‘Much of the best postwar fiction written in Dutch has recently become available in English.

Much still remains to be done.’ Fiction Tim Parks, The New York Review of Books

Website Advisors Credits F

All titles in this brochure can be Fiction Contributors found on the Foundation’s website: Barbara den Ouden Hein Aalders, Wiljan van den Akker, Joukje Akveld, Maarten Asscher, www.letterenfonds.nl. [email protected] E.M. Beekman †, David Colmer, Margot The category ‘Authors and Victor Schiferli Dijkgraaf, Anja de Feijter, Lieneke translators’ offers information on [email protected] Frerichs, Kester Freriks, Roelof van the work of nearly 500 Dutch- Gelder, Léon Hanssen, Wim Hazeu, language authors, and has a Pieter Steinz Ingrid Hoogervorst, Francis R. Jones, searchable database of more than [email protected] Leo Jansen, Bram de Klerck, Conny 17.000 translations from Dutch Kristel, Nop Maas, Marita Mathijsen, into other languages. Non-Fiction Gerda Meijerink, Willem Otterspeer, Victor Schiferli, Rob Schouten, Bart Maarten Valken Slijper, Kees Snoek, Pieter Steinz, Paul [email protected] Vincent, Maria Vlaar, Rudi Wester, Judith Wilkinson Children’s Books Agnes Vogt Editors [email protected] Dick Broer, Thomas Möhlmann, Barbara den Ouden, Victor Schiferli, Pieter Steinz, Maarten Valken, Poetry Agnes Vogt Thomas Möhlmann [email protected] Translation Diane Butterman, David Colmer, John Irons, Francis R. Jones, David McKay, Laura Watkinson, Liz Waters, Judith Wilkinson

Copy-editing Liz Waters, Jan Michael

Design Philip Stroomberg

Printing Mart.Spruijt bv

Nederlands Letterenfonds / Dutch Foundation for Literature Nieuwe Prinsengracht 89 1018 VR Tel. +31 20 520 73 00 Fax +31 20 520 73 99 Dutch Classics The [email protected] www.letterenfonds.nl 3 Multatuli Little Walter Pieterse The Dutch Foundation for Literature / 4 Louis Couperus Eline Vere Nederlands Letterenfonds 5 Nescio Amsterdam Stories supports writers, translators and Dutch 6 F. Bordewijk Blocks; Growling Creatures; Bint literature in translation 6 Maria Dermoût Days Before Yesterday 7 J.J. Slauerhoff Life on Earth 7 E. du Perron Country of Origin Information Documentation centre Translators’ House The Foundation’s advisors on literary The documentation centre is an exten- The Translators’ House offers transla- 8 A. Alberts The Islands fiction, quality non-fiction, poetry and sive information resource regarding tors the opportunity to live and work children’s and youth literature are pres- Dutch literature abroad. The library in Amsterdam for a period of time. It 8 F. B. Hotz Men Play, Women Win ent each year at prominent book fairs, contains more than 11.000 trans- is involved with numerous activities including Frankfurt, London, Beijing lated titles in more than seventy-five assisting and advancing translators’ 9 Hella S. Haasse The Black Lake; The Ways of the Imagination and Bologna. The brochures Books languages. The documentation centre skills. Each year the Literary Transla- from Holland and Flanders, Quality can be visited by appointment. One tion Days are held for those transla­ting Non-Fiction from Holland and Children’s significant component, the database of to and from Dutch. The event also 10 Tears of the Acacias Books from Holland recommend high- Dutch-language literature in transla- includes translation workshops. lights from each category’s selection. tion, can be perused online at 11 The Early Years www.vertalingendatabase.nl. Grants Translation Grants The Foundation for Literature is active 12 American Crewcut Foreign publishers wishing to publish Promotional travel locally, offering travel and work grants a translation of Dutch or Frisian litera- The Foundation is able to support a grants to authors and translators in the ture may apply for a subsidy towards publisher wishing to invite an author field of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and 12 J.J. Voskuil The Bureau the translation costs. Having acquired for interviews or public appearances. children’s and youth literature. Work- the rights, the publisher’s applica- Literary festivals are likewise eligible shops are also organized for beginning 13 Two Women tion must be accompanied by a copy for support. Additionally, the Founda- translators into Dutch. of the contract with the rights owner tion organizes international literary 14 Andreas Burnier The Boys’ Hour and a copy of the contract with the events in co-operation with local pub- Schwob translator. Application forms are avail- lishers, festivals and book fairs. Schwob draws attention to as-yet able from the Foundation’s website. undiscovered, untranslated world lit- 14 F. Springer Tehran: A Swan Song Subsidies are disbursed after receipt Writers-in-residence erature. Each month the editors select of proof samples, citing the subsidy. If The Foundation coordinates writer-in- a modern classic, spotlighting it on the Foundation is not acquainted with residence programmes together with www.schwob.nl, by way of reviews and the translator, a sample translation will foreign universities and institutions. sample translations. be evaluated by external advisors. The Foreign authors are also invited to maximum subsidy is 70% of the cost of spend time working in Amsterdam. Background translation. Applications for transla- They may stay one or two months The Dutch Foundation for Literature, tions that have already been published at the writers’ lodgings above the created in 2010 as the result of the cannot be taken into consideration. Athenaeum Bookshop on the Spui (in merger between the Foundation for Publishers looking for a qualified trans- co-operation with the Amsterdam Fund the Production and Translation of lator can request a list of endorsed for the Arts). In addition, Amsterdam Dutch Literature (NLPVF) and the translators for their specific language Vluchtstad offers accommodation Foundation for Literature (FvdL), is an area. to writers fleeing the regime of their independent organization financed by home country. the Ministry of Education, Culture and Illustrated Books Science. Policies and projects are car- In the case of illustrated children’s International visitors programme ried out in close co-operation with the books and/or graphic novels, foreign The visitors programme and the an- Flemish Literature Foundation. publishers can apply for assistance to nual Amsterdam Fellowship offer pub- cover a portion of the production costs. lishers and editors the opportunity to Interested in receiving a newsletter via Subsidies are jointly funded by the acquaint themselves with the publish- e-mail? Send your request to Mondrian Foundation and the Dutch ing business and the literary infrastruc- [email protected] or sign up on Foundation for Literature. ture of the Netherlands. the website www.letterenfonds.nl

