literature
literature
Duco van Oostrum
11 min reading time
How the Story of an Enslaved Boy Transformed Into a Shared Dutch History
The story of the enslaved boy Quaco, as described by his owner, the Dutch-Scottish army officer John Gabriel Stedman, puts the history of slavery in the Dutch colonies into a multilingual and transatlantic perspective.
literature
Tom Christiaens
1 min reading time
Writer Arnon Grunberg Awarded Johannes Vermeer Prize
According to the jury, Grunberg has undeniably had a great influence on his generation with his literary contributions.
First Book
literature
Gert Meesters
9 min reading time
How Comic Book Author Barbara Stok Made Her Own Way
Autobiographical comics are her trademark, but even in a book about the classical philosopher Hipparchia, Barbara Stok arrives at a theme that also resonates in her other work: the need for a conscious and simple life.
literature
Tom Christiaens
2 min reading time
13 Dutch Books You Need To Read This Autumn (2022)
Here's our selection of Dutch-language books that have recently been translated into English.
Friday Verses
literature
Douglas Messerli
12 min reading time
The Right Path: The Thought-Provoking Verses of Nachoem M. Wijnberg
Thanks to a new anthology, English-speaking readers can become acquainted with one of the Netherlands' most original and thought-provoking poets.
literature
Megan Strutt
6 min reading time
What Does the British Library Tell Us About the Former Dutch Colony of Suriname?
Travelling through the British Library’s Dutch-Surinamese Collections via Johan Fretz’s ‘Onder de Paramariboom’.
Series
Young Writers on Invisible Labour
literature
Dirk Vandenberghe
5 min reading time
‘De bakvis’ by Nadia de Vries: Escaping Invisibility
Nadia de Vries has written an angsty debut about a young woman afraid of remaining in the shadows.
literature
Hélène De Kegel
5 min reading time
Poet Laureate Mustafa Kör Wants to Knock Poetry off Its Pedestal
As Poet Laureate of Belgium, Kör wants everyone to feel the power of poetry, especially those who don't naturally come into contact with it.
Series
Young Voices on Slavery
literature
Aleid Truijens
8 min reading time
The Birth of Damn Homo Sapiens: ‘We, Hominids’ by Frank Westerman
In his bestseller, the award-winning Dutch non-fiction writer searches for answers to anthropology’s most fundamental questions.
literature
Dirk Vandenberghe
6 min reading time
‘Schaduwlicht’ by Petra Thijs: Ode to a Painter’s Model
Petra Thijs grants us a glimpse behind the scenes in the art world, with the remarkable life story of the life model for Edouard Manet’s Le déjeuner sur l'herbe.
literature
Derek Blyth
2 min reading time
Max Havelaar: The Great Dutch Novel Written in a Louche Brussels Bar
A dusty plaque on the wall of a Brussels sandwich shop marks the site where Multatuli wrote his classic novel Max Havelaar.
literature
Dirk Vandenberghe
6 min reading time
‘De man die een berg werd’ by Grete Simkuté: Ultimate Sacrifice in Mysterious Japan
A young woman in search of meaning is inspired by the wanderings of a Japanese monk from the nineteenth century.
literature
Eva Gerlach
1 min reading time
Eva Gerlach: Virus
This week's Friday Verses are written by the renowned Dutch poet Eva Gerlach. We translated a poem from the 'Virus' series.
literature
Tom Christiaens
2 min reading time
Writer and Poet Remco Campert Deceased
Dutch literature has lost a virtuoso author and one of its most beloved writers.
literature
Dirk Vandenberghe
4 min reading time
'De onvoltooide' by Peter Nijssen: Exercises in Reading and Life
A novel about art, about cycling, but perhaps above all a story about the fear of an insignificant life.
literature
Amina Belȏrf
1 min reading time
Amina Belȏrf: The Night Clock
This week's Friday Verses are written by Amina Belȏrf. We translated her poem ‘De nachtklok’.
literature
Pieter Claeys
2 min reading time
Pieter Claeys: Eclipse
This week's Friday Verses are written by Pieter Claeys. We translated his poem ‘Eclips’.
history
Xavier Tricot
7 min reading time
James Joyce’s Summer Holiday in Ostend
Belgium’s largest coastal town has its own unique connection to the Irish author.
literature
Sulaiman Addonia
6 min reading time
Sulaiman Addonia Reimagines Brussels
When Sulaiman Addonia moved to Brussels, he felt thrown back into the time of Oliver Twist. But the author gradually changed, and with him his multi-layered view of the city.
literature
Ann Bellemans
1 min reading time
Ann Bellemans: Crater
This week's Friday Verses are written by Ann Bellemans. We translated her poem ‘Krater’.
