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Dutch Foundation
1
for Literature
Spring 2021 DUTCH
FICTION
NON–
WANDERLUST
MIREILLE BERMAN
In this brochure, the Dutch Foundation for Literature is pleased
to present well-written and much talked about non-fiction titles
recently published in the Netherlands. More than ever, it has become
clear that the world does not stop at national borders: the corona
virus, climate change, international conflicts affect us all, and we
are kept abreast of global developments through traditional and new
media. The Dutch non-fiction that we present here responds to this.
The books are by Dutch authors, but all are international in terms of
subject matter and approach: it is non-fiction from the Netherlands,
but certainly not only of importance to the Netherlands.
For example, internationally-renowned virologist Jaap Goudsmit
sheds light on the background of the COVID-19 pandemic; historian
Beatrice de Graaf explains what motivates terrorists worldwide;
and Daniël Verlaan exposes how cross-border internet crime works.
But Dutch non-fiction authors also write about the kind of personal
issues that keep us awake at night: a devastating feeling of guilt
(Jannah Loontjens), loneliness (Marjan Slob), or simply insomnia
(Bregje Hofstede). Authors writing about their identity inevitably
bring the global dimensions of the post-colonial Netherlands into
the picture: Raoul de Jong writes about Suriname, Jan Brokken about
Indonesia. And then there is the infectious, naive wanderlust of The
Globetrotters, who set off in 1911 to make the world a better place.
The Dutch Foundation for Literature is keen to provide a platform
for this global exchange. Now that COVID-19 has glued everyone to
their screens and the usual conversations at bookfairs in Frankfurt,
London and elsewhere are impossible, we are running a monthly
Editors’ Hour, in which international non-fiction publishers are
invited to take a seat around a virtual table to discuss recent acquisi-
tions and publishing developments. No titles are pitched – although
this is not forbidden – but conversations are held on how today’s
world is affecting the book trade. Together with my colleague
Michele Hutchison, we cordially invite interested editors to attend
one of the following meetings. Please drop us a line at:
m.berman@letterenfonds.nl
1
Raoul Jaguarman An inspirational journey into the heart
— My Father, His Father of Suriname
de Jong and Other Heroes of
Suriname
Raoul de Jong, the son of a Dutch mother with leading Surinamese writers, thinkers and ‘If there is one book
and a Surinamese father, has never met his resistance heroes, he discovers how the jaguar’s you really need to read
father until he receives an email just before power was essential for the country, and comes to this year, it is Jaguar-
his twenty-eighth birthday asking to meet. understand how much everyone can learn from it. man: to learn something
Intriguingly his father tells him about a family This is a personal, idiosyncratic book written essential about uncom-
curse. ‘Please, son, leave it alone,’ his father like an adventure novel, with room for magic and fortable truths, to “keep
urges him, but this is enough for the curious mystery and a hope-filled conclusion. It is also thinking for yourself,
writer to do exactly the opposite. One of his a beautiful ode to the land of his father. De Jong even when no one else
ancestors, a medicine man, could transform himself says, ‘I didn’t intend my book to be “white does” and to embrace
himself into a jaguar and, gripped by this mys- homework”, you could read it like that, but you your inner beauty.’
tery, Raoul decides to investigate in Suriname. would also be selling it short. You don’t have to Tzum
have Surinamese roots or be the great-grandson
Raoul’s account of his quest is composed of ten of a plantation owner to take away something ‘Jaguarman is a
letters to his mysterious ancestor, the Jaguarman. from the history of Suriname.’ surprisingly rich book.
To get in touch with him and his other ancestors, De Jong pulls you into
Raoul completes a seven-day ritual upon the the story, which is full
advice of Winti priestess, Miss Elly Purperhart. of offshoots and leaps
The central questions for the Jaguarman are as in time and thought.’
follows, ‘My father said you could turn yourself NRC Handelsblad
into the strongest, and some say, the cruellest
Dutch title animal in the South American rainforest, the king
Jaguarman. Mijn vader, zijn vader of the Amazon, the jaguar. How did you do that?
en andere Surinaamse helden Who were you? Where did you come from? How
Year of publication did you get your strength? And why, according to
2020 my father, should I leave those powers alone?’
Page count As a reader, you follow this investigation of the Raoul de Jong (b. 1984)
256 Jaguarman’s powers, and if you let yourself be travelled through West Africa
Publisher carried away, you fall under his spell – no matter for four months at the age of
De Bezige Bij how rationally you begin this book. Along with nineteen, survived New York
the main character, you learn about the tumul- for four months with fifty dol-
Rights lars in his pocket and walked
Marijke Nagtegaal tuous past of the Surinamese people. The history from Rotterdam to Marseille.
m.nagtegaal@debezigebij.nl of the former Dutch colony is one of oppression He has published six novels,
Uta Matten and slavery, but those who search also find a great including De grootsheid van
u.matten@debezigebij.nl deal of hope and vitality. Raoul is living proof: het al (The Vastness of the
Illustrations his ancestors somehow managed to survive. Universe, 2013) and Dagboek
B&W drawings van een adolescent (Diary of
During this quest, in which he acquaints himself an Adolescent, 2018).