Dutch Classics Fiction An imaginative boy growing up in a narrow-minded Multatuli middle-class household, twelve-year-old Walter Pieterse is the first psychologically complex child protagonist in Little Walter Dutch literature. The boy wants to meet the expectations of the people around him, but they make demands he Pieterse can’t fulfil. Revolutionary portrait of It becomes clear Walter is an artist in the making, strug- a boy in the 19th century gling to rise above his origins. He would like to learn, but his teacher is interested only in classification. He wants to be a true Christian, but his pastor can’t explain how best to read the . An adventure novel sets his imagination ablaze and inspires him to write stories of his own. Often recognised as the greatest nineteenth- Multatuli shows how stifling an unimaginative environ- century Dutch writer, Multatuli (Latin for ment can be. The message of the story is diametrically ‘I have borne much’) was the pseudonym of opposed to that of most nineteenth-century children’s books. Eduard Douwes Dekker (1820-87). In 1838 The author questions received wisdom, pokes fun at religion he went to the , where he joined the civil service. His abilities and urges his readers not to bow to the wishes of their fami- were soon recognized and he rose through lies or any other type of community. the ranks, but he became repelled by the brutality of colonial rule and resigned. — When Sigmund Freud was asked to name his favourite Max Havelaar, his powerful indictment of books he put Multatuli’s Letters and Works at the top of colonialism, caused a sensation when it his list. was published in 1860, so far it has been — In 2007, Little Wouter Pieterse was successfully turned into translated into over forty languages. a large-format graphic novel by cartoonist Jan Kruis. — A full English translation can be found online at the Gutenberg Project.

‘If it weren’t for Multatuli, literature would simply be not done in the Netherlands, like deep-sea fishing in the Alps or coffee-growing in Newfoundland. Max Havelaar is his most famous book by far, but I personally think some parts of Little Walter Pieterse are far more beautiful.’ Willem Frederik Hermans

‘I don’t know the year; but, since the reader will be interested to know the time when this story begins, I will give him a few facts to serve as landmarks. My mother complained that provisions were dear, and fuel as well. So it must have been before the discovery of Political Economy. Our servant-girl married the barber’s assistant, who had only one Woutertje Pieterse (1890, most recent edition 2011) leg. “Such a saving of shoe-leather,” the good little 500 pages, 275.000 words soul argued. But from this fact one might infer that the science of Political Economy had already been Rights Public domain discovered. At all events, it was a long time ago. Amsterdam Publisher Athenaeum-Polak & Van Gennep had no sidewalks, import duties were still levied, +31 20 551 12 62 in some civilized countries there were still gallows, [email protected] and people didn’t die every day of nervousness. www.uitgeverijathenaeum.nl Yes, it was a long time ago.’ Translations From: Little Walter Pieterse German (DuMont, 1999), English (Friderici & Gareis, 1904)

Dutch Classics Fiction 3 This story of a tragic female misfit ranks with similar These classic stories paint a vivid picture of Amsterdam Louis Couperus portraits by Flaubert, Tolstoy and Ibsen. It is a subtle psy- Nescio in the early twentieth century and testify to a great love chological novel set against a dazzling panorama of Hague of the Dutch landscape. But the most extraordinary thing Eline Vere society, where the life of a group of leisured families, with Amsterdam about them is the style, simplicity going hand in hand its succession of balls, dinners, entertainments and excur- with a perfect command of humour, irony, plain speaking, The tragic portrait of a sions acts as a foil to the heroine’s increasing isolation. Stories understatement and emotion, and all superbly balanced. woman, in the spirit of The author introduces us, sensitively and subtly, to a gallery Bittersweet accounts Nescio’s subject matter is best expressed in contrasts: free- and of men who impact on her life in various ways. That gallery of dreaming, scheming dom versus confinement, mortality versus a longing for Emma Bovary includes her father, the failed artist, the opera singer Fabrice, eternity. The stories demonstrate that the individual is no by whom she is briefly dazzled, her well-meaning fiancé young men and their ruin match for the world and inevitably comes to grief if he tries Louis Couperus (1863-1923) spent much Otto, her fatalistic cousin Vincent and the energetic, optimis- to resist or becomes engrossed in big existential questions. As of his younger life in the Dutch East Indies tic American Lawrence St Clare. Sadly, none is able to offer J.H.F. Grönloh (1882-1961), the writer who the final sentence of ‘Young Titans’ puts it, ‘And so everything (modern Indonesia), and many of his her the support and sustenance she needs. went by the pseudonym Nescio (Latin for takes its little course, and woe to those who ask: Why?’ novels and stories are set either there or A very popular and widely read author in the Netherlands, ‘I don’t know’), had a career as co-director Nescio is essentially a lyricist, a poet writing in prose. But in where he was born, though Louis Couperus won the admiration of readers and writers of the Holland-Bombay Trading Company he’s a cynic, too, as well as a mystic in his own way. Like his work also contains impressions of in Amsterdam. For many years Nescio was a Italy, Africa and China. Couperus was the in Britain and America: complimented him on one-book author, with a collection of short Chekhov or Turgenev, he expresses complicated matters in greatest Dutch novelist of his generation, his handling of sexuality in Footsteps of Fate, D.H. Lawrence stories to his name – recently published simple language, yet his work remains light and playful, and he is still internationally renowned. admired Of Old People and the Things that Pass, while by New York Review of Books Classics as tender, moving and outrageously funny – an achievement Katherine Mansfield praised The Books of the Small Souls. Amsterdam Stories. In 1961, just before his nothing short of miraculous. Sadly, his international popularity did not survive the First death, the collection Boven het dal en andere ‘The Freeloader’ and ‘Young Titans’ describe a circle of World War, which confined him within the borders of the verhalen (Above the Valley and Other Sto- young bohemians in the years leading up to the First World neutral Netherlands and prevented him from capitalizing on ries) appeared. War. The former is the story of bon vivant Japi, who tries ‘to his reputation. However, enough of his output remains avail- overcome the body, to no longer feel hunger or exhaustion, able to show what a compelling read he can be. To this day, cold or rain’, but who can also fully enjoy the good things in Couperus is known for narrative flair, plotting, perceptive life, especially if somebody else is paying the bill. He’s unable characterization and vivid dialogue, Eline Vere being a prime to maintain this footloose lifestyle, however, and the story example. ends in his suicide. ‘Young Titans’ involves the same circle of friends, minus Japi. In scene after scene we watch the — Like Dickens, Couperus was a famed reader of his own decline of the five boys. All are forced to abandon their vague work and the dandy in him liked to orchestrate every ideals, while the artist Bavink is defeated by his ideas for aspect of the event, insisting on having the onstage paintings, those ‘goddamned things’, and goes insane. flowers replaced during the interval, and even changing ‘Little Poet’, the story of a marriage, also has an unhappy his tie and socks to reflect a shift in mood. ending. The main character loves his wife, but ‘if you’re a — Though he did not publicize the fact, Couperus’s colonial little poet the prettiest girls always walk on the other side of family, which included more than one governor general of the canal’. He falls under the spell of his sister-in-law. It is the the Dutch East Indies, also included several Eurasian rela- most literary story of the three: as in Goethe’s Faust, and tions. This may help explain the perceptiveness with which the Devil become involved in the poet’s life. he writes about mixed-race characters in The Hidden Force. — Shortly before his death in 1923, Couperus sold the film — Nescio wrote two of the most famous opening sentences rights to The Hidden Force to an American company but the in Dutch literature, including the often quoted: ‘We were picture was never made. Film director has kids, but good kids.’ announced his intention to film Couperus’ novel. — Only twenty years after his debut, and under sustained De uitvreter; Titaantjes; Dichtertje (1911-1918) 159 pages, 48.300 words pressure, did Grönloh admit he was the author of the Eline Vere (1889) famous stories published under the name of Nescio: ‘I 561 pages, 195.000 words ‘His insight into the tragedy of European Rights have always kept as quiet as possible about my writing, Nijgh & Van Ditmar Rights colonialism made Couperus a great writer. And Singel 262 because I worked in an office all my life, and if people in Public domain his sympathy for the hybrid, the impure and the 1016 AC Amsterdam those circles find out you have such tendencies, they’ll just The Netherlands think you’re not fit for your job.’ Publisher ambiguous gave him a peculiarly modern voice. It +31 20 551 12 62 Herengracht 481 is extraordinary that this Dutch dandy, writing in [email protected] 1017 BT Amsterdam the flowery language of fin-de-siècle decadence, www.uitgeverijnijghenvanditmar.nl The Netherlands ‘The comic note is an element of the famous +31 20 524 98 00 should still sound so fresh.’ Translations [email protected] Ian Buruma German (Amman, 1993), English (New York Nescionic voice, which has within it wryness, www.ljveen.nl Review of Books Classics, 2012), French lightness, simplicity, and daring vulnerability.’ (Gallimard, 2005), Hungarian (Gondolat, 2007), Joseph O’Neill, author of Netherland Translations Indonesian (Penerbit Djambatan, 1976), Italian English (Pushkin Press, 2010; Archipelago, (Iperborea, in preparation), Polish (P.I.W., 1980), 2011), Macedonian (Ikona, 2012), Urdu Slovakian (Európa, 2009), Swedish (Malexis, ‘Nescio is the greatest Dutch writer.’ (Ferozsons, 1986) 2010) Tommy Wieringa

