too, followed by nearly 8 500 people, see https://www.facebook.com/lezenswaard

OTHER HANDY & FREE LITERATURE WEBSITES

Multilingual

English

Nederlands

Deutsch

Français

DISCLAIMER

LEZENSWAARD / WORTH READING is a private, non-commercial initiative curated by Z.A.J. De Meester, Webmaster-Editor. All rights reserved ©. This online Anthology of poetry and short prose excerpts is intended solely for educational and informational purposes. It aims to comply with the Belgian Copyright Law, Art. 21,1., which aligns with international law on the protection of literary works.

COMPILATION COPYRIGHT: The concept and contents of this website may not be commercially exploited by third parties. Text selections may be stored or reproduced in social or traditional media, provided proper attribution to the website www.lezenswaard.be is given.

CONTENT & OWNERSHIP: All texts shown remain the copyright of their respective owners. The statements or opinions expressed in the poems or book excerpts shown in this anthology reflect only the views of the authors mentioned. Any author or rights holder may request the removal of their entry and such requests will be honoured promptly. The Editor reserves the right to add or to remove text (or text blocks); the content of the website is therefore continuously updated. If the origin of a poem or excerpt is unknown, it marks "Anonymous", if the origin is unclear, the presumed author's name is followed by a question mark.