Meulenhoff | Manteau

www.debezigebijantwerpen.be

2011-11-24T13:06:00.000+01:00

De uitgeverij Meulenhoff/Manteau heet vandaag De Bezige Bij Antwerpen, maar staat nog steeds garant voor boeken over de wereld van vandaag, in alle genres en met een brede kijk op de geschiedenis. Bezoek de actuele blog van De Bezige Bij Antwerpen!

The publishing house Meulenhoff/Manteau has changed its name to De Bezige Bij Antwerpen, but is still commited to creating books about today's world, in all genres and with a wide scoop on history. Visit the up-to-date blog of De Bezige Bij Antwerpen!

Paul Bogaert nominated for the VSB Poetry Prize

2010-11-17T09:24:00.000+01:00

The collection de Slalom soft, by Paul Bogaert, has been nominated for the VSB Poetry Prize, the most important poetry award in the Dutch-speaking countries. The prize will be awarded on 26 January 2011 in Utrecht.

de Slalom soft is a modern tragedy, written in free verse. Paul Bogaert places the modern working man under an inconveniently sharp fluorescent lamp light. In lyrical and sober poems, he sketches the experience of a tropical swimming paradise and the longing for success, the desire for ecstasy and the inevitable disappointment of its visitor.

Chika Unigwe nominated for the 2011 IMPAC Award

2010-11-15T16:19:00.001+01:00

Chika Unigwe's On Black Sisters' Street has been nominated for the International IMPAC DUBLIN Literature Award 2010.

This award is special for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the award of 100.000 euros. The nominations come from libraries rather than professional judges. Those libraries span the globe. And the award is open to (almost, there is a time restriction) all novels of high literary merit written in the English language, or written in any other language and published in English translation. The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award is the largest and most international prize of its kind. This year's edition features 162 novels. The shortlist will be made public on 12th April 2011 and the Lord Mayor of Dublin will announce the winner on 15th June. In 2010 Gerbrand Bakker won the award with his acclaimed novel The twin.

The English edition of On Black Sisters' Street is published by Vintage (the Dutch edition was published by Meulenhoff/Manteau in 2007). On Black Sisters' Street was hailed by The Guardian and The Dailiy Telegraph as one of this years' best novels.

Chika Unigwe's new novel, Nachtdanser (Night Dancer), will be released in January 2011. Night Dancer is set in Nigeria, a fascinating country and one of the most rapidly growing economies in the world. Tradition and progress stand face to face. All those contradictions meet in the big city of Enugu. The young girl, Mma, an orphan, is trying to make her way through life, which has not been merciful with her.

F. Bordewijk Award for De Bloemen (The Flowers) by Koen Peeters

2010-11-05T11:51:00.000+01:00

The F. Bordewijk Award 2010 goes to Koen Peeters for De Bloemen (The Flowers). The jury praises the novel that ‘carefully balances between restrained melancholy and sharp observations’. Earlier, De Bloemen has been longlisted for the AKO Literature Prize, to be awarded on Monday 8 November.

The F. Bordewijk Award is one of the most prestigious Dutch prose awards. It is awarded annually in The Hague by the Jan Campert foundation. Among others, Arnon Grunberg, Frans Kellendonk and Tommy Wieringa were honoured with the prize. Paul Verhaeghen received the award in 2005.

In De Bloemen, Koen Peeters tells us how the lives of grandfathers, fathers and sons can intertwine. He shows us how this world is made by man, and at the same time how little man is makeable himself.

Somewhere around the year 1900. Louis, the youngest member of a farm family is ten years old. He witnesses how his very best friend, a pig, is slaughtered. He instantly decides to sell butter and eggs when he grows up. Which he later does. Louis dreams of starting a big business, but that plan never happens. His son, René, is an exemplary student. He joins the youth movement and finally chooses the path of politics. After a political meeting, he is attacked and badly injured... The son of the third generation, the narrator of this story, starts looking for the traces his forefathers left behind. With De Bloemen, Koen Peeters reinvents the family novel. The result is a subtle as well as a moving story, where nostalgia is carried by the endearing sensitivity and alert intelligence of the writer.

Koen Peeters (1959) was awarded with the Nieuwe-Yang prize for his debut Conversaties met K. (Conversations with K.). Later, he wrote a.o. Bezoek onze kelders (Visit our cellars), De postbode (The postman) (NCR Prize), Het is niet ernstig, mon amour (It’s not serious, my love) (Literature Award of the Province of Flemish Brabant), Acacialaan (Acacia avenue) (longlist AKO Literature Prize), Mijnheer Sjamaan (Mr. Shaman) and the collection of poems Fijne motoriek (Fine motor skills). His highly acclaimed Grote Europese Roman (Great European Novel) was shortlisted for the Libris Literature Prize 2008 and was translated a.o. into Italian, Hungarian and Romanian. Koen Peeters is an editor with the literature magazine Dietsche Warande & Belfort.

Klett-Cotta acquired the e-book rights of Chika Unigwe’s Fata Morgana

2010-10-27T12:30:00.000+02:00

In September publishing house Klett-Cotta released Schwarze Schwestern, the German translation of Chika Unigwe’s Fata Morgana. Last week Klett-Cotta also acquired the e-book rights of this moving story of four African women in the red-light-district of Antwerp.

More information on www.klett-cotta.de/autoren

Antwerp Book Fair - debate on literature and interculturality

2010-10-26T13:00:00.000+02:00

Frankfurt 2010

2010-09-30T11:48:00.000+02:00

You'll find us at the fair in Hall 6 - B 958.

Please download our foreign rights catalogues on our site.

Van Den Broeck and Peeters longlisted for the AKO literature prize

2010-09-30T11:06:00.001+02:00

Return to Walden by Walter van den Broeck an The Flowers by Koen Peeters have been longlisted for the AKO literature prize. The shortlist will be made public on Friday, October 1.

Chika Unigwe on CNN

2010-09-30T10:29:00.000+02:00

Chika Unigwe made an appearance on iList (CNN), which had a special program on new faces in Nigerian literature:

'Among the new wave of literary talent are Chika Unigwe, an Afro-Belgian author who writes in both Dutch and English published her first English novel "On Black Sisters' Street" in the UK last year. It was described by Alistair Campbell, press secretary to the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, on Twitter as the "best novel so far read this summer."'

Klett-Cotta releases Chika Unigwe's 'Schwarze Schwestern'

2010-09-30T10:21:00.002+02:00

Earlier this month Klett-Cotta published the german translation of Chika Unigwe's Fata morgana was published by Klett-Cotta.

Here's an interview with Chika on FM4 (an Austrian national radiostation operated by the Austrian public service broadcaster ORF): http://fm4.orf.at/stories/1658901/

Also, a review in Titel Magazine.

Paul Verhaeghen sélectionné pour le 4e Prix du livre Européen

2010-09-30T10:08:00.000+02:00

Le roman Omega Minor de Paul Verhaeghen à été sélectionné pour le 4e prix du livre Européen.

Les livres sont soumis à un jury de journalistes, correspondants à Bruxelles des grands journaux européens, qui se trouve présidé cette année par le cinéaste et romancier allemand Volker Schlöndorff.

Le prix sera remis le 8 décembre au Parlement européen de Bruxelles en présence de son président Jerzy Buzek.

Pour en savoir plus: lisez cet article dans Le nouvel obs.

Une forme de vie, le nouveau roman d'Amélie Nothomb

2010-08-31T10:49:00.002+02:00

Een vorm van leven, la traduction néerlandaise du nouveau roman d'Amélie Nothomb sortira chez Meulenhoff / Manteau en octobre.

Tom Naegels' novel 'Cut loose' to be published in Hungarian

2010-08-16T11:38:00.001+02:00

Hungarian rights for Tom Naegels' novel Cut loose have been sold tot Silenos Publishers.

Chika Unigwe in The Independent

2010-08-16T10:22:00.000+02:00

On Friday 13th of August The Independent published a bit of unexpected praise: a tweet from Alistair Campbell on Chika Unigwe's On Black Sisters Street:

"Best novel so far read this summer - Black Sisters Street by Chika Unigwe. story of African sex workers in Antwerp. Strongly recommend

12:06 PM Aug 12th via web"

Standaard Uitgeverij et De Bezige Bij fondateurs d’une nouvelle maison d’édition: De Bezige Bij Antwerpen

2010-06-23T18:00:00.005+02:00

De Bezige Bij Antwerpen démarre ses activités le 1 janvier 2011.

De Bezige Bij et Standaard Uitgeverij ont pris l’initiative de fonder une nouvelle maison d’édition littéraire à Anvers.

Ainsi, le Weekbladpersgroep (WPG) réalise son ambition de jour un rôle de premier plan en Belgique en tant qu’éditeur d’œuvres de fiction littéraire et de non-fiction.

La nouvelle maison d’édition aura pour nom De Bezige Bij Antwerpen et offrira des œuvres littéraires et de non-fiction dans la région linguistique néerlandophone (Belgique et Pays-Bas). De Bezige Bij Antwerpen servira de port de salut pour écrivains et de centre de débat public. L'éditeur publiera toutes sortes de livres sur l'actualité, en portant une attention particulière à tous les aspects de l'histoire.

La nouvelle maison d’édition se fonde sur les fonds littéraires de De Bezige Bij et de Meulenhoff/Manteau. Cette dernière fera partie intégrante de De Bezige Bij Antwerpen à partir du 31 décembre.

De Bezige Bij Antwerpen sera dirigée par Robbert Ammerlaan (directeur-éditeur de De Bezige Bij) et Johan de Koning (directeur-éditeur de Standaard Uitgeverij). Harold Polis (éditeur Meulenhoff/Manteau) occupera la fonction d'éditeur de De Bezige Bij Antwerpen.

Le premier catalogue sera présenté au cours de l’automne 2010.

Standaard Uitgeverij and De Bezige Bij establish a new publishing house: De Bezige Bij Antwerpen

2010-06-23T18:00:00.004+02:00

De Bezige Bij Antwerpen opens its doors on January 1, 2011.

De Bezige Bij and Standaard Uitgeverij have taken the initiative to establish a new literary publishing house in Antwerp.

With the new publishing house, de Weekbladpersgroep (WPG) sees its goal achieved to occupy a prominent position in Belgium as a publisher of literary fiction and non-fiction.

The new publishing house will bear the name De Bezige Bij Antwerpen and will publish Dutch literary fiction and non-fiction in Belgium and the Netherlands. De Bezige Bij Antwerpen is going to be a haven for writers and a meeting point in the public debate. The new publishing house will publish books on the contemporary world, in all genres and with a broad view on history.

The selection offered by the new publishing house will be based on the catalogues of De Bezige Bij and Meulenhoff/Manteau, which will become an integral part of De Bezige Bij Antwerpen on December 31.

De Bezige Bij Antwerpen will be managed by Robbert Ammerlaan (manager-publisher of De Bezige Bij) and Johan de Koning (manager-publisher of Standaard Uitgeverij).

Harold Polis (publisher Meulenhoff/Manteau) will be the publisher of De Bezige Bij Antwerpen.

The first catalogue will be presented in autumn 2010.