Dutch Classics Fiction 4 Dutch Classics Fiction 5 Bordewijk was associated with the New Objectivity move- Slauerhoff drew from his experiences as a ship’s doctor F. Bordewijk ment because of his cold-blooded style, but the graphic J.J. Slauerhoff in the 1920s when he wrote this spectacular novel set in imagery and magical quality of his stories consistently China. Cameron, an Irish naval radio operator, meets a Blocks; Growling marked him as a great man of letters. He outdid himself Life on Earth lieutenant who turns out to be an opium smoker, as well Creatures; Bint with the character of headmaster Bint, who demands iron as a mysterious European woman in a Chinese dress, ‘like self-control and discipline from his pupils. A spectacular adventure an overladen fruit tree’. He becomes infatuated by both novel set in Shanghai the woman and opium. Futuristic modernist tales Contrary to its author’s intentions, Bint became notorious, in a cool, hard-edged style reaping both praise and moral condemnation. Was J.J. Slauerhoff (1898 -1936) grew up in the The love story is framed by an exciting narrative concerning Bordewijk’s tale a parable of the failure of human discipline province of Friesland but spent most of his Cameron’s involvement in arms smuggling, masterminded Ferdinand Bordewijk (1884 -1965) made or a plea for totalitarian education? With fascism on the childhood on the island of Vlieland with by the criminal Hsiu. With bold and firm strokes, Slauerhoff his prose debut with three collections of rise, readers felt uncomfortable with Bint’s philosophy of relations, many of whom were captains or paints the life of a European in China who is in search of a Fantastische vertellingen (Fantastic Tales). marine pilots. The love of islands, of the sea submission to pain and the subjugation of the will. and of ships determined Slauerhoff’s liter- purpose, which he ultimately finds in life itself. The subsequent novels Blokken (Blocks), Verbal artistry with a veneer of objectivity also charac- Slauerhoff wrote the book in 1933 and 1934, by which Knorrende beesten (Growling Creatures) and ary future. His poems, stories and novels Bint secured his reputation forever as an terized his novels of the early 1930s. Blocks is a nightmare are still in print and read, Cees Nooteboom time he had gained sufficient distance from his own personal author of exceptionally original prose. vision of a future state in which communist ideals are pur- being one of his greatest admirers. experiences (including the opium use) and was able to revisit sued to the point of madness. In Growling Creatures, cosmo- the intoxicating romanticism of his adventure. politan automobiles seize power from their owners. — Cees Nooteboom presented a television documentary — Bordewijk’s style is often described as ‘reinforced about Slauerhoff and wrote introductions to the Spanish Blokken (1931), Knorrende beesten (1934), concrete’. and Italian editions of his work: La révolte de Guadalaja Bint (1935) — When speaking of himself as a writer, F. Bordewijk always (Circé, 2008) and La rivolta di Guadalajara (Milan, 1999). 155 pages, 35.000 words used the third person. Het leven op aarde (1934) — Translated into German by Albert Vigoleis Thelen. 217 pages, 63.000 words Rights — The film based on Character won the Academy Award for Nijgh & Van Ditmar Best Foreign Film of 1998. Rights Public domain Translations ‘His restless soul still shivers through in Dutch Blokken – German (Steidl, 1991), Italian Publisher literature, incomparable to anyone.’ (Bompiani, 2002) Bint – German (Beck, 2012) Nijgh & Van Ditmar Cees Nooteboom