Photo (© Stephan Vanfleteren)
Dutch Non-Fiction Spring 2021 2 3
Bas von After The Annex The first comprehensive study of
— Anne Frank and the its kind, on the tragic camp fates of
Benda- Nazi Death Camps Anne Frank and each of her seven
Beckmann companions in hiding
When Anne Frank’s father, Otto, returned While many records are still missing, and in ‘Everyone should read
to Amsterdam from Auschwitz, he sought many cases were actively destroyed by the Nazis, this unbearable book,
to uncover what had happened to his wife Von Beckmann makes use of countless eye- though you actually
and two daughters, the Van Pels family and witness accounts from people who had been in would never recommend
dentist Fritz Pfeffer – the seven companions the same camps at the same time in order to paint it to anyone.’
with whom he had spent two years in hiding a picture of the conditions they would have been Trouw
before their arrest by the Gestapo. He awaited subjected to. Such a process is not without its
their return at the train station each day, historiographical challenges, which the author ‘Suspenseful is not
photographs of them in hand. Tragically, addresses, just as he makes new discoveries about exactly the right word. It
after piecing together the stories of the few their individual fates and interactions in the feels inappropriate for
eyewitnesses he found, he would be forced camps. Von Benda-Beckmann also situates these a story about the Holo-
to conclude that he alone had survived the experiences within a larger historical context and caust. But what do you
Nazi death camps. Seventy-five years later, the Nazis’ developing approach to the systematic call a book that you find
After the Annex takes up Otto Frank’s project extermination of European Jewish people. harder and harder to put
and carefully reconstructs each of their camp This is a heart-wrenching and detailed his- down, because you want
experiences in the final days of the Holocaust. torical account, written in a highly readable and to know what happens
evocative style. The many photographs of docu- next?’
On the last page of what might be the best- ments and details that have been included help NRC Handelsblad
known war story in all of Western history, Anne bring this disturbing chapter of history to life,
Frank and the seven protagonists of her diary taking us the closest yet to the tragedy of these
Dutch title joined the faceless mass of Holocaust victims eight individuals.
Na het Achterhuis. Anne Frank en de whose individual fates, experiences and memories
andere onderduikers in de kampen remain largely unknown. In this first systematic
Year of publication and comprehensive historical account of its kind,
2020 author Bas von Benda-Beckmann turns to the
Page count wide array of sources available to historians today After the Annex was pub- Previous books include
416 to restore to each their individuality. Starting with lished in collaboration with The Velser Affair, which was
Sample translation their lives before the war, he retraces their jour- the Anne Frank Foundation, shortlisted for the Libris
Available ney from their detainment in Amsterdam to Dutch where Bas von Benda-Beck- History Prize, and The
transit camp Westerbork, at which point their mann (b. 1976) currently Oranjehotel, which garnered
Publisher works as a historian. He equally high praise. This lat-
Querido paths diverge as they are deported and transferred received his PhD from the est work builds on previous
Martijn Prins between Auschwitz-Birkenau, Bergen-Belsen, University of Amsterdam, historical research by Erika
m.prins@singeluitgeverijen.nl Mauthausen, Raguhn, Melk and Neuengamme. where he wrote his disser- Prins, Esther Göbel, Gertjan
Rights sold He meticulously reconstructs their experiences of tation about the German Broek and Teresien da Silva.
forced labour, factory work, disease, hunger, vio- historiography of the Allied
Catalan, Galician, Castilian, French,
bombings during the Sec-
German, Portuguese, Russia lence, freezing temperatures and death marches. ond World War.
Photo (© Lionne Hietberg)
Dutch Non-Fiction Spring 2021 4 5
Bregje Getting To Sleep A beautifully-written essay that shifts
— How an Insomniac the problem of sleeplessness beyond
Hofstede Reclaimed the Night the sleeper
Most animal species do not suffer from and smoothly weaves world literature through On The Rediscovery of the Body:
insomnia. Only animals living in captivity are her own candid reflections. As in her memoir on
known to develop sleeping problems. Horses burnout, she concludes that we cannot separate ‘No tips here, no
in cramped stables, for example, sway all physical complaints from the demands, social catharsis, but her book
night and hardly sleep. Yet one in ten people pressure and tensions caused by the world around encourages reflection
suffer from chronic insomnia – are our cages us. Herbal tea and better curtains may help, but on mental and physical
too small? Bregje Hofstede, a certified insom- the real solution lies in how we deal with our health and the interac-
niac herself, looks at the root causes of poor emotions. tion between the two.’
sleep in the hope of understanding why she Hofstede’s own search for tranquillity ends Trouw
has such trouble with it. with a radical decision: she moves from the city to
a mountainous region in the French countryside.
‘Sleep was once a god: Morpheus, god of dreams. ‘If lifestyle tips don’t work, don’t change your On her novel Drift:
In paintings, he is a handsome winged young man lifestyle, change your life,’ she concludes, noting
who takes the sleeper in his arms.’ While sleep may that though she has made this decision for herself, ‘With Drift, Bregje
be a universal part of life, it remains surprisingly she doesn’t want to impose it on others. Hofstede proves that she
mysterious. We do not really know what it is, belongs to the new wave
why we do it, how it works or why exactly it goes of Great Dutch writers.’
wrong. What are the fault lines running through De Wereld Draait Door
our nights? book panel (TV)
In this literary essay, Bregje Hofstede examines
Dutch title the function of sleep, why we fail at it and how
Slaap vatten. Hoe een slapeloze much we are responsible for our own sleepless-
de nacht terugwon ness or not. Along the way, she addresses the
Year of publication place dreams have in our lives, why our moods are
2021 so dependent on sleep and what a sleep-friendly
Page count environment might look like. After trying the Bregje Hofstede (b. 1988) she examines her own
140 usual treatments like melatonin, blue light and is a writer and journalist, burnout. For De Correspon-
Sample translation
exercise, she concludes that insomnia is actually a whose debut novel The dent, she regularly writes on
wake-up call that something greater must change. Sky Above Paris received the topic of New Feminism.
