Maria Elisabeth Hyacinthe Belpaire played a hugely significant role in Belgium’s literary and cultural landscape as a writer, translator and wealthy patron. Although raised speaking French, she soon chose to use Dutch for her literary, journalistic and translation work. Her body of translation work is modest: she translated five novels by the Dane Johannes Jørgensen and the Norwegian Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, 21 fairy tales by H.C. Andersen and four fairy tales by the Norwegian Peter Christen Asbjørnsen. The number of her articles promoting Scandinavian literature is also modest. Nevertheless, thanks to her position, Belpaire was able to exert considerable influence on the introduction of certain Scandinavian literary authors and movements in Flanders.