Evoking bygone days, putting memories into words that In this autobiographical novel, Eddy du Perron probes his Maria Dermoût bring a lost world within reach, Maria Dermoût is in full E. du Perron own psyche, alternating and contrasting memories of a command of the art of storytelling. She made her debut childhood in the Dutch East Indies with the perspective of Days Before with Days Before Yesterday, which tells the simple story of Country of Origin a Paris intellectual reflecting on his identity in a radically a Dutch girl growing up in . changing world. Yesterday Multi-layered novel about Living with her parents in a large, white house near a sugar the decline of the West Du Perron was unsentimental about colonialism and rejected A colonial coming-of-age plantation, she adores the tales told by her servant Oerip, it. His colonial upbringing, however, deeply influenced his novel in a sensual style which are permeated with the mysterious atmosphere of the Eddy du Perron (1899 -1940) was born to innermost values, which hark back to romantic ideals of Orient. One day her uncle and aunt pay a visit and she finds a Dutch patrician family in Java and died honour and unwavering loyalty and fidelity. These concepts Maria Dermoût (1888-1962) was born on herself falling in love for the first time. At the same time, a of a stroke in Holland four days after the conflicted with beliefs held by his contemporaries in Europe, a sugar plantation in Java, in the Dutch new age is beginning; paradise is becoming a thing of the German invasion. After moving to Europe who were living in a world adrift. East Indies (now Indonesia). Days Before in 1921, he published prolifically in all past. genres, but his main work remains Country Country of Origin is a multi-layered modernist novel that Yesterday and The Ten Thousand Things are The book was written at a historical turning point between combines various types of narration: memoirs, conversations, among the classics of Dutch East Indies of Origin (1935). literature. the colonial regime and the emergence of an independent letters, essays and diaries. A stream-of-consciousness novel, nation. Amid the upheavals, Riek tries to preserve her love like Joyce’s Ulysses, Svevo’s Confessions of Zeno, Gide’s Les for the landscape of her youth, but in the end she has no faux-monnayeurs and Proust’s A la recherche du temps perdu, choice but to leave: ‘She would need time to lose it all.’ it is filled with echoes and antitheses. Het land van herkomst (1935) 502 pages, 187.000 words — French writer André Malraux appears in the novel in the Nog pas gisteren (1951) ‘Mrs. Dermoût, in the manner of Thoreau and the Rights guise of Luc Héverlé, a leftwing activist. After the Second 85 pages, 20.000 words early Hemingway, is an extraordinary sensualist. Public domain World War, as a minister under De Gaulle, Malraux seems to have discouraged any attempt to publish the existing Rights Her instinct for beauty results, again and again, Publisher Querido in passages of a startling, unadorned, three- G.A. van Oorschot French translation of the novel, which portrayed him in a explicitly political way. Translations dimensional clarity; often one can almost touch Translations German (Marion von Schröder, 1957), English what she describes.’ English (Periplus, 1999), French (Gallimard, (Secker & Warburg, 1960) The New Yorker 1980), Spanish (Ediciones del Ermitaño, 2012)

