literature

‘Een bepaalde dag in het leven van iedereen’ by Stijn Vranken: Cheerful World History
Do you remember what you were doing on 14 February 1990? Not very likely. But author and screenwriter Stijn Vranken does remember, and it makes for an entertaining debut.

English Books Are Popular With Dutch Speakers. So What?
Is it a good thing that the Dutch and Flemish crack open a huge number of English books every year? Or will this trend spell disaster for Dutch publishers, authors and translators?
The Translator’s Pick

'Centralia’ by Miel Vandepitte: A Race on Acid in the Heart of an Apocalyptic City
Inspired by an underground mine fire in Pennsylvania, Belgian illustrator Miel Vandepitte created an apocalyptic steampunk western.

Kristen Gehrman’s Choice: Anna Woltz and Evelien de Vlieger
A translator from Dutch to English gives literary tips by answering two questions: which translated book by a Flemish or Dutch author should everyone read? And, which book absolutely deserves an English translation?
First Book

Simone Atangana Bekono’s 'Zo Hoog De Zon Stond' Translated Into English
Students from two British Universities translated an extract from the second novel of Dutch poet and writer Simone Atangana Bekono.

‘Schervenstad’ by Hanan Faour: Torn Between Peanut Butter and Molokhia
Hanan Faour, a Dutch author with Lebanese roots, has written a moving story about what it is like to discover the land of her father and brother.
Friday Verses

Michele Hutchison’s Choice: Anton de Kom and Angelo Tijssens
A translator from Dutch to English gives literary tips by answering two questions: which translated book by a Flemish or Dutch author should everyone read? And, which book absolutely deserves an English translation?

12 Dutch Books to Be Full of the Joys of Spring (2023)
Our selection of Dutch-language books that have been translated into English.
Young Voices on Slavery

Flip through Flanders: Flanders’ Finest Writers Are Crossing the Channel
Flanders Literature promotes Dutch-language literature from Flanders across the UK and Ireland through to 2025.

A Shadowy Series of Unrealized Books: The Fate of Dutch-American Author Dola de Jong
Dutch-Jewish writer Dola de Jong migrated to New York to escape the Nazis. She was the author of sixteen books for adults and children. But the book that she always intended to write – about how to carry on after the Second World War – never materialized.

Willemijn van den Geest: Touch Me Not
This week's Friday Verses are written by Dutch poet Willemijn van den Geest. We translated her poem ‘Raak mij niet aan’.

Laura Vroomen’s Choice: P.F. Thomése and Andreas Burnier
A translator from Dutch to English gives literary tips by answering two questions: which translated book by a Flemish or Dutch author should everyone read? And, which book absolutely deserves an English translation?

Esohe Weyden: Wandering
This week's Friday Verses are written by Esohe Weyden. We translated her poem ‘Dwaaltuin’.

A Literary Triumph: 'The Ascent' by Stefan Hertmans
In his novel about a Flemish Nazi collaborator, bestselling author Stefan Hertmans presents a sharp image of life under German occupation, which he links perceptively to the personal history of his characters.

Harvest of the University Press (autumn/winter 2022-3)
Our selection of recent university press publications in English on the Low Countries.

Coming Clean: New Postcolonial Light on Dutch East Indies Literature
‘Postcolonial Mirror’ and ‘New Colonial Reading List’ are two new important books on Dutch East Indies literature. Both editions aim at a complete revision of the existing image.

Marian van der Pluijm: Tinkling Lungs
Eighteen young writers from Flanders and the Netherlands have brought nineteenth-century artefacts from the Rijksmuseum to life. Marian van der Pluijm created an audio story in response to Marie Constantine Bashkirtseff’s painting 'The Artist’s Sister-in-law'.

The Noble Art of Writing a F*cking Book Title
Book covers are adorned with titles of all shapes and sizes. Author Anne van den Dool looked for trends, delving also into her own book-title-history.

Rob van Essen: Fields
This week's Friday Verses are written by Rob van Essen. We translated his poem ‘Velden’.

Sixtine Bérard: your search – "william burges" + "people behind william burges" – did not match any documents
Eighteen young writers from Flanders and the Netherlands have brought nineteenth-century artefacts from the Rijksmuseum to life. Sixtine Bérard wrote a poem to accompany a flask.