Available excellent reviews and was The English translation of
This is a personal handbook for the bad sleeper,
Rights translated into German Hofstede’s autobiograph-
positioned somewhere between popular science and Danish. She followed ical essay Mountain was
Das Mag
Stella Rieck and memoir, written in a confessional literary this with Drift, which was published as a chapbook
rieck@cossee.com style. Bregje Hofstede is a master at combining nominated for the Libris in 2020 by Strangers Press
Rights sold different genres: she gives us access to the inti- Literature Prize and also and explores love and child-
macy of her inner world, refers to thinkers, sleep published in German. Her hood, nostalgia and hope.
Germany next book was The Redis-
psychologists and psychiatrists, philosophers, covery of the Body, in which
Photo (© Natalie Hill)
Dutch Non-Fiction Spring 2021 6 7
Daniël I Know Your Password True stories from the dark side
of the web
Verlaan
Picture this: you buy something on eBay their own kind of threat, Verlaan also infiltrated a ‘I Know Your Password
and not long afterwards your bank account large-scale paedophile network on the dark web reads like a journalistic
is plundered. Or your smart thermostat is and shares findings that came unsettlingly close thriller.’
hijacked and your house heated to 37˚C until to home. In a chapter on revenge porn, it becomes De Volkskrant
you transfer bitcoins to the hackers. You buy clear how devastating these types of criminal
a surveillance camera to keep an eye on your actions can be, and Joëlle and Nova tell how their ‘A true page-turner.’
dog and it suddenly says ‘Suck my dick’. The lives have been turned upside down by threats, NRC Handelsblad
internet is a world of opportunities but we extortion and stalking.
often forget that these opportunities are open Each chapter concludes with useful tips against ‘Read this book and
to criminals and stalkers too. digital vulnerability. Readers will abandon their take Verlaan’s advice to
naïve belief that they have nothing to hide after heart. Hackers will hate
Daniël Verlaan, a young investigative journalist reading this book. You may have nothing to hide, you for it.’
specialized in new technology, has written an but you do have something to lose. In this age 8Weekly
eye-opening and frank, story-driven account of Covid-19, when most of our life is conducted
of the hidden dangers of the digital world. He through our laptops and smartphones, and online
explains how hackers look for weaknesses in scams are more common than ever, this book has
website and database security, what the dark web been on the bestseller lists for weeks.
is, why you should be concerned about data leaks,
phishing, ransomware and spyware, and – most
importantly – what you can do about it.
Dutch title Verlaan went undercover and surfed the dark
Ik weet je wachtwoord web. He interviewed hackers, cyber criminals and
Year of publication victims of revenge porn. He talked to a teenager
2020 who brought down entire banking systems and
Page count
found out how a small arthouse cinema could
347
take computers hostage on a large scale. Unsus- Daniël Verlaan (b. 1989) is
pecting targets as well as perpetrators of clever, a tech journalist for the TV
Sold copies
malicious and international hacks each have their channel RTL Nieuws where
30,000 he reports on technology
say. Surprisingly, some amazingly well-executed
Sample translation
online scams turn out to be little more than the and researches the dark
Available side of the internet. In 2019,
bored experiments of insecure adolescent boys. he received two journalism
Publisher These are disturbing, sometimes terrifying prizes for his work: De Tegel
Das Mag stories that will make you think again about how for journalistic talent, and
Rights you use your computer and your smart phone. De Loep, the prestigious
Cossee International Agency While DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service), prize for the best investiga-
Stella Rieck tive journalism.
international cyberattacks and phishing pose
rieck@cossee.com
Photo (© Bart Koetsier)
Dutch Non-Fiction Spring 2021 8 9
Wim The Globetrotters Idealist revolutionaries in sandals
— A League of Idealists
Willems
On 16 July 1911, three friends dressed in ethnic tensions in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, ‘A story that seems
velvet suits and leather sandals set out from and takes in the remains of the Ottoman Empire too crazy to be true, but
Amsterdam to walk around the world. They and colonialism in the Middle East. nevertheless is. […] It is a
were pacificists, vegetarians, teetotallers, In addition to retracing their steps, Willems breath-taking journey.’
socialists, but – above all – working-class boys attempts to uncover the source of their vision NRC Handelsblad
set on escaping their lot in life. Without much — especially in a time when only the elite could
money or preparation, yet buoyed by their expect to travel. He also speaks with their living ‘A small monument to
optimism and idealism, they would make it to descendants in the Netherlands, Israel and Aus- bygone ideals.’
the Middle East before their journey was cut tralia to sketch the very different lives the group Het Parool
short by the First World War. Nearly a century led after their journey. None of them escaped the
later, a chest of their diaries, letters and sweeping political movements of the twentieth ‘This book makes you
drawings fell into historian Wim Willems’ lap, century, with tragic consequences for one. Never- reflect on hope, longing,
sparking a new journey to reconstruct their theless, their mission lives on today in their family dreaming and utopia.’
footsteps and motivations, their later lives members spread around the globe. De Groene
and evolution of their ideals. This is an extraordinary history, one as enter- Amsterdammer
taining as it is poignant, and an ode to youthful
To earn money, the three friends sold portrait idealism that will capture readers’ hearts. It also
cards and reported on their travels for small includes a selection of delightful photographs and
newspapers. They slept beneath the stars, or in drawings made underway.
haystacks, traversed snowy mountains barefoot;
Dutch title they were ‘hippies avant la lettre’, and their
De Wereldwandelaars. Een verbond unusual fame quickly spread as they walked
van idealisten through Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary,
Year of publication Romania, and from Constantinople to Palestine.