Dutch Classics Fiction 6 Dutch Classics Fiction 7 When published in 1952, The Islands introduced a unique ‘Oeroeg was my friend’ are the opening words of Hella S. A. Alberts writer. It was the only piece of colonial fiction to celebrate Hella S. Haasse Haasse’s short debut novel which examines friendship, The Islands the Indies as an imaginative realm. These interrelated betrayal and social engagement. It is easy to understand stories form a literary archipelago, as if in imitation of the The Black Lake why its political and cultural subtexts have fuelled contro- islands which, strung along the equator like beads, grace versy from the time of its first publication to the present An archipelago of the Indian Ocean. day. Discrimination, inequality and the struggle for inde- mysterious and evocative The Ways of the pendence are universal themes of worldwide relevance in Alberts’ fiction resembles a kind of magic. He presents a our own time. stories world that seems to imitate reality and then, with an artistic Imagination Writer, journalist and civil servant sleight of hand, transmutes it into something different: a The narrator is a young Dutchman, son of a manager of a A. Alberts (1911-1995) worked in Paris treacherous, eerie and mysterious place. His tales are brief Java plantation; Oeroeg is his Javanese friend. As children, and the Dutch East Indies as a civil servant. and sober, their syntax plain. Yet the dramatic tension is Two classic novels they play among the ferns, canna flowers, dogs and chickens Other important works include overwhelming. in ‘the overgrown garden of Kebon Djati, the trampled, red- De Vergaderzaal (The Meeting Room; 1975) displaying the versatility Alberts’ prose seems to have been carved out of silence. A brown mud paths through the paddies, deep in the mountain and De honden jagen niet meer (The Dogs of this grande dame of No Longer Hunt; 1979). great deal remains unspoken, as if for some desperate reason. lands of Preanger’. Most of the characters are people who feel out of place in Dutch letters One night at a party on the shores of Telaga Hideung their native Europe and will never fit into their new tropical – the Black Lake – Oeroeg’s father drowns. This incident surroundings. They shy away from contact, even at the price Hella S. Haasse (1918-2011) was born in brings dramatic changes. The friendship between the boys, of madness, as in ‘The Swamp’, a story of endless melancholy Batavia, capital of the Dutch East Indies. who come from opposite ends of the social spectrum, does De eilanden (1952) Her mother was a concert pianist, and after 180 pages, 30.000 words and alienation. not stand the test of time. Life in Java changes: religious and her father retired from the colony’s finance social tensions mount, and the indigenous population rises ministry he wrote detective novels under a Publisher up against the colonial regime to fight for its independence. G.A. van Oorschot pseudonym. Haasse produced an enormous ‘Alberts must have been more aware than anyone of body of writing: novels, plays and essays. Another dimension of Haasse’s talent is on display in Rights the unknowability of people and the fundamental The Ways of the Imagination, an impressive product of her The Susijn Agency mysteriousness of their lives.’ creative powers in which her evocative prose shimmers with hidden meanings. A truck driver gives a stranded Dutch fam- Translations Trouw English (University of Massachusetts Press, 1983; ily a lift to the south of France and, as they drive through the Periplus, 1999), German (Suhrkamp, 2003) night, tells them about his adventures on the road. Many of the characters are caught up in uncanny events; others are enigmatic figures, powered by passions they choose not to explain. This casts the reader in the role of detective, requir- F.B. Hotz was one of the Netherlands’ greatest short-story ing us to collect the clues, tie together the loose ends and F.B. Hotz writers. After his late literary debut in the mid-seventies, reconstruct the story of a life. he quickly garnered acclaim for his meticulous and We never see the big picture – another recurring theme Men Play, polished style. in Haasse’s work. What she shows us are mere snippets of Ariadne’s thread in the labyrinth. In this classic novel, Women Win The stories reflect details of his own life: a childhood over- Haasse explores the timeless literary theme that we never shadowed by his parents’ separation, the German occupation really know another person; however hard we try, we can- Bittersweet short stories and his struggle to support himself as a jazz musician in the not uncover another’s true motives. All we can do is weave from the jazz age and after 1950s. The theme of strained relationships between the sexes circles around the mystery and follow its trail down the paths runs throughout the book. of the imagination. The life of F.B. Hotz (1922 -2000) falls into ‘Women Win’, in which a gig at a provincial school dance distinct periods: his childhood, overshad- degenerates into open warfare between teenagers and big- owed by his parents’ divorce; a long conva- city musicians, is full of comical moments, but is ultimately ‘Hella S. Haasse’s novels have been familiar to lescence from tuberculosis contracted dur- downbeat, with the protagonists recognizing their that life- ing the war; twenty years as a professional her Dutch readers for decades, but she has almost style is unsustainable. Conversely, ‘The Travelling Salesmen’, Oeroeg (1948) jazz musician; and finally his career as the 116 pages, 26.000 words never made the transition into English. There’s celebrated author of several collections of about the main character’s alienation from his father, is full De wegen der verbeelding (1983) no obvious explanation, unless it is that her work perfectly balanced short stories. of wry and witty lines. 149 pages, 30.000 words is not flashy enough and too difficult to make a Although they convey the atmosphere of a particular fuss of. We have been the losers: it is exactly her time and place, these stories are timeless. Essentially, Hotz Rights Querido unflashy quality that is remarkable, the way her is a classic artist for whom form is paramount, constantly in stories derive an unostentatious strength from her search of ‘the magic that can give an ordinary word in a calm Translations Mannen spelen, vrouwen winnen (2011) sentence the power of a stranglehold.’ Oeroeg – English (Portobello, 2013), French steady, irresistible immersion in her characters’ 384 pages, 134.400 words (Actes Sud, 1991), German (Rowohlt, 1994), lives.’ Hungarian (Magvetö, 1987), Indonesian The Guardian Rights (Gramedia, 2009), Italian (Lindau, 1992), De Arbeiderspers Serbian (Prometej, 1994). ‘Hotz is one of those exceptional authors who get De wegen der verbeelding – French (Actes Sud, Translations you right where they want you without revealing 1998), German (Bertelsmann, 1999), Italian German (Arche, 2003) how they do it.’ (Iperborea, 2000), Polish (Noir sur Blanc, 2004) NRC Handelsblad