Le Monde des Livres fait l'éloge d'OMEGA MINEUR (Paul Verhaeghen)

2010-06-11T11:18:00.001+02:00

Paul Benkimoun dans Le Monde de Livres (10 juin): 'Un roman monumental aux renversements vertigineux. Oméga mineur: une oeuvre qui s'impose par sa qualité littéraire et son sens de la construction.'

Pierre Assouline, le Magazine Littéraire et la France entière adorent OMEGA MINEUR de Paul Verhaeghen

2010-05-03T20:51:00.005+02:00

Pierre Assouline rend hommage au génie de Paul Verhaeghen (à lire sur son blog La république des livres):

"Voilà donc Oméga mineur écrit dans une langue chahutée par un scientifique azimuté, passionné de coïncidences jusqu’à en tirer des pages et des pages inattendues, qui lit à l’oreille et écrit pareillement. Idéal pour raconter la folie du siècle passé. C’est le genre de roman dont on ressort hébété, en se disant qu’on est loin d’avoir tout compris ni bien suivi. Ce qui est préférable à la lecture de ces romans tranquilles où tout arrive mais rien ne se passe, et dont on ressort dans l’état où l’on y était entré."

Que de louanges pour la traduction française d'Omega minor parue chez Le Cherche Midi; c'est aussi le cas dans Le Magazine Littéraire:

"On n’a pas tous les jours l’occasion de dégainer des références de ce calibre, alors allons-y : Oméga mineur de Paul Verhaeghen soutient la comparaison avec les romans de Don DeLillo (Outremonde), Richard Powers (The Gold Bug Variations) ou, plus lointainement, Thomas Pynchon (L’Arc-en-ciel de la gravité)."

Voir De Papieren Man pour un résumé des réactions dans les médias francophones.

Rachida Lamrabet publiée dans une anthologie marocaine

2010-04-30T13:04:00.002+02:00

Le soir, quotidien marocain d'information générale, sur Anthologie des écrivains marocains de l'émigration (Salim Jay, ed. - La Croisée des chemins, 2010):

"[...] Il y a une troisième catégorie d’auteurs dans le choix de Salim Jay: les auteurs d’origine marocaine appartenant aux «Immigrés de la deuxième génération», les enfants des MRE historiques. Plus nombreux, rebelles et ayant bénéficié des prestations de l’enseignement de leurs pays d’accueil, ils sont plus doués que leur parents. Mais on ne peut les considérer comme des auteurs marocains de l’émigration puisqu’ils sont nés dans leurs pays d’accueil et jouissent tous de la double-nationalité. Parmi ces auteurs, il y a des perles rares. Minna Sif en est une: Française de Corse, d’origine marocaine , au tempérament de feu et au style percutant, une rebelle qui a du talent et les scènes citées dans cette anthologie, où elle décrit son frère, arriviste, voulant à tout prix devenir un «pied blanc», sont un vrai morceau de bravoure. Il y a aussi de belles découvertes à faire, si ce n’est déjà fait, dans la bibliothèque naissante des enfants de la diaspora marocaine. D’abord les Néerlandais qui ont déjà fait parler d’eux dans leur pays d’adoption: Hafid Bouazza, Abdelkader Benali, Saïd El Haji. Ces auteurs, dont les deux premiers sont des espoirs de la littérature néerlandophone du XXIe et Rachida Lamrabet donnent une autre idée de la jeunesse marocaine vivant aux Pays-Bas. Il en va de même pour Najat El Hachimi qui a accédé à la notoriété dès son premier roman au titre superbe «Le Dernier patriarche» qui annonce une oeuvre prometteuse. On constate aussi l’absence de Marocains écrivant en italien. [...]"

De Stolp (The Bell): the new novel by Jeroen Theunissen

2010-04-07T11:24:00.000+02:00

(Jeroen Theunissen, seen by Koen Broos.)

De Stolp (The Bell): a novel about truth and fabrication, love and reality TV.

Most of us will remember the year 2003 because of the heat wave that struck Europe from July to September. It was also the year of ‘the bell’. This educational reality programme drew a record number of viewers in September and October. The fact that fifteen youngsters lived and played in a bell for six weeks created quite the controversy. What will youngsters do when they are locked up in a micro-world? How will they interact? What will be the first signs of tension between them? What will they share and what makes them different from one another? And who will win the first prize, an exotic trip? Jeroen Theunissen shows us what is going on in the heads of the contestants and the viewers. The book zaps from one person to another, creating a kaleidoscopic image of the game: fun at first, but gradually becoming more gruesome.

About Jeroen Theunissen’s work:

‘Sparkling prose that makes you wonder whether you should laugh or continue reading with a solemn look on your face.’
De Groene Amsterdammer

‘His books are written with great lucidity and charming intuition. They are all the more remarkable since Theunissen shows clear involvement in a very recognizable modern world.’
De Standaard

‘In Een Vorm van Vermoeidheid (Some Kind of Tiredness), Theunissen shows how literary seriousness can have it over facility.’
NRC Handelsblad

Terug naar Walden (Return to Walden) on Libris shortlist

2010-04-06T11:51:00.000+02:00

Money doesn’t make you happy, unless your name is Ruler Marsh. He is untouchable, a money-grubber in a merciless world. Ruler Marsh and his family once suffered grievous wrongs. Today, Ruler is old. He is also the richest man in the world and he takes revenge by making banks fall like dominoes. Until one day, he is the one to be undermined.

Ruler Marsh’s wanderings in Walter van den Broeck's Terug naar Walden (Return to Walden) have conquered a place among the last five nominees for the Libris Literature Award 2010.

The prize is awarded on 10 May at the Amstel Hotel in Amsterdam.

Walter van den Broeck is one of the main writers of the Dutch language. Last month, Meulenhoff
Manteau published a new, revised edition of his classic Brief aan Boudewijn (Letter to Baudouin).

The press on Terug naar Walden:

‘The first great novel about the crisis.’
De Standaard

‘Terug naar Walden is a highly imaginative mix of a heimat story, an adventure novel and dystopian literature. A wonderful book.’
Knack

Meulenhoff | Manteau acquiert les droits du roman 'L'enfant bleu' (Henry Bauchau)

2010-03-30T00:06:00.000+02:00

Kris Lauwerys traduira un deuxième roman de Bauchau en néerlandais: L'enfant bleu, paru en 2006 chez Actes Sud. Pour sa traduction du Boulevard Périphérique (Maalstroom) Lauwerys a reçu le prix Henry Bauchau (UCL). L'enfant bleu sortira chez Meulenhoff Manteau au printemps de 2011.

L'enfant bleu, c'est avant tout l'histoire de ce jeune garçon très particulier, Orion. Dans le Paris des années 70, Véronique, est psychothérapeute dans un 'hôpital de jour' qui accueille des enfants perturbés. Parmi eux, Orion, âgé de 13 ans, est psychotique et fait des crises très fréquentes. Intriguée par son imagination et sa capacité à entrer dans les histoires qu'elle lui raconte, Véronique tente de le libérer de ses démons en l'amenant vers le dessin et la sculpture où il semble avoir du talent et des facilités.

'Oui, je peux répondre franchement oui ! Je pense que c'est grâce à la blessure que j'ai ressentie à certains moments de ma vie que j'ai pu entendre les autres et les aider à supporter leur propre vie, et, pour certains à faire quelques pas de plus.' (Henry Bauchau dans Magazine Littéraire, 1 janvier 2005)

Duepunti publishes Grande romanzo europeo (Koen Peeters)

2010-03-29T23:20:00.000+02:00

'Mi piacerebbe scrivere questo romanzo come un sistema periodico. Come ha fatto Primo Levi: per ogni capitolo, un elemento chimico. Sì, ogni capitolo del mio romanzo deve essere centrato su una capitale, come se ogni capitale fosse un elemento chimico all’interno di un ingegnoso sistema-Bruxelles. Con personaggi che sono alla ricerca della passione divoratrice, piena di promesse, impaziente. Oppure spinti dal proprio passato personale, e, appunto per questo, saggi e tristi.'
Una geografia dell’anima che fa da sfondo alla ricerca di una inafferrabile felicità.

Due uomini d’affari, un giovane inquieto e un vecchio dal passato ingombrante, ci proiettano in un mondo fatto di terminal aereoportuali, corridoi, centri commerciali, uffici e grattacieli. Persi nella babele delle lingue, tra la folla di uomini e cose sconosciuti che restano stranieri, proviamo la sensazione di essere parte di un unico grande intrigo di segreti inconfessabili.

A paraître (début avril) chez Le Cherche Midi: OMEGA MINEUR

2010-03-03T12:37:00.001+01:00

Roman épique plongé dans le bain acide du XXe siècle et de ses horreurs, Oméga mineur, a reçu le prestigieux Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. C'est incontestablement l'une des révélations romanesques les plus fortes de ces dix dernières années.

'Un roman comme il n'en paraît que tous les dix ans. S'il fallait chercher une comparaison, on pourrait citer Outremonde de Don DeLillo ou L'Arc-en-ciel de la gravité de Thomas Pynchon.' Boyd Tonkin

Traduit par Claro. Le roman paraîtra chez Le Cherche Midi dans la collection Lot 49.

Rudi Vranckx shortlisted for the M.J. Brusse-prize 2010

2010-03-02T16:38:00.000+01:00

Voices from the war (Stemmen uit de oorlog) has been shortlisted for the M.J. Brusse-prize 2010. In this acclaimed book warreporter and historian Rudi Vranckx tells the story of Iraqi friends and colleagues during the war.

The prestigious M.J. Brusse-prize is awarded by the Dutch Fonds Bijzondere Journalistieke Projecten (Dutch fund for investigative journalism and special research projects).

The winner will be made public in Amsterdam, at Spui 25, March 30th.

Die Zeit praises Rachida Lamrabet

2010-02-22T11:18:00.000+01:00

'An interesting new voice in European literature.' Elisabeth Knoblauch's review of Frauenland in Die Zeit hails Rachida Lamrabet as a skillful and daring literary author tackling the big themes of contemporary life in Europe.

Read this review in full.

Heike Baryga translated Rachida Lamrabet's acclaimed debut. The German translation is published by Luchterhand in their collection 'Sammlung Luchterhand'.

'Bitte mehr davon!' (Afrikaroman.de)

'Rachida Lamrabet macht ein gebrochenes Versprechen zum Ausgangspunkt der Identitätssuche einer jungen Frau.' (Die Presse)

'So nah und doch so fern: Belgien und Marokko.' (Berliner Morgenpost)

Great European Novel (Koen Peeters) in Slovenian

2010-02-22T10:36:00.000+01:00

Modrijan has released the Slovenian translation of Koen Peeters' Great European Novel.

Rudi Vranckx nominated for the M.J. Brusse-prize 2010

2010-02-15T12:39:00.000+01:00

Voices from the war (Stemmen uit de oorlog) has been nominated for the M.J. Brusse-prize 2010. In this acclaimed book warreporter and historian Rudi Vranckx tells the story of Iraqi friends and colleagues during the war.

Rudi Vranckx is one of Belgiums best known tv-journalists. For the last 20 odd years he has covered the major armed conflicts in Europe and the Middle East. He works with the public broadcasting network VRT and has published three books on the conflict in the Middle East.