2020 After eight months, Marie Zwarts, the girlfriend
Page count of one of the three, would join the group. Wim Willems (b. 1951) is praised biography of Indo
384 Eventually spanning years, it was not a journey emeritus professor of Social writer and intellectual
Sample translation free of setbacks and fights, and Willems describes History at the University of Tjalie Robinson.
their many encounters and impressions, as well as Leiden. As an avid walker
Available
the surprising places their optimism and fervent who also grew up in a
Publisher working-class family where
belief in goodwill took them. Their message of studying was not a given,
Querido
pacifism and socialist unity, however, contrasted he felt a strong bond with
Rights
sharply with the world around them. With the the three globetrotters and
Martijn Prins
m.prins@singeluitgeverijen.nl
help of diary entries and letters home, Willems their inspired endeavour to
resurrects a Europe on the brink of dizzying lead a different life. Willems
Jolijn Spooren
is the author of, among
j.spooren@singeluitgeverijen.nl bloodshed, as the young group navigates the other titles, the highly
Photo (© Arrash Nikkhah)
Dutch Non-Fiction Spring 2021 10 11
Beatrice Radical Redemption On terrorism and the search for
— What Terrorists meaning – a human portrait
de Graaf Believe In
Jihadist terrorism is often dismissed as narrative. But there is also a task for wider soci- On Theatre of Fear:
a problem of ‘Islam’ or as a consequence of ety. Terrorism preys on the fears of its victims,
discrimination. Others conclude that terror- both those of people directly affected by it and ‘Beatrice de Graaf
ists are mentally disturbed. While these might in the imagination of the society at large. How works in a very intelli-
be easy answers, they do little to reflect the can we put that fear of the terrorist’s search for gent and surprising way
process of radicalisation. Terrorism expert radical redemption in proportion? and comes up with inter-
Beatrice de Graaf examines the individual Radical Redemption combines testimony, his- esting and extremely
lives behind acts of violent extremism to tory, psychology, politics and theology to identify topical insights. Her
throw light on the connection between a and unpack a vital aspect of the most recent wave work is a relief in a time
terrorist’s beliefs and their actions. of violent extremism. in which everyone seems
to already have their
Upon recording the life stories of almost thirty opinion ready.’
convicted terrorists – mainly Dutch jihadists but 8Weekly
also non-Western terrorists and Western right-
wing extremists – De Graaf discovers a broad
narrative of individuals searching for radical On Dangerous Women:
meaning. In their frustration and rage at their
individual lives, they came to believe that radical ‘The great thing about
personal redemption could be achieved through these portraits is that
violence. They found a higher purpose in a view they are all worthwhile,
Dutch title
of the world that cast them as the centre in the carefully documented
Radicale verlossing. Wat terroristen
geloven
battle between good and evil. How did these men and averse to clichés or
acquire this belief and where did it lead them? pre-established stances.’
Year of publication
What happened when that desired redemption de Volkskrant
2021
never came?
Page count
That these often-harrowing life stories usually Beatrice de Graaf (b. 1976) on terrorism and has pub-
304 end in disillusionment does not seem to have is a professor of History lished, among other titles,
Full English translation lessened extremism’s heroic draw, particularly for of International Relations Dangerous Women, Theatre
Available disaffected young people. De Graaf ends by calling and Global Governance of Fear, Terrorists on Trial
Publisher for more research to explore ways of reducing ter- at Utrecht University. She and The Balancers. In 2018
researches the history of her oeuvre was awarded
Prometheus rorism’s appeal and identifying better alternatives terrorism, war and violence the Netherlands’ highest
Rights for those who turn to it in search of meaning. One and is particularly inter- scientific distinction: the
Marisca van der Mark crucial requirement is that religious or ideological ested in the fight against Stevin Award.
foreignrights@pbo.nl communities clearly distance themselves from them. She was a fellow
individuals who believe that violence is a means at Cambridge University,
regularly makes public
of redemption. There needs to be a counter- appearances as an expert
Photo (© David van Dam)
Dutch Non-Fiction Spring 2021 12 13
Frank The Cosmic Comedy ‘The Discovery of Heaven but in real life.
Stunning.’ – Radio 1
Westerman
Strange phenomena in the sky are the most ter’s satellite moons. Westerman visits the villa in ‘A dizzying story about
popular omens of all time: the passage of Tuscany where Galileo spent seven years impris- the connection between
comets, eclipses of the sun and moon, mete- oned for his views. He also talks to contemporary heaven and hell.’
orite hits and stars that suddenly light up. Milanese astronomer Guiseppe Gavazzi and looks Het Parool
The end must be nigh. Cosmology represents back on Christianity’s conflict with astronomy.
humankind’s ultimate reaching for the stars, In poetic prose, Frank Westerman takes the ‘A lyrical account with
whether with a telescope or a rocket. The reader on a grand tour through time, taking in a rich theme handled
Cosmic Comedy lifts off with the question why our tilting image of the heavens, with or without by Westerman with
navigate the universe? Are we compensating god. Westerman comes to the conclusion that verve, weaving together
for a lack? Emptiness? What do we expect to stargazing, driven by wonder, has changed our reportage, childhood
find on the moon or on Mars that we don’t view of the heavens, while space travel, driven by memories, essay, histor-
have on Earth? rivalry, has changed our view of the Earth. From ical treatise and philo-
Copernicus, Huygens and Schiaparelli to Yuri sophical reflection […]
The Cosmic Comedy is a philosophical medita- Gagarin and the first female robot in space, The a wonderful book about
tion on the longing for a better world – beyond Cosmic Comedy is science non-fiction at its most man, the cosmos and the
the Earth’s atmosphere. Our journey revolves mind-blowing. desire to reach further
around Westerman’s own axis, Westerbork in than seems possible.’
the Dutch province of Drenthe where he grew NRC Handelsblad
up. There the observatory with its world-class
telescope Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope
Dutch title (WSRT), brainchild of pioneer Jan Oort, scans the
De kosmische komedie sky with its majestic satellite dishes. On the site of
Year of publication the former Nazi transit camp. Nowhere is heaven
2021 so close to hell.