Dutch Classics Fiction 8 Dutch Classics Fiction 9 This may be the most contrarian war novel ever. It is the No author from the Netherlands has influenced later Willem Frederik masterpiece of a young author who came out of the war Gerard Reve generations so profoundly as Gerard Reve – the marriage with a vision of human nature as dark as the night and of eloquence and everyday banality is central to his style Hermans a determination to turn that vision into literature. The The Early Years of writing. Before the publication of his debut novel De book opens with the unlikely friendship between Oskar Avonden, Reve wrote two impressive novellas. Tears of the Ossegal, a forty-year-old chemist, and Arthur Muttah, a One of the Netherlands’ chemistry student. The latter is practically an orphan and most controversial and The Downfall of the Boslowits Family is set during the Holo- Acacias regards Oskar as a surrogate father. caust, yet nowhere is this theme made explicit. Instead we beloved writers watch through the eyes of an Amsterdam boy as the family of A grisly, contrarian war To write is to astound, Willem Frederik Hermans once one of his friends slowly loses everything and is then taken novel about the dark side claimed, and Tears of the Acacias is nothing if not astound- The most widely read book by Gerard Reve away. The only one left behind is the father, who later takes ing. As Canadian soldiers liberate the exuberant city, Arthur (1923-2006) remains his debut De Avonden his own life. Because the word ‘Jewish’ is never mentioned, of liberation Muttah wants nothing but to disappear: ‘Everyone was doing (The Evenings, 1947), but the controver- the reader senses this could have happened to anyone. nothing but screaming, waving flags, taking pictures, kissing sial, epistolary novels Op weg naar het einde Werther Nieland is a novella set in the working-class (On My Way to the End, 1963) and Nader Willem Frederik Hermans (1921-1995) was soldiers and asking for cigarettes. Everyone wanted a lift, tot U (Nearer to Thee, 1966), with their Amsterdam neighbourhood where Reve grew up. It is the one of the most prolific and versatile Dutch further into town, and he was in search of what might be the frank discussion of homosexuality and the tale of young Elmer, who longs to make friends and tries to authors of the twentieth century. He wrote only car headed in the opposite direction.’ author’s conversion to Catholicism, were control the world around him by forming secret clubs, of essays, scientific studies, short stories, and Wartime Amsterdam with its sinister streets and Brussels instrumental in establishing Gerard Reve as which he is the president. When he invites Werther to become poems, but was best known for several nov- a public figure in the Netherlands. els, the most famous of which are De tranen in the frenzy of liberation form the backdrop to the story, and a member, a game of attraction and repulsion begins. It is a der acacia’s (The Tears of the Acacias, the two cities are drawn with chilling precision. Although the psychological masterpiece; in just a few words, Reve conjures 1949), De donkere kamer van Damocles (The situations described in the novel remain chaotic, they have up a child’s whole world, full of oppression and enchantment. Darkroom of Damocles, 1958), and Nooit the transparency of classical tragedy. The personalities are Reve’s debut novel The Evenings continues to win new meer slapen (Beyond Sleep, 1966). unstable and make blind choices, and their fateful decisions readers. The book describes the aimless days between Christ- lead to catastrophe. mas and New Year’s Eve, when one holiday has passed and More than just sophisticated linguistic constructs, his nov- the next one begins. The Second World War has just ended, els are philosophical parables in which the loneliness of the but the country is in crisis, the streets are dark and there is individual and the chaos of the world meet and give rise to little to do. compelling literature that grabs the reader by the throat. Ashamed of his middle-class family, twenty-three-year-old antihero Frits van Egters hurls sarcastic remarks at his friends More from Hermans and parents. His nightmares, along with his unrelenting — Ik heb altijd gelijk (I Am Always Right, 1951). A man observation of all the details that exude quiet despair, form returns to Holland in 1948 from the war in Indonesia and a poignant contrast with his tender words to a toy rabbit, the despises everything. He dreams of starting a political party sole object of his affection. that will put an end to the Netherlands as a nation. The closing scene, in which Frits learns his mother acci- — Het behouden huis (The House of Refuge, 1952). A young dentally bought fruit juice for New Year’s Eve instead of wine, soldier, fighting against the Germans on the Eastern Front, prompting a solemn, ceremonious monologue in which he withdraws to a civilian house, kills the inhabitants and addresses his parents with love and compassion (‘It has been acts as if he is the owner. Slowly, the house takes him over seen. It has not gone unnoticed’), has often been called the and becomes a character in its own right. most beautiful passage ever written in Dutch. — Richard Simmillion: Een onvoltooide autobiografie (Richard Simmillion: An Unfinished Autobiography, 2005). Power- De Avonden (1947) — Gerard Reve’s candid collections of letters from the 1960s ful, haunting stories about the protagonist’s strained rela- 222 pages, 55.000 words did a great deal to advance the liberation and social accep- tionship with his father and the suicide of his sister, from tance of homosexuals. Rights the perspective of Hermans’ alter ego Richard Simmillion. Andrew Nurnberg — One of Reve’s favourite books was Céline’s Journey to the End of the Night, about which he presented a television De tranen der acacia’s (1948) Publisher documentary. 422 pages, 135.000 words ‘There is his accurate delineation of place, the Van Miereveldstraat 1 — In the 1950s, Gerard Reve wrote a collection of stories in Publisher inscrutability of his characters and a fascination 1071 DW Amsterdam English, some of which were published by George Plimpton G.A. van Oorschot The Netherlands of The Paris Review. Herengracht 613 with language’s capacity to order reality.’ +31 20 305 98 10 1017 CE Amsterdam Times Literary Supplement [email protected] The Netherlands www.debezigebij.nl +31 20 623 14 84 ‘Not only would Dutch literature be considerably ‘One of the great stylists of modern Dutch [email protected] Translations www.vanoorschot.nl poorer without Hermans; so would European De Avonden – German (Merlin, 1988), French literature.’ literature.’ (Gallimard, 1970), Hungarian (Jelenkor, 1998), The Times Literary Supplement Rights Süddeutsche Zeitung Norwegian (Gyldendal, 1993), Slovakian De Bezige Bij (Európa, 2007), Spanish (Acantilado, 2011), Swedish (Ersatz, 2008). Translations Werther Nieland – Included in The Dedalus Book German (Kiepenheuer, 2005; Aufbau, 2007) of Dutch Fantasy (1994)