Last year Voices from the war was also nominated for the Bob den Uyl price 2009.

The prestigious M.J. Brusse-prize is awarded by the Dutch Fonds Bijzondere Journalistieke Projecten (Dutch fund for investigative journalism and special research projects).

Medieval helpdesk with English subtitles

2010-02-15T09:35:00.000+01:00

(Thanks to Walter VdB.)

Jeroen Olyslaegers’ novel WIJ to the silver screen

2010-02-09T09:32:00.000+01:00

Last March, we enjoyed the novel WIJ (WE) by Jeroen Olyslaegers (photo by Koen Broos). With this amazing novel, Jeroen Olyslaegers definitely made his comeback to literature. The novel was very well received. HUMO wrote: ‘With his style, themes and narrative force, Olyslaegers is a worthy bastard son of the great Hugo Claus. WIJ is a gift to both Dutch and Flemish literature.’

Menuet, Dirk Impens’ film production company, has taken an option on the film rights to WIJ. In the past, Dirk Impens has already produced important cinema versions of Flemish novels: Daens, Villa des Roses, Alles moet weg and De helaasheid der dingen.

The option on the film rights is a new success for WIJ and for Meulenhoff Manteau. Last year, the Slovenian translation rights to the novel were sold. Today, WIJ is still a nominee for the Gerard Walschap Literature Award 2010. And as of 14 February, Jeroen Olyslaegers will participate in Chagrin d’Amour, the annual event of the Flemish art centre Behoud de Begeerte.

Vers voor de pers - Amsterdam, February 1

2010-02-02T00:24:00.001+01:00

Publisher Harold Polis and sales rep Marjolein van Ziel wearing a sweater with Meulenhoff | Manteau's tagline: real books, real writers, real readers. The second photo shows Marjolein and press&publicity wizzard Remco Volkers. In between Remco and Marjolein: the cover of Jeroen Theunissen's forthcoming novel The Bell (De stolp).

Paul Bogaert awarded with the Herman de Coninck poetry prize 2010

2010-01-27T09:06:00.001+01:00

On 28 January, Paul Bogaert receives the prestigious Herman de Coninck poetry prize 2010 for his collection de Slalom soft (the Slalom soft). Bogaert’s de Slalom soft is one of the best longer poems to enrich Dutch and Flemish literature in recent years.

In Trouw, Erik Jan Harmens wrote the following about the collection. 'All day long, we receive information that doesn’t tell us anything new and entertainment that doesn’t entertain. [...] It’s about time a poet draws attention to this. And that is exactly what Paul Bogaert does in his fourth collection de Slalom soft. The wallpaper music in public spaces is called ‘a track of muzak’, a ‘non-stop shuffle’ and ‘something thin that pours out of the speakers’. To the person making the public announcements on the intercom, the poet hisses in a somewhat cryptic way: ‘Where’s the voice saying “Move along”? “Be happy”?’ I believe he means that in an airport you’re not only told to mind the step after the escalator. At the same time, your pathetic life and never realized dreams are pointed out to you. And then there’s the profusion of signposts, which Bogaert puts into words as follows: “Next to the entrance, there’s an arrow pointing in the direction of the entrance”. [...] For a large part, the poetry in de Slalom soft is written with words I constantly hear around me but which I never thought to be worthy of being used in poems. [...] Despite the fact that, when reading the collection, you never know what it’s really about, the language is addictive. [...] Bogaert shows us hell. Or worse, he shows us the world in which we live.'

Paul Bogaert (Brussels, 1968) also published the collections WELCOME HYGIENE (1996), Circulaire systemen (Circular systems) (2002) and AUB (PLEASE) (2006). In 2008, he also wrote the National Poetry Day essay Verwondingen (Injuries). In that same year, AUB was nominated for the Vlaamse Cultuurprijs voor Poëzie (Flemish Culture Prize for Poetry) which is awarded every three years.

Last year, the Herman de Coninck Award also went to a writer of the Meulenhoff
Manteau publishing house: Willem van Zadelhoff. Click here for more information about the Herman de Coninck Award (Dutch only).

Return to Walden: nominated for the Libris Literature Prize

2010-01-27T09:06:00.000+01:00

Walter van den Broeck's daring novel Return to Walden (Terug naar Walden) has been nominated for the prestigious Libris Literature Prize 2010.

Return to Walden is a fantastic story about robbery, love and the spirit of Frederik van Eeden/Henry David Thoreau. An unapproachable money-grubber takes revenge on the world by making banks fall like dominoes. Until he is brought to his knees and leaves everything behind.

La terre promise: parution du traduction française

2010-01-27T09:05:00.000+01:00

Chez les éditions Le Castor Astral paraîtra le 4 février La terre promise. Flamands en Wallonie, l’essai qu’a consacré le journaliste flamand Pascal Verbeken à la Wallonie d’aujourd’hui et au demi-million de Flamands qui y ont émigré au XIXe et au XXe siècle. Arm Wallonië a été traduit du néerlandais par Marie-Laure Vignaux. L'édition du Castor Astral contient une préface de Geert van Istendael.

En annexe à ce texte exceptionnel, le lecteur découvrira des extraits choisis de l’ouvrage qui l’a inspiré, à savoir À travers les Flandres, le classique d’Auguste de Winne, paru en 1902, depuis longtemps introuvable dans sa version originale française.

La terre promise a été portée à l’écran sous le même titre par Pascal Verbeken et Luckas Vander Taelen. Ce film, produit par la VRT et la RTBF, a été diffusé en janvier par Canvas et le sera prochainement par la RTBF.

Pascal Verbeken à La Louvière

2010-01-11T09:10:00.001+01:00

Le Centre d'Animation en Langues organise une rencontre débat avec Pascal Verbeken (La terre promise) le mercredi 13 janvier à La Louvière.

Rendez-vous à la Place Mansart, Maison des Associations, 18h30.

Plus d'info sur le site http://www.animationlangues.be/

The promised land - La terre promise - Arm Wallonië: the site

2009-12-16T17:12:00.000+01:00

Check out http://www.armwallonie.be/.

This site gives a lot of background concerning Pascal Verbeken's book The promised land and the tv-adaptation which will be aired on Canvas on January 5.

Don't miss the trailer.

Paul Bogaert nominated for the Herman De Coninck poetry prize

2009-12-16T15:05:00.000+01:00

Paul Bogaert's De Slalom Soft has made the shortlist of the Herman De Coninck poetry prize. The winner of this prize will be made made public on January 26th.

La terre promise. Flamands en Wallonie: enfin la traduction française et la documentaire sur Canvas/RTBF

2009-12-08T17:22:00.007+01:00

La Terre Promise-Arm Wallonië (une production Off World) est un voyage captivant dans le passé flamand de la Wallonie: dans L’histoire des 500.000 migrants flamands qui ont jadis fui la pauvreté de leur région pour rechercher une vie meilleure en Wallonie, l’eldorado industriel développé. C’est en même temps un portrait de la Wallonie d’aujourd’hui : qu’est-il advenu de la terre promise?

Sur Canvas à partir du 5 janvier 2010, vers 22.00 heures.

La Terre Promise-Arm Wallonië est basée sur Arm Wallonië. Een reis naar het beloofde land (Meulenhoff Manteau , 2007) de Pascal Verbeken, le livre pour lequel il a obtenu l'année passée le prix M.J. Brusse (attribué par le Fonds Bijzondere Journalistieke Projecten).

La traduction française (d'Anne-Laure Vignaux) sera publiée par Le Castor Astral en décembre.

L'image fabuleuse de Marchienne-au-Pont vient du photographe Pierre-Yves Dallenogare (son photoblog est vraiment spécial: lumiereaupaysnoir.hautetfort.com).

Chika Unigwe's ON BLACK SISTERS' STREET: one of the Daily Telegraph's Books of the Year 2009

2009-12-07T11:06:00.000+01:00

Aminatta Forna in the Sunday Telegraph (6 December 2009), 'Books of the Year'

'2009 has been a harvest year for writing by African-born authors. On Black Sisters’ Street (Jonathan Cape), Chika Unigwe’s brilliant debut, interweaves narratives and timelines to tell the story of a murdered prostitute.'

Gie van den Berghe nominated for the Liberales prize

2009-12-03T10:56:00.001+01:00

Gie van den Berghe's De mens voorbij. Vooruitgang en maakbaarheid. 1650-2050 (Beyond mankind. Progress and feasability 1650-2050) has been shortlisted for the Liberales prize. Liberales is an independent Belgian think thank within the liberal movement. The winner of the prize is to be announced on December 10.

Belgian historical ethicist Gie van den Berghe (1945) obtained his doctorate at the University of Ghent with a thesis on the Nazi camps. This resulted in the book Met de dood voor ogen. In November 2009 Beyond mankind was published by Meulenhoff Manteau. Beyond mankind is a quintessential book about the pros and cons of the Western ideologies after the historical Enlightenment.

Here's an interview with Gie van den Berghe (downloaded from eurosoldier.org):

Henry Bauchau and Johan de Boose nominated for the Groene Waterman Literature Prize 2009

2009-12-02T12:52:00.000+01:00

The novel Maalstroom by Henry Bauchau (translated by Kris Lauwerys) and The Puppeteer and the She Devil by Johan de Boose have been nominated for the Groene Waterman Literature Prize 2009.

Rodaan Al Galidi's new novel: The Autist and the Homing Pigeon

2009-11-24T11:41:00.010+01:00

At the age of seventeen, Janine got pregnant at a party in a shed. An accident. ‘The sex wasn’t unsafe,’ she always says, ‘just unpleasant’. Her son Gareth is an autistic genius. As her parent are extremely religious and she doesn’t know – or want to know – which of the boys in the shed was the father, she feels she has to be mother, father, grandmother, grandfather and an entire family for her child. Genius Gareth doesn’t realise he is an anchor for the ship that is her life. When his mother asks him if he is going to find a bedsit, he asks, surprised, ‘Is a bedsit big enough for both of us?’ The son doesn’t let go of the mother. His possession of Janine lasts thirty-seven years.
She works in the charity shop opposite where they live, where Gareth spends his evenings and days off. When Gareth becomes a famous violin maker, Janine tells him it’s time he left home. In his new house, where a pigeon fancier lived before him, a homing pigeon opens up the world for Gareth.
Every time Gareth advertises the cock-pigeon on the Internet, free of charge if you come and get him, he comes back, and so he keeps meeting new people. To make sure the pigeon doesn’t come back, he even takes it to the most southerly point of the country. But he comes back and changes Gareth’s life forever.

Kris Lauwerys: Prix Henry Bauchau 2009

2009-11-23T14:19:00.007+01:00

(Henry Bauchau: "La traduction de Kris Lauwerys est de bonne qualité.")

Le Fonds Henry Bauchau (UCL) a la volonté de faire vivre l'oeuvre d'Henry Bauchau en accueillant des doctorants ou en encourageant la sortie de publications sur l’auteur. Pour preuve, l’UCL décernera le 12 décembre 2009 prochain son premier Prix Henry Bauchau à Kris Lauwerys. Ce traducteur est le premier à avoir traduit un roman de l’écrivain belge en néerlandais.

