On the eve of the Frankfurt Book Fair, with Flanders and the Netherlands as this year’s theme countries, there’s been a lot of talk about the many new publications of translations of Dutch-language literature in Germany. This list shows English translations have been booming too. There have been so many, in fact, that it’s hard to pick out this season’s key titles. It’s great to finally see a translation of Gerard Reve’s postwar classic De avonden; there are books by best-seller authors Herman Koch and Hendrik Groen; The Penguin Book of Dutch Short Stories is an attractive sampler of mostly twentieth-century Dutch literature; Stefan Hertmans’s War and Turpentine has met with rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic; and the centenary of the first world war has provided an impetus for the publication of the first English version of Paul van Ostaijen’s modernist classic Bezette stad, complete with a modern adaptation of his typographical firewords.
Fiction
Gerard Reve, The Evenings (forthcoming), translated by Sam Garrett. Pushkin Press, 2016. HB. Orders: michael@geoghegan.me.uk
Stefan Hertmans, War and Turpentine, translated by David McKay. Harvill Secker, PB. Orders: Van Ditmar Boekenimport, Contact: Richard Pels, r.pels@vanditmar.audax.nl
The Penguin Book of Dutch Short Stories, selected by Joost Zwagerman, various authors and translators. Penguin (Modern Classics), 2016. PB.
Herman Koch, Dear Mr M., translated by Sam Garrett. Picador, 2016. HB.
Hendrik Groen, The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83¼ Years Old, translated by Hester Velmans. Michael Joseph, 2016. HB.
Saskia de Coster, We and Me, translated by Nancy Forest-Flier. World Editions, 2016. PB. Orders: Centraal Boekhuis.
Thomas Olde Heuvelt, Hex, translated by Nancy Forest-Flier. Tor Books, 2016. PB.
Guus Kuijer, The Bible for Unbelievers, translated by Laura Watkinson, Seven Stories Press, 2016. HB.
Ernest van der Kwast, The Ice-cream Makers, translated by Laura Vroomen. Scribe, 2016. PB. Orders: orders@gbs.tbs-ltd.co.uk
Tom Lanoye, Speechless, translated by Paul Vincent. World Editions, 2016. PB. Orders: Centraal Boekhuis.
Marente de Moor, The Dutch Maiden, translated by David Doherty. World Editions, 2016. PB. Orders: Centraal Boekhuis.
Christine Otten, The Last Poets, translated by Jonathan Reeder. World Editions, 2016. PB. Orders: Centraal Boekhuis.
Marion Pauw, Girl in the Dark, translated by Hester Velmans. William Morrow, 2016. HB.
Ida Simons, A Foolish Virgin (forthcoming), translated by Liz Waters. MacLehose Press, 2016. HB. Orders: Lottie.chase@quercusbooks.co.uk
Annelies Verbeke, Thirty Days, translated by Liz Waters. World Editions, 2016. PB. Orders: Centraal Boekhuis.
Tommy Wieringa, A Beautiful Young Wife, translated by Sam Garrett. Scribe, 2016. HB. Orders: orders@gbs.tbs-ltd.co.uk
Poetry
Paul van Ostaijen, Occupied City, translated by David Colmer. Smokestack Books, 2016. PB. Orders: info@smokestack-books.co.uk
Menno Wigman, Window-Cleaner Sees Paintings, translated by David Colmer. Arc Publications, 2016. PB & HB. Orders: sue.arc@btconnect.com (tel: +44 (0)1706 812338).
Comics and Graphic Novels
Brecht Evens, Panther, translated by Laura Watkinson & Michele Hutchison. Montréal: Drawn & Quarterly, 2016. HB.
Ben Gijsemans, Hubert, translated by Julia Blackburn, Sandra van Beek. Jonathan Cape. HB.
Aimee de Jongh, The Return of the Honey Buzzard (forthcoming), translated by Michele Hutchison. Self-Made Hero. HB.
Non-fiction
David van Reybrouck, Against Elections, translated by Liz Waters. The Bodley Head, 2016. PB.
Tijs Goldschmidt, The Other Left Side, translated by Sherry Marx . Seven Stories Press, 2016. HB.
Jaap Scholten, Comrade Baron, translated by Liz Waters. Arcadia, 2016. PB.
Rik Smits, Dawn, translated by Rik Smits. Transaction Publishers, 2016. HB, PB.
Eric Storm, The Discovery of El Greco, translated by Marjolijn de Jager. Sussex Academic Press, 2016. PB.
Children and Young Adults
Anna Woltz, A Hundred Hours of Night, translated by Laura Watkinson. Arthur A. Levine, 2016. HB.
Tom Schamp, Show & Tell Me The World, translated by Lauren Napier and Wolfgang Linneweber. Little Gestalten, 2016. HB.
Leo Timmers, Gus’s Garage, translated by James Brown. Gecko Press, 2016. Orders: www.bouncemarketing.co.uk
Edward van de Vendel, illustrated by Philip Hopman. A Dog like Sam, translated by David Colmer. Eerdmans, 2016. HB. Orders: sales@albanbooks.com