Dutch Classics Fiction 10 Dutch Classics Fiction 11 Eric van Poelgeest is a tormented soul, damaged inside In 1975 Harry Mulisch published a novel that stunned the Jan Wolkers and out; the scar on his face is like the mark of the devil. Harry Mulisch critics with the simplicity of its storyline and the unex- American As a child he was forced to have his hair in a crewcut, so pected theme of lesbian love, which until then had been everyone could see his disfigured features. Two Women almost exclusively the domain of female writers. But Twee Crewcut vrouwen is above all a psychological novel. While his brother, a resistance fighter, lies on his death- An understated love story The life of a tormented, bed, Eric is fighting a war of his own. The Netherlands has and a modern Greek After her childless marriage comes to an end, art historian damaged young soul entered the most gruelling months in its history: the hun- Laura falls in love with a young woman called Sylvia. She ger winter of 1944. ‘Looking around, you’d never know my tragedy has a volatile personality. After a while she disappears but After the Second World War, Jan Wolkers brother was dying,’ he thinks. ‘There are buttercups in the is discovered having an affair with Laura’s ex-husband. She (1925 - 2007) attended art schools in The bloody grass and flowering rushes in the ditches. The peace Harry Mulisch (1927 - 2010) made his debut pretends to be in love with him, but when she becomes preg- Hague and Amsterdam. In 1961 he pub- that passeth understanding.’ in 1951 with Tussen hamer en aambeeld nant she returns to Laura. The man, furious at being manipu- lished his first collection of short stories, To avoid being sent to a German labour camp he has gone (Between Hammer and Anvil), followed lated, kills Sylvia and her unborn child, and Laura loses her Serpentina’s Petticoat. It was followed by into hiding in a deserted art academy building. He has no immediately by a second novel, archibald beloved a second time. Kort Amerikaans and Gesponnen suiker strohalm. He remained a prolific author, (Candy Floss, 1963). The rawness of his idea what to do with his rage and his energy, so he paints producing a total of eleven novels, six Why does the novel have such an impact? In the years work and his descriptions of both horror and takes refuge in loveless sex with two women friends. short-story collections, eight novellas, nine prior to its publication, Mulisch wrote mainly non-fiction and and tenderness caused controversy. As in Kort Amerikaans, Jan Wolkers’s brother Gerrit died collections of poetry and many volumes of experimental work. Readers were surprised by this classic in the Second World War at the age of twenty-two. Death essays, pamphlets and studies. He is one tale of love, jealousy, and murder. Since the novel is written permeates Wolkers’ entire oeuvre, both visual and literary. of the most influential Dutch writers of from Laura’s perspective, the reader identifies with her sense Nevertheless, he regarded death as part of life: ‘If there was the twentieth century. Twee vrouwen (Two of abandonment, her happiness when Sylvia returns and her no death, everything would become pointless.’ Women, 1975) was the first in a series of ultimate anguish. successful novels. The Assault (1982) was translated into more than thirty languages. Mulisch explores themes that would return in his later Kort Amerikaans (1962) — Many of Jan Wolkers’ novels have been made into films. work. For him, lesbian love is problematic because it is 185 pages, 40.000 words His last three novels, The Discovery of Turks fruit (Paul Verhoeven, 1973) with Rutger Hauer Heaven (1992), The Procedure (1998), and infertile; when the laws of nature are violated, destiny takes Rights playing the lead, Kort Amerikaans (Guido Pieters, 1979) Siegfried (2001), were all international charge. To what extent can humans intervene? With modern J.M. Meulenhoff and Terug naar Oegstgeest (Theo van Gogh, 1987). bestsellers. technology, we have almost become capable of creating life. Translations We can artificially postpone death, clone living beings and Swedish (Forum, 1985) manipulate the reproductive process. Along with Mulisch’s successful novels of the 1980s and 1990s, this remains a compelling book. In 2008 it was distributed by libraries as part of a national reading campaign. More than a million Never has the humour and boredom of office life been copies were printed and the book became the subject of J.J. Voskuil described as in the The Bureau. Set in an academic insti- widespread debate, bringing it back more to attention. tute in Amsterdam, it mercilessly describes the frivolity, The Bureau the petty irritations and teasing, the conniving and craw- More by Mulisch ling, the hierarchy, the suppression of emotions and the — De diamant (The Diamond, 1954). The main character is A depiction of the world alienation found there. the largest diamond in the world, which brings death and of bosses and wage slaves destruction to all who possess it, east and west, even after Mr Beerta is a brilliant portrait of the institute’s director, it is broken in two. The story ends with the destruction of J.J. Voskuil (1926-2008) made his debut a symbol of academic research as a kind of occupational the diamond itself. in 1963 with a 1,200-page novel called Bij therapy that provides status and income for its practitioners, — Het zwarte licht (The Black Light, 1956). A day in the nader inzien (On Second Thoughts), about who prudently remain silent when outsiders and inferiors life of lonely carillonneur Maurits Akelei, who decides to a group of students in Amsterdam between question its meaningfulness. celebrate his birthday by treating the world to heavenly 1946 and 1953. Following his retirement, he wrote The Bureau: seven books, a total of Gradually the Bureau itself emerges as the real main music. By the end of his party, an ecstatic mob marched 5,500 pages, published between 1996 and character, an institute which draws its staff into itself every through the flooded streets toward its doom. 2000. morning with a magnetic power, encloses them, wrings them — Hoogste tijd (Last Call, 1985). An ageing actor from a dry, then spits them back out at the end of the working day. renowned theatrical family makes his comeback. His Twee vrouwen (1975) return to the big city and his infatuation with a young 160 pages, 35.000 words actress slowly but surely lead to his downfall.

‘The Bureau is the universe in a pocket edition, an Rights allegory of society. The fact that there is still plenty De Bezige Bij to laugh at, mainly because of the sublime style ‘A moving love story, but at the same time a literary Het bureau deel 1: Meneer Beerta (1996) Translations 773 pages, 240.000 words, 400.000 copies sold and the often comic dialogue, makes human fate English (John Calder; 1980), Czech (Ivo page-turner – a term more commonly applied to bearable.’ Zelezny, 1993), French (Actes Sud, 2005), thrillers. No reader will remain unmoved by the Rights Jury report, Libris Literature Prize 1997 German (Rowohlt, 2000), Hebrew (Keter, 1983), chilling conclusion.’ G.A. van Oorschot Icelandic (Vaka-Helgafell, 1999), Polish (Dolnoslaskie, 1990), Portuguese (Teorema, Philip Freriks Translations ‘The Great Dutch Novel.’ 1999), Slovakian (Danubiapress, 1993), Spanish German (C.H. Beck, 2012) NRC Handelsblad (Tusquets, 1988)

Dutch Classics Fiction 12 Dutch Classics Fiction 13 The year is 1945. Simone has survived the war. To evade Andreas Burnier capture by the Germans, she had to go into hiding wit- hout her parents in a series of households, adapting to the The Boys’ Hour lives of farmers, Calvinists, Catholics, social democrats, and intellectuals. But did she ever really fit in anywhere? A novel about different ways of being excluded Simone is the eternal outsider. She is a girl who wishes she weren’t one, placed in the wrong body by the Creator: Andreas Burnier (1931- 2002) was born ‘Women and Jews – I hardly see a difference. They can’t Catharina Irma Dessaur. She studied so- retaliate; they’re always guilty.’ As the precocious Simone ciology, earned a doctorate and became a observes the often inexplicable behaviour of the children professor of social criminology. Her literary and adults around her, she cobbles together her own private work includes novels and collections of short stories and essays. world view. The six chapters, unfolding in the reverse of a chrono- logical order, show Simone’s attempts to break free of fixed patterns, through her short hair, her imagination and her physical activities. But when she goes swimming at a time reserved for boys, she exposes herself to humiliation and disgrace.

‘I tried to imagine how it would feel to have been Het jongensuur (1969) 106 pages, 20.000 words born a boy. It wouldn’t come as a surprise. It would seem only natural that your body was perfectly Rights Atlas Contact fine, that you could play football, walk the streets at night and strike up conversations with girls, or Translations swim during the boys’ hour.’ German (Twenne, 1993) From: The Boys’ Hour

One of the most international of Dutch authors – earning F. Springer comparison to Graham Greene for both his international settings and the clarity of his style – Springer has a cool Tehran: eye for his characters’ weaknesses. A typical Springer novel presents these failings with humour and mild irony, A Swan Song using a major political upheaval as a setting.

A moving love story during This novel tells the story of Toby Harrison, the author of the 1979 Iran revolution a series of popular histories that rely on fantasy and jokes rather than facts. Convinced he’s landed the biggest fish of his career, Harrison travels to Iran to write a family history for the Shah. F. Springer (1932 - 2011) was the Springer gives an insider’s account of the origins of the pseudonym of Carel Jan Schneider. As a Islamic Revolution, describing the old regime’s bureaucrats, diplomat and public official of the Kingdom the Western hangers-on gathered at the Hilton and the Shah of the Netherlands, Schneider travelled the himself. As the dark ages descend on Tehran, Harrison’s infat- world, and all his postings – New Guinea, New York, Bangkok, Brussels, Dhaka, uation with his secretary, Patricia Jahanbari, the embodiment Luanda and Tehran – feature as backdrops of the modern secular Iran of the 1970s, propels him and the to his stories. His style is reminiscent of the book to a crushing, dismal ending. This abrupt swing from work of F. Scott Fitzgerald. comedy to tragedy is vintage Springer.