L’UCL lance le Prix Henry Bauchau pour récompenser tout travail de recherche ou de création relatif à l'œuvre de l’écrivain belge. C’est le traducteur anversois Kris Lauwerys qui a obtenu l’assentiment du jury, pour Maalstroom (éditions Meulenhoff Manteau), traduction néerlandaise du Boulevard périphérique (Prix Inter 2008). Il s’agit là de la première traduction d’un roman d’Henry Bauchau dans la langue de Vondel, alors que son œuvre était déjà traduite dans la plupart des langues européennes, ainsi qu’en chinois et japonais. Kris Lauwerys recevra, le 12 décembre prochain, un chèque de 1000 €, destiné à l’inciter à poursuivre ses travaux autour de l’œuvre de Bauchau.

A l’annonce du verdict, Henry Bauchau s’est montré ravi : "La traduction est de bonne qualité, ce qui compte tellement. J’espère que cela va permettre à mon travail de passer la barrière de la frontière linguistique."

Soirée Henry Bauchau à Bruxelles

2009-10-19T13:34:00.002+02:00

Het Beschrijf et Meulenhoff|Manteau présentent: Autour de Henry Bauchau

20 octobre - 20.00 hrs

Het beschrijf - Passa Porta - Antoine Dansaertstraat 46 - 1000 Brussel

Soirée bilingue consacrée à l'oeuvre de Henry Bauchau (Malines, 1913), l'un des écrivains belges francohones les plus importants de l'après-guerre. A l'occasion de la traduction néerlandaise de son dernier roman Le boulevard périphérique (Prix du Livre Inter 2008). Avec Myriam Watthee-Delmotte (Fonds Henry Bauchau, UCL), le traducteur Kris Lauwerys, son confrère Rokus Hofstede et l'éditeur flamand Harold Polis.

Chika Unigwe's Fata Morgana Sold to Hungary

2009-10-12T15:51:00.002+02:00

The young and enterprising publishing company Nyitott Konyvmuhely has acquired the Hungarian rights for the novel Fata Morgana by Chika Unigwe. This moving story of four African women in the red-light-district of Antwerp was previously released at Neri Pozza in Italy and Jonathan Cape in the USA.

Chika Unigwe on tour in the UK

2009-10-12T14:44:00.006+02:00

Chika Unigwe tours the UK celebrating the 10th anniversery of the Caine Prize for African Writing. Unigwe was shortlisted in 2004. Africa’s highest literary reward - known as the African Booker has bolstered and launched the careers of a number of many of Africa’s best young writers.

The seven date UK-wide tour is supported by Arts Council England. It also features Caine Prize winners and short listed authors Brian Chikwava (winner 2004), Binyavanga Wainaina (winner 2002) and EC Osondu (winner 2009).

Sat 10th October - British Library
Sun 11th October 12-1pm - Cheltenham Literature Festival, The Inkpot
Tues 13th October 6pm - University of Kent, Grimond Lecture theatre 3, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NF
Book: english-office@kent.ac.uk
Thurs 15th October 6.30pm
Chika Unigwe, Brian Chikwava and Binyavanga Wainaina
University of East Anglia, The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich, NR4 7TJ
Booking: caineprizereadings@uea.ac.uk
Friday 16th October 7.30pmChika Unigwe, Brian Chikwava and EC Osondu chaired by Nii Ayikwei Parkes
Ilkley Literature Festival, Ilkley Playhouse, Wildman. LS29 9DT
Box Office: 01943 816 714
Saturday 17th October 7pmChika Unigwe, Brian Chikwava and EC Osondu chaired by Laura Fish
Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts, Newcastle University, Culture Lab, NE1 7RU
Box Office: 0191 222 7619
Monday 19th October 8pmChika Unigwe & EC Osondu chaired by Graham Mort
Lancaster Lit Fest, Storey Auditorium, House Lane, LA1 1TH
Box Office: 01524 582 394
Wednesday 28 October 7pmBrian Chikwava and Dr Mpalive Msiska
Brixton Library, Brixton Oval. SW2 1JQ.
Email: blackhistorymonth@lambeth.gov.uk

More information can be found at the Caine Prize Tour’s facebook page.

Koen Peeters en français

2009-10-12T14:20:00.003+02:00

Des extraits du Grand Roman Européen de Koen Peeters ont étés traduits en français et publiés dans la revue Septentrion (2009/3).

Meulenhoff | Manteau at La Triennale in Milan

2009-09-30T14:32:00.013+02:00

The jury of the Top Selections Award has selected 4 last stories by JMH Berckmans (designed by Gert Dooreman and typeset by Jozias Boone) as one of the five best projects in the Publishing Soft Cover Category. The book will be shown at an exhibition in La Triennale in Milan, the temple of Italian design. The exhibition runs from 26 October until 1 November.

The cover of 4 last stories was printed on Tintoretto Ceylon 250 grs (manufactured by Fedrigoni).

For more information: www.paperideas.it

Rachida Lamrabet en français

2009-09-30T14:09:00.006+02:00

Rachida Lamrabet fait partie du groupe d'écrivains choisis et présentés par Abdellah Taïa dans Lettres à un jeune marocain (Seuil). Le livre a été offert aux lecteurs de TelQuel, l'hebdomadaire marocain le plus important.

Willy Linthout's Years of the elephant

2009-09-17T11:53:00.002+02:00

Years of the Elephant, an autobiographical graphic novel by Belgian artist Willy Linthout has been released by Fanfare/Ponent Mon. Earlier this month the Dutch edition was published by Meulenhoff|Manteau.

Frankfurt 2009

2009-09-15T11:05:00.004+02:00

Standaard Publishing Company (Standaard Uitgeverij, Manteau, Meulenhoff|Manteau) celebrates its 90th anniversery.
You will be most welcome to join us on:
Frankfurt Book Fair
Thursday 15 October from 4 pm
Hall 6.0 - B942

TLS praises Chika Unigwe

2009-09-15T10:52:00.003+02:00

In The Times Literary Supplement (September 11) Zoe Norridge praises On Black Sister's Street (Cape), the English edition of Chika Unigwe's novel Fata Morgana: 'On Black Sister's Street is a pleasure to read: fast-paced, lucidly structured and colourful. Deftly exploring issues of gender, exploitation, asylum and plain old universal hope. Chika Unigwe offers the reader a look inside the lives of women who might otherwise out of reach, on display.'

Jeroen Olyslaegers goes English

2009-09-15T10:42:00.001+02:00

Check out this radio book by Jeroen Olyslaegers: 'God is quick to punish', translated by Michael O'Loughlin.

German rights A child of God (Rachida Lamrabet) sold

2009-08-18T13:20:00.005+02:00

(Rachida Lamrabet as seen by photographer Koen Broos.)

The prestigious Luchterhand Literaturverlag (Random House) has acquired the German rights of the book A child of God (Een kind van God) by the award-winning Rachida Lamrabet.

In A child of God Rachida tells ordinary stories about extraordinary people. They cross each other on the bus, in an old people’s home or at a wedding. After briefly meeting they continue their own story. In this surprising book you can feel the heartbeat of countless stories that pass us by and of which we can only assume their existence. Courageously and passionately, Lamrabet wrote a chronicle of joy, atrocity and the unpredictable fate in the metropolis. She writes right from the shoulder. The amazement in these stories evokes an electrifying tension. The atmosphere invoked by Lamrabet, holds fathers who struggle with themselves and a mother who fights with all her heart and soul for her child. The next generation tries to draw a better life from insecurity, ambivalence and humour.

Last year, Luchterhand acquired the rights of Woman Country (Vrouwland), the debut by Rachida Lamrabet. The German translation Frauland will be published in January 2010.

In January, Rachida Lamrabet won the BNG Literature Award for A Child of God. The jury was of the opinion that: "with guts and passion, Lamrabet has written a chronicle of the joy, the horrors and the unpredictable destiny in the city. The astonishment in these stories creates an electrifying tension".

Slovenian rights We (Jeroen Olyslaegers) sold

2009-08-18T13:08:00.003+02:00

(Jeroen Olyslaegers, author of the novel We, as seen by photographer Koen Broos.)

Slovenian rights for Jeroen Olyslaegers breathtaking novel We have been sold to Modrijan Publishers. Modrijan has published a.o. Hugo Claus in Slovenian. With We, Jeroen Olyslaegers has written a masterpiece about friendship and treason. We is one of this year's most exciting novels published in Dutch. Humo called Olyslaegers 'a worthy bastard son of the great Hugo Claus': 'We is his gift to Dutch literature.'

Italian rights Great European Novel (Koen Peeters) sold

2009-07-06T17:10:00.006+02:00

(Koen Peeters as seen by photographer Koen Broos.)

Italian rights for Great European Novel (Koen Peeters) are sold to Due Punti Edizioni. This independent Italian publisher has an interesting list, reaching from Le Clézio to Alfred Jarry, Jacques Vaché and Boris Vian.

Great European Novel by Koen Peeters was shortlisted for the Libris Literature Prize 2008 and longlisted for the Gouden Uil Literature Prize 2008. The novel has as many chapters as there are European capital cities. It's a biting quest for personal happiness and a quest for the European soul. Bulgarian, Hungarian and Slovenian translations of Great European Novel are upcoming. Don't miss Koen Peeters' precious new novel, The Flowers, which will be published in September.

Banipal publishes Rachida Lamrabet and Rodaan Al Galidi

2009-07-06T16:51:00.004+02:00

The theme of 35th issue of Banipal. Magazine of modern Arab literature is 'writing in Dutch'. The magazine features fragments from Rachida Lamrabet's novel Woman country and from Rodaan Al Galidi's novel Thirsty river.

Banipal is an independent literary magazine, based in London, publishing contemporary authors and poets from all over the Arab world in English translation. It's a magazine for lovers of literature, of world literature, to encourage a wider readership of Arab writers and poets for their own sake, and for both the particularity and the universality of their voices.

Chika Unigwe interviewed by the BBC World Service

2009-07-06T10:04:00.001+02:00

The Strand (BBC World Service) talks to Chika Unigwe about her latest novel On Black Sisters' Street. Telling the hidden stories of four female prostitutes who have made their way from Africa to make money in Belgium, Chika will be explaining the inspiration behind the novel and why she found the experience of writing about these women liberating.

Check out the audiostream of the program Friday Strand.

The Independent praises Chika Unigwe

2009-07-03T13:06:00.005+02:00

In The Independent (Friday, 3 July 2009) Bernadine Evaristo praises on On Black Sisters' Street (Jonathan Cape), the English version of Chika Unigwe's second novel Fata Morgana:
"Not many novelists would wander around the seedy red-light district of Antwerp in a mini-skirt and thigh-high boots to carry out research. But this is what Nigerian writer Chika Unigwe did for her novel about the lives of African sex workers in the Belgian city. She also spent time persuading these women to share their stories."

"Her diligence has paid off. On Black Sisters' Street is a probing and unsettling exploration of the many factors that lead African women into prostitution in Europe, and it pulls no punches about the sordid nature of the job. [...]"