Page count Beyond Westerbork, the author takes the reader
284 to Franeker planetarium, the oldest working plan- Frank Westerman (b. 1964) Horse (2010), Choke Valley
etarium in the world. There in 1774, Eise Eisinga, studied Tropical Cultivation (2013) and A Word A Word
Sample translation
a wool-comber by trade, built a model of the solar at Wageningen University. In (2016). His work, which has
Available
system in his living room to reassure people that a 1987 he spent a year in the received numerous awards,
Publisher
doomsday prediction that the planets would spiral Peruvian Andes, research- has been widely translated.
Querido Fosfor ing the irrigation methods His previous book, We, Hom-
out of their orbits to be burned up by the sun of Aymara Indians. Wester- inids, has been translated
Rights could not be true. man is the author of many into French, German, Italian,
Martijn Prins We also travel to Italy, where three centuries bestsellers: The Republic Polish, Spanish and English
m.prins@singeluitgeverijen.nl
Jolijn Spooren
after Dante, Galileo Galilei, the father of observa- of Grain (1999), Engineers so far.
tional astronomy, shifted Earth from the centre of of the Soul (2002), El Negro
j.spooren@singeluitgeverijen.nl
and Me (2004), Ararat (2007),
the universe for good when he discovered Jupi- Brother Mendel’s Perfect
Photo (© Lionne Hietberg)
Dutch Non-Fiction Spring 2021 14 15
Renata Diary From A rare and detailed Holocaust
Bergen-Belsen testimony, comparable with
Laqueur — March 1944 - Last Stop Auschwitz
Introduction, afterword
and editing by
April 1945
Saskia Goldschmidt
At the age of twenty-four, Renata Laqueur Before the English and Canadians arrive in April ‘She describes the
and her husband Paul Goldschmidt, two 1945, she and Paul are packed, along with 2,500 misery of the camp
Jewish members of the Dutch resistance, are other emaciated and dying prisoners, into a train starkly – but also with
arrested and, after a short internment in tran- and shipped through devastated Germany. The sensitivity. […] The suf-
sit camp Westerbork, deported to concentra- nightmarish journey will last two weeks, until they fering described here is
tion camp Bergen-Belsen in Germany. Though are finally liberated by the Russians, near the village the suffering of a million
it is strictly forbidden, Laqueur manages to of Tröbitz, where she records her journey and people. A peacefully
record her camp experience in four notebooks catches typhus while volunteering in a field hos- written book.’
and, shortly after the couple’s liberation, pital. Once back in the Netherlands, she types out Nederlands Dagblad
write up her remaining notes in detail. More her diary as a national war document, reliving the
than a story of survival, Diary from Bergen- monstrous, dream-like world she passed through. ‘A very moving book,
Belsen is the surreal portrait of a sensitive For this new edition, Paul’s daughter, Saskia that is what Diary from
and intelligent young woman attempting to Goldschmidt, a Dutch author, has provided an Bergen-Belsen is. […]
transcend her harrowing reality, made all the invaluable introduction, afterword and notes Although the author has
more powerful by her emotional restraint and that detail Renata’s life before and after the diary, tried to avoid emotion,
ruthless pen. the fate of her and Paul’s marriage, and Renata’s the facts are so charged
struggle with trauma and guilt. Returning to the and sobering that the
After four months at Westerbork, Renata original notebooks at the Bergen-Belsen memorial reader nevertheless
begins her diary with the train journey to Ger- archive, Goldschmidt has also included, for the first finds themselves closely
many, where she and her husband must soon time, an intimate final portion of the diary which involved.’
Dutch title
battle disease and starvation, violence and humil- candidly addresses the pain and rage that Renata, Limburgs Dagblad
Dagboek uit Bergen-Belsen.
Maart 1944-april 1945 iation. She lucidly notes down her reactions and like so many other camp survivors, attempted to
depicts the camp’s deteriorating conditions, the suppress throughout her life.
Year of publication
absurd quality of their isolated existence as well as
2021
the tragedy of her prime years senselessly wasted
Page count
there. All the while, memories and thoughts of art Renata Laqueur (1919 -2011) for the literary merit of
240
and music, the physical act of writing, provide a was born in what is now concentration camp diaries.
Sample translation source of emotional strength. She does everything Brzeg, Poland and grew up Previous editions of her
Available to care for Paul, who is dangerously close to in Amsterdam. Her father diary have been translated
Publisher death; however, by December 1944, Renata is too was a Prussian professor into German and Welsh.
and among the first scien-
Meulenhoff physically weak herself to continue writing. In tists to isolate the hormone Saskia Goldschmidt
Rights the overcrowded camp, death takes on terrifying testosterone. After the war, (b. 1954) is the author of
Sebes & Bisseling proportions: the crematorium is overwhelmed, she moved to New York City, Mandatory Happiness:
Paul Sebes piles of corpses fill the camp. where she remarried and Portrait of a Family and The
sebes@sebes.nl completed a PhD in Com- Hormone Factory. She cur-
Rights sold
parative Literary Studies at rently lives in Amsterdam.
