«A darkly comic meditation on the nature of creativity and the narrow margins between triumph and despair. Part memoir, part travelogue and part reflection, this unique and hugely engaging book takes a fresh look at the tragicomic condition of being human»

Carolyn Steel, author of Sitopia

«A gorgeous and roving debut . . . Van den Broeck's exploration extends beyond the lives and works of her subjects, turning into both a philosophical meditation on creativity and a brilliant character study of misunderstood artists. The result is a genre-bending work that's sure to fascinate those interested in art and architecture, as well as anyone curious about the dangerous mechanisms of the creative mind»

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

«While going on essayistic quests that take her around the globe, Van den Broeck traces stories of self-complacency, fear of failure and destiny. Indirectly, she researches the link between building and writing. Isn't every author bold by default, after all? In Bold Ventures she lives up to her ambition »

De Morgen

«Van den Broeck has a very keen eye. But she also has a great mind, making transitions between philosophical contemplations and journalistic passages seem effortless»

De Standaard

«Beguiling . . . In our moment of "quiet quitting," resistance to corporate domination and a conviction that capitalism is in decay, Bold Ventures does arrive as a timely interrogation of what, exactly, constitutes success - of how to live»

Alexandra Jacobs, New York Times

«Everyone fails every day, but an architect's failure is inescapably visible, a public humiliation, even when it doesn't occasion loss of life . . . That the relationship between creator and creation can become so deleterious is a source of obsession for Charlotte Van den Broeck . . . Bold Ventures resembles a pop version of Iain Sinclair's psychogeography or Out of Sheer Rage, Geoff Dyer's anti-biography of DH Lawrence»

Olivia Laing, Guardian

«Bold Ventures is a unique survey of artistic creation, and is full of memorable scenes and insights»

Will Wiles, Literary Review

«What a sensible, intelligent and beautiful book»

Stefan Hertmans, author of War and Turpentine