"This is an important and accomplished novel that leaves a strong aftertaste. Unigwe gives voice to those who are voiceless, fleshes out the stories of those who offer themselves as meat for sale, and bestows dignity on those who are stripped off it."

Rodaan Al Galidi and Marc Reugebrink nominated for the Gerard Walschap-Literature Prize

2009-06-23T16:23:00.001+02:00

Rodaan Al Galidi’s Thirsty river and Marc Reugebrink’s The Big Delay are two of the nominees of this year’s Gerard Walschap-Literature Prize. The prize is meant to encourage young Dutch-speaking authors. Winner is to be announced this fall.

Earlier this year Al Galidi’s Thirsty river was the runner up for the BNG New Literature Prize. Reugebrink’s The Big Delay was the winner of the Gouden Uil Literature Prize 2008 and longlisted for the AKO Literature Prize.

The English translation of Thirsty River will be published by Aflame Books coming October. In September Meulenhoff | Manteau publishes new and exciting work by Rodaan Al Galidi, The autist and the dove.

Marc Reugebrink is working on a new novel, which is expected in 2010.

Marc Reugebrink in French: Le Grand Retard

2009-06-23T16:19:00.003+02:00

Septentrion (revue pour les arts, lettres et culture de Flandre et des Pays-Bas) publishes a French sample translation of Marc Reugebrink’s awardwinning novel The Big Delay. Translator Charles Franken calls the novel ‘une description passionnante de la poursuite d’idéaux exaltés et de leur ruine’. Check also the Septentrion blog (in French).

Koen Peeters in Czech: Velký evropský román

2009-06-23T15:19:00.003+02:00

Czech literary magazin Plav publishes a Czech sample translation of Koen Peeters’ Great European Novel. Translator Martina Loučková has also written a brief introduction to Peeters’ work. The special Belgian issue of Plav is devoted both to French- and Dutch-speaking authors like William Cliff, Paul Willems, Henri Michaux, Tom Lanoye en Bart Moeyaert.

Bulgarian, Hungarian and Slovenian translations of Great European Novel are upcoming. Don't miss Koen Peeters' precious new novel, The Flowers, which will be published in September.

Ruth Lasters wins the poetry debut prize Het Liegend Konijn

2009-06-04T17:01:00.007+02:00

(Ruth Lasters as seen by Koen Broos.)

The debut prize Het Liegend Konijn 2009 goes to Folding plans (Vouwplannen) by Ruth Lasters. This prize is granted every two years for the best Dutch poetry debut. It's a cash award of 2.500 euro. In addition to the money Vouwplannen will be translated into French, German and English.

It's the second prize for young Flemish author Ruth Lasters, one of the major talents of contemporary Dutch literature. In 2007 she won Flemish Debut Prize for her novel Polar ice.

We have an English sample translation from Polar Ice available.
Click here for Ruth Lasters' site.
Click here for more info on the debut prize Het Liegend Konijn

Un livre exeptionnel sur les enfants de guerre 1940-1945

2009-05-20T10:58:00.008+02:00

Fin septembre paraîtra chez Meulenhoff | Manteau un livre très attendu, écrit par Gerlinda Swillen: Koekoekskind. Door de vijand verwekt 1940-1945 (Père: ennemi. Enfants de guerre 1940-1945).

Gerlinda Swillen présente ici son livre inoubliable:

"'Enfants de guerre'. Tel est le nom choisi par les historiens pour ces enfants, nés entre 1940 et 1945 de relations entre des femmes des pays occupés par le Reich et des soldats allemands. Pour la Belgique, l’histoire de ces enfants n’a pas encore été faite. Pourtant par extrapolation, il s’agirait au moins de 20 000 naissances. La recherche a été amorcée en septembre 2007 par la consultation des archives allemandes du CEGES (Bruxelles). En juin 2008 suivait un appel à témoins via les médias dans les trois langues nationales (néerlandais, français et allemand). Jusqu’à présent 70 témoignages ont été enregistrés. Quoique mon choix se soit porté sur les 'enfants' (aujourd’hui sexagénaires), quelques mères ont bien voulu témoigner.

Qui étaient ces femmes et ces hommes qui se rencontraient et étaient prêts à avoir des relations sexuelles et de courir le risque d’avoir des enfants? Où se voyaient-ils? Dans quelles conditions? Quels étaient leurs mobiles? Pourquoi n’utilisaient-ils pas de moyens de contraception ou recouraient-ils à des moyens inefficaces? Autant de questions auxquelles j’essaie de répondre dans Père: ennemi.

Lorsque l’enfant paraît, la famille ne se réjouit pas nécessairement. Certaines femmes enceintes auront eu de grandes difficultés à trouver un endroit pour accoucher. Que fera la mère après la naissance de l’enfant: comment le nourrir, qui le gardera? Ainsi commence cette histoire, rarement simple, voire heureuse. Elle se complique suite aux décisions et législations nationales et à celles de l’occupant allemand, ainsi que par une politique de natalité raciste de la part du régime nazi. En Belgique s’y ajoute le piment des communautés flamande, wallonne/francophone et celles, germanophones, des 'cantons rédimés' (Eupen, Malmedy) avec les dix communes de La Calamine. Une réalité que mes 70 témoins illustrent ici.

Mais quel sera le sort de ces enfants lors de la libération de la Belgique en 1944? Les familles belges ont fait preuve de beaucoup d’ingéniosité dans pas mal de cas, pour protéger ces petits et leurs mères frappés par l’opprobre de la collaboration. Les stratégies de survie ont été multiples, mais malheureusement elles ont marqué la plupart de ces enfants, qui vivent souvent encore aujourd’hui dans le silence des familles, dans les secrets de famille. L’historien joue ici un rôle important en s’attaquant à ce tabou et en leur donnant droit à la parole. Les enfants de guerre qui ont voulu témoigner, parlent tous d’une chape de plomb qui est enfin levée…

L’approche thématique des interviews des enfants de guerre permet de dépasser le niveau de la confession et celui de la confidence. Les enfants de guerre belges prennent ainsi pour la première fois place dans l’ histoire de la seconde guerre mondiale et parmi les autres enfants de guerre européens."

coming soon, the new Walter van den Broeck: Return to Walden

2009-05-18T16:36:00.005+02:00

If you could turn back time, where would you like to be?

In September, Meulenhoff | Manteau will publish the novel Terug naar Walden (Return to Walden) by Walter van den Broeck: a fantastic story about robbery, love and the spirit of Frederik van Eeden/Henry David Thoreau. An unapproachable money-grubber takes revenge on the world by making banks fall like dominoes. Until he is brought to his knees and leaves everything behind.
Any resemblance to KBC, Dexia, Fortis and their former managers is purely coincidental. But the timing to publish a novel like Terug naar Walden (Return to Walden) couldn’t be more perfect.

Meulenhoff | Manteau welcomes Walter van den Broeck

2009-05-18T16:17:00.003+02:00

(Walter van den Broeck as seen by photographer Koen Broos.)

With his novel, Return to Walden, Walter van den Broeck returns to the publishing house where he started his career as a writer in 1968. Other titles from his vast body of work, published by De Bezige Bij, will now also be published by Meulenhoff | Manteau. More about those new editions later…

For Walter van den Broeck, the switch to Meulenhoff | Manteau is a logical choice: ‘I always have been of the opinion that Flemish writers should publish their work in Flanders. That is why, for many years, I have rejected many a tempting offer that was supposed to lure me to the Netherlands. Manteau was my home. In 1986, the company went through a tough crisis, which forced me to go north. There simply weren’t any more Flemish publishing houses back then. But I kept repeating that I wasn’t happy about it. With the creation of the publishing house Meulenhoff | Manteau, nothing could stop me from returning home.’

Publisher Harold Polis: ‘I grew up reading his books and now I can publish them myself. When you absolutely love literature, it’s a magical experience. I think Walter van den Broeck is one of the greatest writers ever. There are many affinities with other writers in the Meulenhoff | Manteau fund. For the last six years, we have all been working on a successful literary fund, with many new names, beautiful books, awards and modern-day classics. With Walter van den Broeck coming back home, we will continue our work with even more ambition, curiosity and love. Furthermore, to my knowledge, Walter is the only European writer to master mirror-writing. Could come in handy in our business…’

Walter van den Broeck is one of the most important writers in post-war Dutch literature. He has written an impressive series of novels about us, about who we are and what we want. In Dutch literature, his tetralogy Het beleg van Laken (The Siege of Laken) is just as important as Het verdriet van België (The Sorrow of Belgium) by Hugo Claus and De Kapellekensbaan (Chapel Road)/Zomer te Ter-Muren (Summer in Ter-Muren) by Louis Paul Boon. His successful novels and stage plays have been awarded with numerous prizes and honours and were adapted for film. His latest novel, De veilingmeester (The Auctioneer), has been selected for the AKO Literature Award 2007 longlist and for the Gouden Uil 2008 longlist.

We: a literary masterpiece about friendship and treason

2009-05-18T16:01:00.005+02:00

(Jeroen Olyslaegers, author of the novel We, as seen by photographer Koen Broos.)

“Olyslaegers has elevated his fantastic novel to a universal level: it’s the story of nationalism, of the sadism in every we-feeling, the grim excrescences of group thinking in all its possible forms. And of the fascist little corporal hidden inside every single one of us. Olyslaegers is a worthy bastard son of the great Hugo Claus. And We is his gift to Dutch literature.”
Humo

With We, Jeroen Olyslaegers has written a masterpiece about friendship and treason.

Summer 1976. Although Europe is groaning under a tropical sun, everybody heads south. Georges, a displeased cartoonist who works for a quality newspaper, travels with his family and friends to a mountain near the Spanish Costa Brava. There, all goes wrong…

We: a saga about the demons we share, sex, family, alcohol, black money and here and there a questionable past. We: a cleverly written story about a defeat. We: all the thin-skinned, smooth-tongued and heartbreaking beauty a modern-day novel can offer.

Jeroen Olyslaegers (1967) writes prose and theatre texts and works as a scenarist. We is his third book.

Chika Unigwe on Italian television

2009-03-31T16:26:00.006+02:00

Last month Chika Unigwe traveled to Italy to write and to promote Le Nigeriane, the Italian edition of Fata morgana. Look at one of the interviews she did for Italian tv. Le Nigeriane was published by Neri Pozza Editore.

Rudi Vranckx nominated for the Bob den Uyl price 2009

2009-03-31T16:06:00.005+02:00

Voices from the war by Rudi Vranckx is nominated for the Bob den Uyl price 2009. This annual price, organised by the Dutch broadcasting network VPRO, honours this year's best work of travel literature.

Rudi Vranckx is one of Belgiums best known tv-journalists. For the last 20 odd years he has covered the major armed conflicts in Europe and the Middle East. He works with the public broadcasting network VRT and has published three books on the conflict in the Middle East, of which Voices from the war is the most recent and succesful one.

Cuba after Castro

2009-03-31T15:58:00.003+02:00

Meulenhoff|Manteau publishes a swift, penetrating book on the world's most infamous island: Cuba. Journalist Lode Delputte takes the measure of contemporary Cuba and of its history.