New York University, arguing
Italy
Dutch Non-Fiction Spring 2021 16 17 ClassicSandra Erasmus The Maverick Erasmus’ life and thought
— A Biography – the definitive biography
Langereis of a European icon
Erasmus (1469 -1536) was a humanist, an that he demonstrated that the Latin Bible was ‘There were biogra-
icon of critical thought and tolerance. Nev- the result of centuries of sloppy translation and phies about Erasmus
ertheless, he has always been a controversial copying. already, but those were
figure. In his study of the Bible, he assumed Although Erasmus is still seen as a critical more like sketches. Not
that the scriptures were man-made. Through thinker and an advocate for tolerance, we can only one is as detailed and
philological research, he showed how the understand him within his day and age. This is well-written as Erasmus
‘Holy Writ’ had developed over the course of why Langereis closely examines the contemporary The Maverick.’
centuries. That enraged both conservative historical, cultural and religious developments. Vrij Nederland
clergymen and Martin Luther. Langereis She delves into medieval theology, the Bible’s
presents Erasmus as a modern thinker, who evolution over a thousand years, the practice of ‘In her monumental
sought to make those who read the Bible more copying manuscripts in monasteries, the rise of biography, Sandra
rational and intelligent. universities and the printing press, the rise of the Langereis paints not
book market, the rediscovery of classics and the only a clear picture of
In this monumental biography, Sandra development of vernaculars, the reform move- Erasmus’ achievements
Langereis – historian and specialist in the ment within the church, financial flows and the and ill manners, but
16th-century world of letters – makes use of a dangers travellers had to face. also offers an imposing
wealth of archival material. Erasmus’ published All of this is written in a narrative, accessible cultural history of
correspondence alone consists of more than style, without pomposity or endless citations. Europe during the
3,000 letters. She paints a detailed portrait of Langereis’ biography of Erasmus is not only the Renaissance.’
Dutch title Erasmus, which clearly shows his merits and new, definitive biography of one of Europe’s Historisch Nieuwsblad
Erasmus: dwarsdenker. those aspects of his personality that were less greatest intellectuals, it is also an attractive,
Een biografie admirable. But if Erasmus had only been ambi- informative cultural history beyond compare.
Year of publication tious and arrogant, then people would not have
2021 written about him for over five centuries.
Page count Erasmus was building on a humanist tradition
752 in which the recovery of classical antiquity’s Sandra Langereis (b. 1967) She considers this biography
literary and philosophical legacy was central. is a historian of science and of Erasmus, in which he is
Publisher
But because the printing press made a definitive culture and a biographer. portrayed as a rational and
De Bezige Bij Her previous biography, tolerant man, as ‘relevant for
breakthrough, he became the first best-selling
Rights
author and could reach an enormous audience. The Wordsmith, about people today’.
Marijke Nagtegaal the 16th-century printer
m.nagtegaal@debezigebij.nl
Through Erasmus’ work, the educated middle and publisher Christoffel
Uta Matten classes learned to write and speak a supple and Plantijn, was nominated for
u.matten@debezigebij.nl natural Latin. With In Praise of Folly, he initiated the Libris History Prize and
the attack on the money-grubbing and belligerent chosen as best biography
popes as well as other abuses within the church. and best history book of
2014 by the newspapers de
His most important achievement, however, was Volkskrant and Trouw.
Photo (© Geert Snoeijer)
Dutch Non-Fiction Spring 2021 18 19 BiographyMargriet The Delightfulness of Rudi Is There Any Life
Thought — The Lives of Stranger Than Mine?
van der Tatiana Afanassjewa and Wester — Jef Last 1898 -1972
Heijden Paul Ehrenfest
A double biography that ‘A captivating book about a
foregrounds science as an life-long search for love and
ongoing conversation justice.’ – Trouw
Particle physicist and science journalist Writer, poet, painter, journalist, translator,
Margriet van der Heijden describes the lives of compelling speaker: Jef Last doesn’t fit any box.
the Jewish physicist Paul Ehrenfest (1880 -1933) He roamed the globe, fought in the Spanish Civil
and his wife, Russian mathematician Tatyana War and was a brave resistance fighter. All his
Afanassjewa (1876 -1964). Their story is also life he was a romantic, passionate about freedom
that of the lightning development of physics at and justice, ever championing the underdog. A
the start of the 20th-century, when quantum cultural bridge-builder between East and West,
mechanics and the theory of relativity were with his reflections on Chinese philosophy
developed. and translations of great Japanese writers, he
The two meet as students in Göttingen. In counted André Gide and Willy Brandt among his
1912, Paul becomes a professor in Leiden, and friends. He evolved from an ardent socialist into
Dutch title Dutch title
their house becomes a lively salon for famous a humanist, with a stopover as a communist. He
Denken is verrukkelijk. De levens van Bestaat er een raarder leven dan het
Tatiana Afanassjewa and Paul Ehrenfest
scientists. During WW1 and the turbulent times mijne? Jef Last 1898 - 1972
was capricious and sometimes difficult, but had
that follow, the couple lead the way with progres- strong principles and was true to his conscience.
Year of publication Year of publication
sive ideas about pacifism and gender equality. He was a mirror of his time but also ahead of his
2021 2021
In 1926, Tatyana leaves for Moscow, disap- time, as his biographer notes.