— Full German translation by Helga van Beuningen available. Teheran. Een zwanenzang (1991) 376 pages, 120.000 words

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Dutch Classics Fiction 14 3 – 14 Dutch Classics Fiction The Dutch Foundation for Literature / 15 – 26 Dutch Classics Non-fiction Nederlands Letterenfonds 27 – 38 Dutch Classics Children’s books supports writers, translators and Dutch 39 – 50 Dutch Classics Poetry literature in translation

3 Multatuli Little Walter Pieterse 4 Louis Couperus Eline Vere Information Documentation centre Translators’ House The Foundation’s advisors on literary The documentation centre is an exten- The Translators’ House offers transla- 5 Nescio Amsterdam Stories fiction, quality non-fiction, poetry and sive information resource regarding tors the opportunity to live and work children’s and youth literature are pres- Dutch literature abroad. The library in Amsterdam for a period of time. It 6 F. Bordewijk Blocks; Growling Creatures; Bint ent each year at prominent book fairs, contains more than 11.000 trans- is involved with numerous activities including Frankfurt, London, Beijing lated titles in more than seventy-five assisting and advancing translators’ 6 Maria Dermoût Days Before Yesterday and Bologna. The brochures Books languages. The documentation centre skills. Each year the Literary Transla- from Holland and Flanders, Quality can be visited by appointment. One tion Days are held for those transla­ting Non-Fiction from Holland and Children’s significant component, the database of to and from Dutch. The event also 7 J.J. Slauerhoff Life on Earth Books from Holland recommend high- Dutch-language literature in transla- includes translation workshops. lights from each category’s selection. tion, can be perused online at 7 E. du Perron Country of Origin www.vertalingendatabase.nl. Grants Translation Grants The Foundation for Literature is active 8 A. Alberts The Islands Foreign publishers wishing to publish Promotional travel locally, offering travel and work grants a translation of Dutch or Frisian litera- The Foundation is able to support a grants to authors and translators in the ture may apply for a subsidy towards publisher wishing to invite an author field of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and 8 F. B. Hotz Men Play, Women Win the translation costs. Having acquired for interviews or public appearances. children’s and youth literature. Work- the rights, the publisher’s applica- Literary festivals are likewise eligible shops are also organized for beginning 9 Hella S. Haasse The Black Lake; The Ways of the Imagination tion must be accompanied by a copy for support. Additionally, the Founda- translators into Dutch. of the contract with the rights owner tion organizes international literary 10 Willem Frederik Hermans Tears of the Acacias and a copy of the contract with the events in co-operation with local pub- Schwob translator. Application forms are avail- lishers, festivals and book fairs. Schwob draws attention to as-yet able from the Foundation’s website. undiscovered, untranslated world lit- 11 Gerard Reve The Early Years Subsidies are disbursed after receipt Writers-in-residence erature. Each month the editors select of proof samples, citing the subsidy. If The Foundation coordinates writer-in- a modern classic, spotlighting it on 12 Jan Wolkers American Crewcut the Foundation is not acquainted with residence programmes together with www.schwob.nl, by way of reviews and the translator, a sample translation will foreign universities and institutions. sample translations. 12 J.J. Voskuil The Bureau be evaluated by external advisors. The Foreign authors are also invited to maximum subsidy is 70% of the cost of spend time working in Amsterdam. Background translation. Applications for transla- They may stay one or two months The Dutch Foundation for Literature, 13 Harry Mulisch Two Women tions that have already been published at the writers’ lodgings above the created in 2010 as the result of the cannot be taken into consideration. Athenaeum Bookshop on the Spui (in merger between the Foundation for 14 Andreas Burnier The Boys’ Hour Publishers looking for a qualified trans- co-operation with the Amsterdam Fund the Production and Translation of lator can request a list of endorsed for the Arts). In addition, Amsterdam Dutch Literature (NLPVF) and the 14 F. Springer Tehran: A Swan Song translators for their specific language Vluchtstad offers accommodation Foundation for Literature (FvdL), is an area. to writers fleeing the regime of their independent organization financed by home country. the Ministry of Education, Culture and Illustrated Books Science. Policies and projects are car- In the case of illustrated children’s International visitors programme ried out in close co-operation with the books and/or graphic novels, foreign The visitors programme and the an- Flemish Literature Foundation. publishers can apply for assistance to nual Amsterdam Fellowship offer pub- cover a portion of the production costs. lishers and editors the opportunity to Interested in receiving a newsletter via Subsidies are jointly funded by the acquaint themselves with the publish- e-mail? Send your request to Mondrian Foundation and the Dutch ing business and the literary infrastruc- [email protected] or sign up on Foundation for Literature. ture of the Netherlands. the website www.letterenfonds.nl

Dutch Classics Fiction ‘Much of the best postwar fiction written in

Dutch has recently become available in English. Non-fiction

Much still remains to be done.’ Fiction Tim Parks, The New York Review of Books N F Website Advisors Credits F

All titles in this brochure can be Fiction Contributors found on the Foundation’s website: Barbara den Ouden Hein Aalders, Wiljan van den Akker, Joukje Akveld, Maarten Asscher, www.letterenfonds.nl. [email protected] E.M. Beekman †, David Colmer, Margot The category ‘Authors and Victor Schiferli Dijkgraaf, Anja de Feijter, Lieneke translators’ offers information on Frerichs, Kester Freriks, Roelof van [email protected] Children’s books the work of nearly 500 Dutch- Gelder, Léon Hanssen, Wim Hazeu, language authors, and has a Pieter Steinz Ingrid Hoogervorst, Francis R. Jones, searchable database of more than [email protected] Leo Jansen, Bram de Klerck, Conny 17.000 translations from Dutch Kristel, Nop Maas, Marita Mathijsen, Gerda Meijerink, Willem Otterspeer,

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