Everybody has an opinion about Cuba, but in Cuba na Castro (Cuba after Castro), Lode Delputte shows what is really going on. The future of Cuba is inextricably bound up with its so-called glorious past. The Cuban revolution took place half a century ago. True to the scenario, Fidel Castro, the father of the revolución, has handed over power to his younger brother Raúl. No tension in the streets. No popping champagne corks in the Cuban houses, since champagne is not something the Cuban people can enjoy.
Castro’s time has come: no reasonable human being will doubt this. Even the upper political class understood that the revolution that once settled many a matter has seen better days. They did not realize it just yesterday or the day before yesterday, but many years ago, when in Europe left and sometimes even right beatifically talked about Fidelism. Today, many Cubans long for more, better… They want more freedom. But there still aren’t many people who would like a steamroller to come rolling along. Give and take: the best of both worlds. A people finally resigning itself to its fate: that is what the majority wants. If only this could be the future of Cuba...
Driven by a constant urge to tell fascinating stories, Lode Delputte draws a portrait of Cuba’s past, present and future. Cuba na Castro (Cuba after Castro) is a great, erudite and critical book covering one of the greatest myths of modern times.

Lode Delputte (1968) is an international correspondent for the newspaper De Morgen. He visited Latin America dozens of times and for many years has followed the developments in that part of the world.

Kick-off for Bart Van Loo's TVlivre

2009-03-31T15:32:00.007+02:00

(Bart Van Loo holding a portrait of Balzac.)

Bart Van Loo is one the best known connaisseurs of French literature and culture in the Low countries.

He relaunched his website: www.bartvanloo.info

As of today Van Loo is also broadcasting about French literature, his first news item being the discovery of two unkown letters from Victor Hugo in Antwerp's main library.

Van Loo's new book, a vibrant history of sex, literature and erotica (based upon the story of libertinage in French literature) is to be published at the beginning of 2010. It's called O vermiljoenen spleet!, but we haven't quite made up our minds how to translate the Dutch title in English.

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On a retrouvé à Anvers des lettres uniques de Victor Hugo. Vous trouverez tous les détails sur bartvanloo.blogspot.com

Le récit de leur découverte, la version scannée des lettres et un petit film vous y attendent.

Quelques autres informations en français sur : www.bartvanloo.info (cliquez sur le drapeau tricolore).

Podcast Paul Verhaeghen at Jewish Book Week

2009-03-11T17:44:00.001+01:00

Click here. to Podcast Paul Verhaeghen, author of the awardwinning epic novel Omega minor, during the recent Jewish Book Week in London. Verhaeghen discusses moral choices, writing History and translating his own work into English.

Sneak preview: the cover of the German editon of Rachida Lamrabet's Woman country

2009-03-11T17:33:00.003+01:00

This beautiful cover is designed for the German edition of Rachida Lamrabet's novel Woman country - to be published by Luchterhand Verlag.

Willem Van Zadelhoff wins the Herman de Coninck Poetry Award (2009) for best debut

2009-03-11T17:27:00.002+01:00

Tijd en landen (Time and Lands) is the (long-anticipated) poetry debut of Willem Van Zadelhoff. This is not monomaniacal poetry. For Van Zadelhoff, many things can be the reason to write a poem: the glint of metal, a bygone love, a dead pet, a voyage through the desert. He offers his subjects equal attention. There is no hierarchy. With his language, he evokes images to preserve them from oblivion.

Van Zadelhoff also wrote the well-received novels Een stoel (A Chair) and Holle haven (Hollow Haven). Last year, his novel Vuur stelen (Stealing Fire) was published and was cheered in NRC Handelsblad: ‘Disillusion and presumption, that’s what Stealing Fire is about. It is presented as a collection of painful, sometimes moving, but above all merciless one-acters. Stylishly, Van Zadelhoff settles scores, not with the ’68’ers in particular this time, but above all with his own generation: the boys and girls who, at the end of the seventies and in the beginning of the eighties were young and militant and who wanted to bring back the fire to the people of a subdued world: the men and women, now in their fifties, washed out or blasé, who reap what they have sowed.’

Click here for more information about the Herman de Coninck Award (Dutch only).

Rachida Lamrabet wins the BNG Literature Award

2009-03-11T17:24:00.001+01:00

In January, Rachida Lamrabet won the BNG Literature Award for her collected stories Een kind van god (A Child of God).

The jury was of the opinion that: "with guts and passion, Lamrabet has written a chronicle of the joy, the horrors and the unpredictable destiny in the city. The astonishment in these stories creates an electrifying tension".

The BNG Nieuwe Literatuurprijs is awarded to authors younger than 40, who have not yet fully broken through.

In 2008, Rachida Lamrabet (1970) also won the Vlaamse Debuutprijs (Flemish Debut Award) for Vrouwland (Woman Country), of which the German translation will be published by Luchterhand Verlag.

First ever rights deal closed on Facebook: Great European Novel sold to Gondolat (Hungary)

2008-12-15T01:57:00.001+01:00

This Saturday (13th December) Belgian publisher Meulenhoff | Manteau (Antwerp) and Hungarian publisher Gondolat (Budapest) closed a deal for the Hungarian rights of Great European Novel by Flemish author Koen Peeters, a novel originally written in Dutch. János Boris, Gondolat’s publisher, started a conversation on Facebook with Harold Polis, his Belgian colleague, announcing that he would buy the Hungarian rights. Posting messages on each others message boards, the two quickly realized they were experiencing something completely new: the birth of an international publishing culture on Facebook. János Boris: “It hasn't occurred to me that we were making history, but God, we are!”

Great European Novel by Koen Peeters was shortlisted for the Libris Literature Prize 2008 and longlisted for the Gouden Uil Literature Prize 2008. The novel has as many chapters as there are European capital cities. It's a biting quest for personal happiness and a quest for the European soul. Alessandro Piperno wrote about the novel in Corriere Della Sera: “A revelation. Reading a story like this one makes you happy.” De Volkskrant called it “an ambitious and delicate novel: Europe as a precious mistake.”

Meulenhoff | Manteau is a leading publisher of Dutch-language contemporary fiction and non-fiction in Belgium and the Netherlands. Meulenhoff | Manteau (an imprint of Standaard Uitgeverij) is the publisher of the original Dutch version of Omega Minor, the epic novel by Paul Verhaeghen which won the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize (2008). Omega Minor was sold to Dalkey Archive Press (US), Eichborn (Germany), Le Cherche Midi (France), Polis (Greece). Recent sales include the German rights (Luchterhand) of Woman Country by Flemish debut prize winner Rachida Lamrabet. Earlier this month Great European Novel was sold to Slovenia (Modrijan) and Bulgaria (Colibri).

Gondolat is one of Hungaí's major publishing companies long established on the Hungarian publishing scene mainly as a academic publisher. While academic books remains its core activity, Gondolat now also has an increasingly strong international fiction line concentrating on contemporary authors. Gondolat's World Literature Series now boasts such international stars as Russian writer Vladmir Sorokin, the author of Ice, or last year's Man-Booker Prize winner, Anne Enright , whose Family Gathering has just appeared in Hungarian for the Christmas season. Earlier this year Gondolat bought the Hungarian rights for Omega Minor.

For more information:

Meulenhoff | Manteau
Harold Polis
meulenhoffmanteau.blogspot.com (English blog)
harold.polis@standaarduitgeverij.be

Gondolat
János Boris
www.gondolatkiado.hu
boris.janos@gondolat.axelero.net

Slovenian rights Great European Novel (Koen Peeters) sold

2008-12-11T17:01:00.002+01:00

Slovenian rights for Koen Peeters' Great European Novel have been sold to Modrijan Publishers. Modrijan has published a.o. Hugo Claus in Slovenian. Great European Novel will be published in hardback, in the series 'Zbirka Sodobni'.

Earlier this month Bulgarian rights have been sold to Colibri Publishers.

Great European Novel was shortlisted for the Libris Literature Prize 2008 and longlisted for the Gouden Uil Literature Prize 2008. The novel has as many chapters as there are European capital cities. It's a biting quest for personal happiness and a quest for the European soul.

‘Great European Novel est un très beau livre, modeste et ambitieux, souriant et grave, qui mérite d’être traduit dans tous les pays qu’il évoque.’
(Jacques de Decker dans Le Soir)

‘A revelation. Reading a story like this one makes you happy.’
(Alessandro Piperno in Corriere Della Serra)

'An ambitious and delicate novel: Europe as a precious mistake.'
(Arjan Peeters in de Volkskrant.)

English, French, Italian, Spanish and Bulgarian sample translations available.

Colloque sur Entre hommes, le livre bouleversant de Catherine Vuylsteke

2008-12-11T16:52:00.000+01:00

De Marrakech à Istanbul: L’homosexualité à l’épreuve des traditions

Colloque
Dimanche 14 décembre 2008
16h–19h
De Pianofabriek, Rue du Fort 35, 1060 Saint-Gilles (Bruxelles)

A l’occasion de la parution du livre Entre hommes. La vie sécrète des homosexuels Marocains.

Les intervenants :

Catherine Vuylsteke, journaliste (De Morgen) et l’auteur du livre Onder Mannen.
Malek Chebel, Anthropologue des religions spécialiste de l’Islam
Karim Nasseri, écrivain marocain. Vit en France depuis 1989 où il a publié plusieurs articles sur la place de l'homosexualité dans les pays musulmans.
Ural Manço, professeur de relations interculturelles et sociologie des migrations aux facultés universitaires Saint-Louis (Bruxelles).
Mustafa Tetik, maître en langues et civilisations orientales diplômé des universités d’Ankara, de Tunis et du Caire.

Modérateur:
Jean-Christophe Guillaume

La conférence aura lieu en Français, traduction simultanée en Néerlandais.

Entrée: gratuite à condition de s’inscrire avant le 12 décembre 2008 sur info@depianofabriek.be ou ++3225410170

Paul Verhaeghen takes part in Jewish Book Week 2009

2008-12-11T16:35:00.001+01:00

Paul Verhaeghen will take part in the Jewish Book Week 2009.

Jewish Book Week, held at Bloomsbury's Royal National Hotel (London), has made its mark as a bold and broad feast of literary treats. This year's events, Saturday 21 February to Sunday 1 March, will include a very prestigious international programme.

Paul Verhaeghen is the author of the epic novel Omega minor. The English translation is published by Dalkey Archive Press. Verhaeghen received the Independent Foreign Fiction prize for Omega minor. The novel is or will be translated in German (Eichborn), English (Dalkey Archive Press), French (Le Cherche Midi), Greek (Polis Publishers) and Hungarian (Gondolat). Omega minor is also nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2009.

Bulgarian rights Great European Novel (Koen Peeters) sold

2008-11-28T14:27:00.002+01:00

Bulgarian rights for Koen Peeters' Great European Novel (Koen Peeters) are sold to Colibri Publishers.

Colibri is the most important Bulgarian publisher of classical and contemporary literature. Their list features Bulgarian translations of novels by Haruki Murakami, Paul Auster, JM Le Clézio, JM Coetzee, Philip Roth and many others.