Page count Page count
pointed. As a female scientist, she was kept in the Jef Last was a man who constantly asked
432 wings. Without Tatyana, Paul becomes unhinged, 500 questions and wouldn’t accept second-hand
Publisher and despairs the Nazism of Hitler’s Germany. Publisher knowledge. The son of a well-to-do family, he
Prometheus He writes farewell letters and kills himself, after Prometheus was driven by an intense aversion to bourgeois
Rights first killing their youngest son Wassik, a boy with Rights ethics, preferring instead to be a worker among
Marisca van der Mark Down’s syndrome. Marisca van der Mark workers. Along with Joris Ivens, he was a pioneer
foreignrights@pbo.nl Paul did not make any major discoveries, but foreignrights@pbo.nl in avant-garde film. Last was quick to see the
the role he played was perhaps just as important. dangers of fascism, battled against colonialism
He connected ideas, brought scientists together, after World War II, and fought for homosexuality
and posed critical questions to colleagues such to be acknowledged. Rudi Wester has written a
‘A double biography as Einstein, Bohr, Schrödinger. This is a social ‘A very readable and compelling biography of this restless globetrotter.
that reads like a novel.’ history of Europe, seen through the eyes of affectionate biography.’
De Nederlandse outsiders: a Jewish boy and a Russian Orthodox Biografie Portaal
Boekengids girl, whose lives were lived in a fascinating circle.
Biography 20 21 BiographyNEW &
NEW & NOTEWORTHY
NOTEWORTHY
Master storyteller A subtle, philosophical
Jan Brokken dives into exploration of the fear of
his personal history other people’s judgement
Jan Brokken Jannah Loontjens
The Gardens of Buitenzorg Guilty
— An Exploration of
My Conscience
Page count Long before Jan Brokken (b. 1949) was born, his Page count Poet, essayist, novelist and philosopher
224 parents lived in Indonesia, a Dutch colony at the 240 Jannah Loontjens, mother of two young children,
Publisher time. Brokken never knew much about this part of Publisher decides not to celebrate Christmas with her
Atlas Contact his parents’ past. He only ever knew his mother as Podium mother this year. Afterwards she feels enor-
Rights a pastor’s wife in a traditional village in Holland. Rights mously burdened: how should she tell her? And
Hayo Deinum After his parents’ death, his aunt hands him the Cossee Literary Agency where do those stubborn, everlasting feelings of
hdeinum@atlascontact.nl letters and photographs that her sister Olga had Stella Rieck guilt (about her lover, her children, that one glass
Copies sold sent her from abroad. In tender, sensitive and rieck@cossee.com of wine too many, her own body – the list goes
15,000 tentative fashion, Brokken searches these letters on) actually come from?
for the woman who, during her life, had always She decides to explore, with the help of
remained a stranger to him. Who was she before philosophers, writers and theologians, her own
‘Brokken brings every becoming his mother? What inspired her, what did ‘Aside from all of the conscience, analysing those damned pangs of
sentence to life. The she think about? philosophical and psycho- guilt to their core, fearlessly peeling them back.
Gardens of Buitenzorg is Olga turns out to be much more liberated logical theorising, Guilty She examines those moments in her past when
vintage non-fiction by an and idealistic than he remembers. She enjoyed is above all a confession she has felt unnecessarily guilty and when it
internationally esteemed learning foreign languages, had in-depth about what went wrong in truly has been a matter of guilt.
craftsman.’ discussions with intellectuals and connected, by the writer’s past.’ In the end, she comes to the realisation that
De Standaard giving sewing lessons, with the women around Tzum feelings of guilt arise from a fear of others’
her. Brokken, who has a number of wonderful judgement. ‘My guilt often appears to be a mask,
‘Jan Brokken travels books about music to his name, interweaves his ‘Inspired and literary, behind which fear lurks, fear of other people’s
through history and journey with the life story of Lithuanian composer Loontjens takes the path judgement. Fear that makes me feign that
comes home.’ Leopold Godowsky, who fell under the spell of to self-reconciliation.’ everything is fine. This pseudo-contentment
Dagblad van het Noorden Indonesian gamelan music. NRC Handelsblad obstructs the path to honesty, and tenderness.’
Dutch Non-Fiction Spring 2021 22 23NEW & NOTEWORTHY NEW & NOTEWORTHY
Observations about the Loneliness is a human
coronavirus crisis by a talent, even if it does not
professor with a can-do make you happier
attitude
Jaap Goudsmit Marjan Slob
Free From Corona The Empty Sky
— The Start of a New Era — On Loneliness
Page count Virologist and epidemiologist Jaap Goudsmit, Page count Loneliness is the dark side of the powerful
224 professor at the Harvard School of Public Health 224 human ability to imagine other, better worlds.
