Germain Droogenbroodt completed “The Road”, a poetic bridge between East and West in 1998 in India, which undoubtedly left its traces in that collection. The rather philosophical, at times mystical verses fascinated not only readers in the West but also in the East. The book has meanwhile been published in more than thirteen languages, including Arabic, Hindi and even Chinese, where “The Road” retrieved its original title, namely: TAO.

During the following four years he wrote less than five poems a year: only the cycle "Amanece el cantor" (The Singer Awakes), 19 extremely short poems, a homage to his favourite Spanish poet, the late José Ángel Valente of whom he translated an anthology into Dutch.

In March 2002 Germain Droogenbroodt retreated for several weeks to Ronda, a picturesque little town in Southern Spain, where Rilke wrote his Spanish trilogy. That the new poems would be different from “The Road” was obvious, although “Counterlight” continues more or less the same philosophical line. As in “The Road”, the cycle contains a number of critical poems, referring to the current global situation. It gradually becomes clear that the original title – Backlight - refers not to camera work, but to a light opposed to the artificial and misleading light of the media and the consumer society which brings no “illumination” but blinds the eyes. However, although many of the poems are written in a minor key, the light of hope remains.

Similar to former collections, “Counterlight” again contains a number of nature poems, but they are part of a whole and in relation to things, to the existence, the “being” of man, not only as a temporary inhabitant of this planet, but also as a part of the cosmos of which the secrets have not yet been unveiled.

The first publication of “Counterlight” appeared, together with “The Road”, in Romania in August, was published by Calima, Mallorca, Spain, Dutch-Spanish and by POINT Editions (Dutch-Spanish. The publications by POINT Editions – Dutch – Spanish, does not include “The Road” but two other series of poems “Conversation with the hereafter” and “The Singer Awakes” in 2004.) Further publications will see the light in 2006 inTaiwan, Hong Kong, Italy and Morocco.