Great European Novel was shortlisted for the Libris Literature Prize 2008 and longlisted for the Gouden Uil Literature Prize 2008. The novel has as many chapters as there are European capital cities. It's a biting quest for personal happiness and a quest for the European soul.

‘Great European Novel est un très beau livre, modeste et ambitieux, souriant et grave, qui mérite d’être traduit dans tous les pays qu’il évoque.’
(Jacques de Decker dans Le Soir)

‘A revelation. Reading a story like this one makes you happy.’
(Alessandro Piperno in Corriere Della Serra)

'An ambitious and delicate novel: Europe as a precious mistake.'
(Arjan Peeters in de Volkskrant.)

English, French, Italian, Spanish and Bulgarian sample translations available.

English rights Thirsty River (Rodaan Al Galidi) sold

2008-11-28T12:28:00.003+01:00

(Portrait of Rodaan Al Galidi, who had a great week: a nomination for a major literature prize, a rights deal and the publication of The last slave, a new collection of his poems.)

English rights for Rodaan Al Galidi's epic novel Thirsty River are sold to Aflame books, a new English publisher of world literature. This English edition will also be distributed in the US, Canada and South-Africa.

Earlier this week Thirsty River was nominated for the BNG Nieuwe Literatuurprijs.

Thirsty River is an amazing family epic. Al Galidi takes us to the heart of Iraq. The dreams, desires, traditions and experiences of a colourful Iraqi family are shaken up when Saddam comes to power. In Thirsty River Al Galidi follows the fate of this family untill after the death of the dictator.

Coming from Iraq, writer, poet and columnist Rodaan Al Galidi has lived in the Netherlands since 1998. His much-praised poetry collection The fall of Zorro was shortlisted for the prestigious VSB poetry award. And his new collection of poetry, The last slave, is even better. So, watch out for Rodaan Al Galidi.

Meulenhoff | Manteau on stage in Brussels

2008-11-27T12:24:00.001+01:00

The Flemish-Dutch centre deBuren invited Meulenhoff | Manteau for an evening on books, publishing and literary imponderabilia. Publisher Harold Polis and authors Pascal Verbeken (Poor Wallonia) and Jeroen Theunissen (A kind of tiredness) will let you in on what actually happens behind the scenes. Next tuesday, December 2, you have the chance to learn more about Meulenhoff | Manteau and contemporary publishing.

In collaboration with Het beschrijf

TU 02.12.08 | 20.00 > 21.30
Passa Porta, A. Dansaertstraat 46, 1000 Brussels
€5 - €4 | reservation
recommended:
T +32(0)2 226 04 54
info@passaporta.be

Rachida Lamrabet and Rodaan Al Galidi shortlisted for the BNG Nieuwe Literatuurprijs

2008-11-26T16:17:00.001+01:00

(Cover of the Dutch version of Rodaan Al Galidi's second novel Thirsty river, nominated for the BNG Nieuwe Literatuurprijs.)

Rachida Lamrabet and Rodaan Al Galidi have been shortlisted for the BNG Nieuwe Literatuurprijs. This Dutch literature prize is awarded to authors under 40 who have written two or more works of prose.

Rachida Lamrabet is nominated for her second book, a collection of stories called A child of God. After publication Belgian magazine Knack immediately called this book 'a masterpiece'. Lamrabet's debut novel Vrouwland has already won this year's Flemish Debut prize and is in the running for the Dutch Academica debut prize. German rights for Vrouwland have been sold to Luchterhand Verlag.

Rodaan Al Galidi is nominated for his second novel, an amazing family epic called Thirsty river. The novel takes us to the heart of Iraq. The dreams, desires, traditions and experiences of a colourful Iraqi family are shaken up when Saddam comes to power. In Thirsty River Al Galidi follows the fate of this family untill after the death of the dictator. Thirsty River is literature at its best: giving voice to the unknown victims of history.

Coming from Iraq, writer, poet and columnist Rodaan Al Galidi has lived in the Netherlands since 1998. His much-praised poetry collection The fall of Zorro was shortlisted for the prestigious VSB poetry award. His new collection of poetry, The last slave, has been published this week.

The winner of the BNG Nieuwe Literatuurprijs is to be announced on January 15 in Amsterdam.

Release of the Italian translation of Chika Unigwe's Fata Morgana

2008-11-26T16:01:00.000+01:00

Neri Pozza Editore has released the Italian edition of Fata Morgana, Chika Unigwe's second novel.

The American edition, which will be called On Black Sisters Street, will be published by Random House in July 2009. It's already possible to pre-order the novel at amazon.com.

New novel by Jeroen Theunissen: A kind of tiredness

2008-11-26T15:50:00.002+01:00

Meulenhoff | Manteau recently published Jeroen Theunissen's second novel A kind of tiredness. It's a story that makes the reader gasp for air. Theunissen succeeded in putting into words the fundamental doubt of modern man. How we always reach for our shadow and will always want what we don’t have.

Horacio Gnade is a world citizen because the world is a village. He’s in his thirties and lives and works in a small German university town. He cannot imagine not being a conformist. That’s why he’s married and why he has a daughter. He doesn’t have a problem with cheating on his wife since cheating isn’t cheating as long as no one knows anything about it. He doesn’t want to be a burden to others and also wants others to leave him alone as much as possible. His biggest concern is to avoid romantic thoughts, thoughts that lead nowhere. Gnade neither has hope nor faith. And then it goes wrong…
One day, he gets sick. From that moment on, he no longer has control over events. He starts stalking a young woman. In a sudden burst of senseless violence, he almost strangles a boy and he abandons his family. He runs away to Paris and later to Patagonia, because he is counting on finding peace there while waiting for the money to be gone. Finally, out of boredom, despair, or simply because he gets carried away by a sexy activist, he travels to an Indian community.

Jeroen Theunissen (1977) made a remarkable debut with De onzichtbare (The invisible) (2004). He published the collection of poems Thuisverlangen (Longing for home) (2005) and the unanimously very well received collected stories Het einde (The end) (2006).

English sample translation available.

Woman country: German rights sold to Luchterhand

2008-11-20T13:15:00.002+01:00

Luchterhand Verlag has acquired German rights for Woman Country by Rachida Lamrabet. The German translation of this awardwinning novel will be published in Sammlung Luchterhand, a prestigious series of contemporary authors. Sammlung Luchterhand features work by Michail Bulgakov, Nathan Englander, Pablo Neruda, Christa Wolf, Victor Pelevin and Dimitri Verhulst.

Woman Country is Rachida Lamrabet's debut novel. The book has attracted a great deal of interest and was extremely well received. Her second book, a collection of stories called God's child, has recently been published. Already this is hailed as a 'masterpiece' (Knack).

Last month Rachida Lamrabet received the annual prize for the best Flemish debut. Earlier this year Woman Country was nominated for the Selexyz debut prize. The novel has just reached the longlist of the Dutch Academica Debutantenprijs.

Rachida Lamrabet creates in Woman Country a subtle and convincing portrait of a fascinating woman, who, standing firmly by her decisions must pay the social and intellectual price. Mariam, a Moroccan Woman in Antwerp who has chosen a Western lifstyle, embraces her personal freedom, but not without encountering opposition and doubt. At the end of a holiday in Morocco she agrees, without thinking, to marry Younes. For five years he waits for her to return. Meanwhile Faïza hopes that Younes will notice her instead. Finally, deciding to deliver one last desperate letter to Mariam in Europe in person, Younes dies on the illegal crossing to Spain. A survivor carries the letter on to Mariam...

English sample translation available.

Rachida Lamrabet in Brussels

2008-11-14T14:20:00.002+01:00

Rachida Lamrabet will take part in the celebrations of the tenth anniverary of Het beschrijf, a literary organisation with its home in Brussels. Lamrabet makes her appearance during a magnificent evening at the KVS-theatre. Other participants include Kader Abdolah, Jens Christian Grøndahl, Thomas Gunzig, Lieve Joris, Rachida Lamrabet, Claudio Magris, Alberto Manguel, Cees Nooteboom, Richard Powers (film) and Peter Verhelst.

For this occasion 'Rachid' one of the stories from Lamrabets second book A child of God has been translated into French.

Meulenhoff | Manteau present at literature festival Impressions d'Europe (Nantes)

2008-11-12T10:47:00.000+01:00

Last weekend (8th November) Meulenhoff | Manteau was present at Impressions d'Europe (Nantes). This year's edition of this French literature festival was devoted to Dutch and Flemish contemporary literature. Publisher Harold Polis debated with Dutch colleagues Lex Jansen and Lid. Paris, and with Arabella Cruse. The debate was moderated by literary critic Raphaël Sorin, who has a very interesting blog on the site of French newspaper Libération.

Omega minor nominated for the 2009 IMPAC Award

2008-11-12T10:33:00.001+01:00

(Ghent, 4th November: Paul Verhaeghen receives yet another literary award: the Prijs van de Vlaamse Provincies.)

It's now official: Paul Verhaeghen's Omega Minor has been nominated for the International IMPAC DUBLIN Literature Award. Along with 145 other books.

This award is special for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the tremendous amount of moolah involved - 100,000 euros. The nominations come from libraries rather than professional judges. Those libraries span the globe. And the award is open to (almost, there is a time restriction) all books available in English in 2008.

Last week Paul Verhaeghen traveled to Ghent (Belgium) to receive yet another award for Omega Minor, the Prijs van de Vlaamse Provincies.

Woman country nominated for the Academica debut prize

2008-11-04T09:34:00.001+01:00

Rachida Lamrabet's debut novel Woman country is on the longlist of the Dutch Academica Debutantenprijs. Nominees are to be announced at the end of November. See also: http://www.academicadebutantenprijs.nl/

Paul Verhaeghen in The Believer

2008-10-21T17:37:00.003+02:00

The October issue of The Believer features a mysterious 'Timeline of Twisted Translations' by Jascha Hoffman. From Edgar Allen Poe to Paul Verhaeghen.

Paul Verhaeghen at the Buchmesse 2008

2008-10-13T14:26:00.000+02:00

Woman Country by Rachida Lamrabet: the best literary debut of 2008!

2008-10-07T16:56:00.007+02:00

The flemish award for the best literary debut of 2008 goes to the novel Woman Country by Rachida Lamrabet. This has been announced today by Boek.be, the flemish organisation of publishers and booksellers.

'A remarkably powerful debut novel.'
(De Morgen)

'A unique perspective on our woman-friendly society.'
(Trouw)

Woman Country was published by Meulenhoff/Manteau in the fall of 2007. Earlier this year the novel was also nominated for the Dutch Selexyz Debut Prize.

Rachida Lamrabet (1970) is a Belgian author. She works as a lawyer for the Centre for Equality of Opportunity and Opposition to Racism (Brussels). Woman Country has attracted a great deal of interest and was extremely well received. Her second book, a collection of stories called God's child, has just been published. Already this is hailed as a 'masterpiece' (Knack).