Publisher and scientific director of the Human Vaccines Publisher After all, when you are lonely, you are suffering
Pluim Project, describes the facts and fictions among Ambo Anthos from what is not there, and you can picture
Rights all the stories about the virus, infections and Rights it. Seen in this way, loneliness is inseperably
Evi Hoste vaccination. He explains how the SARS-CoV-2 Orli Naamani intertwined with important human attributes:
ehoste@pluim.nl virus mutates, possibly becomes more dangerous, onaamani@amboanthos.nl self-reflection and imagination. It is a terrible
why it mainly affects the elderly, how it compares feeling, but also reveals your possibilities. At
to other viruses and what vaccines there are – the same time, the price paid for experiencing
always with an eye for the names of researchers loneliness is that you are painfully aware of what
who matter, but also for scientific controversies is missing from your current life.
and uncertainties. Marjan Slob dives into the phenomenon
Goudsmit ends with a rather hopeful picture of of loneliness, entering into dialogues with
the future. We are, he says, now globally capable philosophers such as Blaise Pascal, Daniel
of handling pandemics: of identifying the cause, ‘A scintillating and Dennett and Simone de Beauvoir. She finds, in
making tests, testing vaccines and making those quirky book about literature, music and film, images that bring the
available. This is the start of a new era, in which loneliness, surprisingly concept of loneliness into focus. David Bowie
‘A book that looks we must establish that the virus is here to stay multidimensional in plays an important role throughout her story: his
forward, despite the and will keep coming back with new variants. And scope. Supplely and transformations offer a helpful example of how
unmistakable problems, in which we must commit to changing our life- attractively written.’ to deal with the given of human loneliness with
to the future with style, vaccinating ourselves again each year and Jury report for the elegance and self-awareness. The Empty Sky is a
optimism.’ building a testing society. shortlist Best Spiritual consoling, agile ode to loneliness, written with a
Het Parool Book of 2021 light, supple pen.
Dutch Non-Fiction Spring 2021 24 25RECENT A selection of recently published translations from the Dutch.
TRANSLATIONS
For more information please go to our online database of translations:
en.vertalingendatabase.nl
Sanne Blauw Anton de Kom Geert Mak Annet Mooij Ivo van Vulpen Corien van Zweden
The Number Bias: Wir Sklaven von Store forventninger. Das Jahrhundert der How to Find a Higgs Cycki. Czuła biografia
How Numbers Lead and Suriname På sporet av den Gisèle. Mythos und Boson: And Other Big piersi
Mislead Us europeiske drømmen. Wirklichkeit einer Mysteries in the World
Europa 2000-2020 Künstlerin of the Very Small
Dutch title Dutch title Dutch title Dutch title Dutch title Dutch title
Het bestverkochte boek Wij slaven van Suriname Grote verwachtingen De eeuw van Gisèle. De melodie van de Borsten. De levensloop
ooit (met deze titel) Published in Published in Mythe en werkelijkheid natuur. De zoektocht van een intiem
van een kunstenares naar de bouwstenen van lichaamsdeel
Published in German by Transit (2021) Norwegian by Cappelen
het heelal
English by Sceptre (2020) Translated by Damm (2020) Published in Published in
German by Büchergilde Published in Polish by Mova (2020)
Translated by Birgit Erdmann Translated by
Gutenberg (2020) English by Yale University
Suzanne Heukensfeldt Eve-Marie Lund Translated by
Other translations Press (2020)
Jansen Translated by Olga Niziolek
English (Polity) Other translations
Gerd Busse Translated by
Other translations Bosnian (Buybook), Other translations
David McKay
Arabic (Arab Scientific Danish (Epilog), English Finnish (WSOY)
Publishers), Complex (Harvill Secker), French Other translations
Chinese (Business (Gallimard), German Croatian (TIM press)
Today), Czech (Host), (Siedler), Greek
German (DVA), Greek (Metaichmio), Italian
(Alexandria), Italian (Fazi), Korean (Okdang
(Garzanti), Japanese Books)
(Sunmark Publishing),
Korean (Gilbut
Publishing), Polish
(Znak), Portuguese
(Bertrand), Russian
(Azbooka)
Dutch Non-Fiction Spring 2021 26 27 Recent translationsDutch Non-Fiction is distributed to international editors and
publishers. Please contact non fiction specialist Mireille Berman
via m.berman@letterenfonds.nl if you would like to be added to our
mailing list or if you wish to know more about our grants, suitable
translators or about the books that we mentioned.
Nederlands Letterenfonds Editors
Postbus / PO Box 16588 Mireille Berman, Dick Broer,
NL – 1001 RB Amsterdam Andy Brown, Haico Kaashoek,
Rob Hartmans, Michele Hutchison
t +31 (0)20 520 73 00
www.letterenfonds.nl Translation and copy
Michele Hutchison, Haico Kaashoek
The Dutch Foundation for Literature Non-fiction advisors
supports writers, translators and
literary festivals, and promotes Nynke van Verschuer, Maya Shamir,
Dutch literature abroad. Translation Bertram Mourits, Regine Dugardyn,
grants are available to foreign Jan Steinz, Michele Hutchison
publishers to reduce the economic
risks of translating as-yet unknown Cover photo
authors. The subsidy covers up to Jiri Büller
70% of the translation costs, with
recognized classics qualifying for up Printing
to 100%.
Jos Morree Fine Books /
Wilco Art Books
For more information, please
see www.letterenfonds.nl/en/
Design
translation-subsidy
Philip Stroomberg
This brochure is printed on
FSC-certified paper.
Dutch Non-Fiction Spring 2021 28Anesthetist photographed by Jiri Büller
on the COVID-19 ward. The portrait was
awarded the 2020 Silver Camera prize.
in April 2020, following her night shift
Raoul de Jong
Jaguarman 2
Bas von Benda-Beckmann
After The Annex 4
Bregje Hofstede
Getting To Sleep 6
Daniël Verlaan
I Know Your Password 8
Wim Willems
The Globetrotters 10
Beatrice de Graaf
Radical Redemption 12
Frank Westerman
The Cosmic Comedy 14
Renata Laqueur
Diary From Bergen-Belsen 16
Sandra Langereis
Erasmus The Maverick 18
Margriet van der Heijden
The Delightfulness Of Thought 20
Rudi Wester
Is There Any Life Stranger Than Mine? 21You can also read