About Woman Country

Resistance or resignation are the only options, or so Mariam the central character in Woman Country believes. A Moroccan Woman in Antwerp who has chosen a Western lifstyle, she embraces her personal freedom, but not without encountering opposition and doubt. The cultural conflicts in Mariam’s life emerge in her tragic story. At the end of a holiday in Morocco she agrees, without thinking, to marry Younes. For five years he waits for her to return. Meanwhile Faïza hopes that Younes will notice her instead. Finally, deciding to deliver one last desperate letter to Mariam in Europe in person, Younes dies on the illegal crossing to Spain. A survivor carries the letter on to Mariam.

To pay her final respects, Mariam goes with her brother to visit the place where Younes’ body was washed ashore. In southern Spain she decides to make the crossing to Morocco. There she faces not only confrontation with Faïza but incomprehension and criticism of her rejection of traditional values and customs. ‘Are you happy?’ a sympathetic aunt asks her. There can be no simple answer.

It is Lamrabet’s convincing interpretation of the characters’ points of view which makes Woman Country so captivating. The novel presents a Moroccan outlook on the differences between Moroccans in Morocco and those who have emigrated; between their own values, which often marginalise Moroccans in Europe, and Western values, including the rampant consumerism that causes such envy in Morocco; between tradition, which so tragically impedes Faïza’s life, and the modern ways of thinking that men find so hard to deal with. Woman Country is how they refer to the West, where they believe emancipated women have taken charge.

Rachida Lamrabet creates above all a subtle and convincing portrait of a fascinating woman, who, standing firmly by her decisions must pay the social and intellectual price. Whether in Morocco, where as a woman on her own she cannot find a hotel room, or in Belgium, where a political party exploits her activism for its own ends, she constantly has to struggle against prejudice. In the cemetery in her native village, filled with melancholy and doubt, she is finally able to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of her choices in life. In Woman Country we are in the hands of a promising writer with a distinctive voice of her own.

English sample translation available.

Rethinking Europe: Great European Novel

2008-10-05T20:35:00.015+02:00

‘Great European Novel est un très beau livre, modeste et ambitieux, souriant et grave, qui mérite d’être traduit dans tous les pays qu’il évoque.’
(Jacques de Decker dans Le Soir)

‘A revelation. Reading a story like this one makes you happy.’
(Alessandro Piperno in Corriere Della Serra)

'An ambitious and delicate novel: Europe as a precious mistake.'
(Arjan Peeters in de Volkskrant.)

When it comes to Europe, most people nowadays are wary of pleading for a stronger union. But why not put the people first? Why not emphasize that Europe is a perpetual exchange of words, languages, experiences. Fortunately there are some ambitious authors who dare to put a complex issue like Europe at the service of literature, and vice versa. Koen Peeters is one of them. His Great European Novel is brilliant display of literary ingenuity and playfulness. Following the tradition of classical storytellers, Peeters weaves an web of relationships stretching each and every European capital, from Bern to Ankara, from Kopenhagen to Lissabon.

Great European Novel was shortlisted for the Libris Literature Prize 2008 and longlisted for the Gouden Uil Literature Prize 2008.

Translators and literary magazines all over Europe have been translating and publishing samples from Great European Novel. The most recent sample translation is the Bulgarian one, translated by Aneta Dantcheva-Manolova and published by Plamak Magazine.

English, French, Italian and Spanish sample translations are also available.

In Memoriam Jean-Marie Berckmans (1953-2008)

2008-09-22T09:47:00.003+02:00

Writing, to Jean-Marie Berckmans, was a serious matter. Whoever witnessed one of his tirades against unambiguous realistic fiction, knew that he never joked about it. Berckmans, who died on August 31, always wanted to achieve more, much more. He wanted to make a diagnosis of modern times. His world was caught in a permanent state of siege. Berckmans shared that ink-black despair with one of his favourite authors, the Italian writer and politician Leonardo Sciascia. In the depressing seventies, Sciascia was a member of the parliamentary commission investigating the execution of Aldo Moro by the Red Brigades. For a couple of years, Berckmans worked as a shoe salesman in that sultry and disunited Italy, an experience that assumed mythical proportions when he talked about it. Not uncommonly did he quote from the ‘Divina Commedia’ by Dante or did he start singing a schmalzy popular Italian song.

His eclectic knowledge was considerable, a quality he often hid behind the mask of an alter ego. ‘Pafke het meest complete mafke’ hides a serious writer with a brilliant feel for music. That is how, in the nineties, he became one of the most important stylists of post-war Dutch literature.

It was the unsurpassed Walter Soethoudt who published Berckmans’ first books at the end of the seventies: the prose poems ‘Tranen voor Coltrane’ (Tears for Coltrane) and the paranoid masterpiece ‘Geschiedenis van de revolutie’ (History of the Revolution). Only in the blessed year 1989, did Berckmans pick up the thread. With the stories he wrote in that period, he made a name for himself as a chronicler of the seamy side. He was compared with Maarten Biesheuvel and Jan Arends. And in addition, Kees van Kooten deservedly praised the great ‘street poetry credibility’ of the weird guy from Leopoldsburg. But, for this reason, Berckmans was also to serve a life sentence as an ‘honest and authentic writer.’ With the collection ‘Bericht uit Klein Konstantinopel’ (Message from Little Constantinople) (1996), Berckmans showed that he wanted to take another road. Not the roguish modernisms of Kees van Kooten, but Paul van Ostaijen’s modernism. The conventions of the classic story were too tight and he was no longer satisfied with standard Dutch. His helping hand in Circus Bulderdrang has certainly carried much weight. Circus Bulderdrang could not have existed without punk and Nick Cave, but was certainly not the umpteenth variant of a self-repeating pop culture. The unique prehistoric rowdiness had much more to do with Dada and the Cabaret Voltaire. That is how the ‘cult writer’ Jean-Marie Berckmans came to perform as a hybrid of Motörhead’s Lemmy, VMO leader Bert Eriksson and Johnny ‘the Selfkicker’ van Doorn. A skinny man, wearing a motor helmet and black sunglasses, smoking like a chimney and yelling he was ‘the man of steel’. But language was the only weapon he used to confront the world.

His stories more and more resembled apocryphal Bible texts, in which he yelled out the results of his analysis of the ghosts of modern time. ‘As op jazzwoensdag’ (Ashes on a Jazz Wednesday) (2003) was a climax. That prophetic description of Hell on Earth, which he called ‘Biotope Zero’, was dedicated to his mother and his friend Albert Szukalski (1945-2000), the ‘ghost sculptor’. Destiny wanted Berckmans and Szukalski to die at the same young age and their graves to be in the same part of the graveyard. The letters he wrote to a.o. his dead parents and to Kamiel Vanhole, who died in June, were something completely different. That correspondence was as grand as it was painfully straightforward. With these letters, he competed with Gerard Reve, the ultimate letter writer.

Berckmans confused some of us with his multifaceted talent. His texts are often read as purely autobiographical, which is legitimate, but at the same time harms his great, almost non-Flemish ambition as a writer. Although JMH Berckmans’ legend grew larger and larger, the writer did not succeed in reaching the larger crowd, despite all the efforts of the people who had supported him all these years. It will always be a mystery why Berckmans never received any literary awards during his lifetime. And now he’s dead, the uncrowned king of Dutch avant-garde literature. Long live the king.

Random House Publishing Group will publish Chika Unigwe's second novel Fata Morgana

2008-09-18T22:21:00.012+02:00

The American edition of Chika Unigwe's second novel Fata Morgana will be published by Random House Publishing Group, the flagship imprint of Random House, Inc.

In Fata Morgana four African women, who work as prostitutes in Antwerp, are not entirely dissatisfied with their lot. But when one of them, Sisi, is murdered in one of the suburbs, the other three come together seeking protection, bringing with them their horror and their questions. Thoroughly documented and starkly realistic, Fata Morgana is a disconcerting account of a personal tragedy in a world still largely hidden from Western eyes.

Italian rights have been sold to Neri Pozza. Last year Jonathan Cape acquired the English rights.

The Hidden Life of Moroccan Homosexuals

2008-09-18T22:21:00.003+02:00

"J'ai lu le chapitre de ton livre traduit en français et je le trouve bouleversant. Bien raconté. Bien écrit. J'ai sincèrement hâte de lire la suite. Ton livre doit absolument passer, arriver, si je peux dire, dans la langue française pour que les Marocains (et d'autres, bien sûr) puissent prendre connaissance de ces histoires fortes, dérangeantes, de cette réalité, l'homosexualité, qu'ils ne veulent pas voir. Un jour, je l'espère, ce livre arrivera aussi dans la langue arabe. Merci. Fort."

(Abdellah Taia, author of L'armée du salut and Le rouge du tarbouche on Among men by Catherine Vuylsteke.)

A moving and revealing story: Among Men. The Hidden Life of Moroccan Homosexuals

The geographical distance between the heart of Morocco and the centre of Europe is hardly more than two thousand kilometres. The mental distance seems unbridgeable. For homosexuals that is… In Brussels, they are welcome to marry their sweetheart in the town hall registry office. And they can adopt a baby. In Casablanca, they have to live ‘under-under’. That’s what they call ‘leading a hidden life’ in Arabic. Their love is caught between hchouma (disgrace) and haram (sin). And then there is also the potential criminal prosecution. Islam is advanced as a reason, together with traditions, which, apparently, one cannot deviate from. And let’s not forget the necessity to at least formally conform oneself to the group.

Catherine Vuylsteke went to Morocco on several occasions. She travelled through Europe and wrote down the stories of broken homosexual lives. Stories from an ‘under-under’ world, lives based on lies, despair and cynicism. A role hard to sustain.

The emancipation of Arabic women, Islam and the chador: the subjects of many texts. But Moroccan homosexuals and their partners in misfortune are cursed. Catherine Vuylsteke draws a revealing portrait of a hidden world that stretches from Morocco to Brussels.

Catherine Vuylsteke is a journalist for the Belgian newspaper De Morgen. Her first book was the very successful Volksrepubliek van verlangen. Ontmoetingen in het hedendaagse China. (Republic of Desire. Encounters in modern China).

There's an excellent French translation of a key chapter available.

Cut Loose - the movie, based upon the novel by Tom Naegels

2008-09-10T16:45:00.005+02:00

(Still from the movie Cut Loose.)

Following the selection of Cut Loose for the Montreal World Film Festival The Montreal Gazette called Cut Loose 'very entertaining' (read the article here).

And there's already a French review (Grégory Cavinato at Webzine):

"'Comment aborder des thèmes graves sur un ton léger.' Tel semble être le credo du réalisateur flamand Jan Verheyen qui reprend ici le parti pris du best-seller éponyme de Tom Naegels. Un roman à la première personne qui aborde, au premier plan, le thème du racisme ordinaire dans cette métropole grouillante qu’est Anvers. De l’obligation pour les nouveaux immigrés de se retrouver dans des 'groupes d’aide à l’intégration' tels des élèves de maternelle devant s’acquitter de 'devoirs' humiliants à réaliser, preuves aux yeux des autorités d’une véritable volonté d’intégration, du regard plein de haine ou d’incompréhension d’une partie de la population, des accusations de 'profiteurs' proférées avec colère par les braves travailleurs bien de chez nous qui, en 40-45, ont vaillament versé leur sang pour leur patrie et se considèrent ainsi comme ayant droit aux privilèges, en passant par les persécutions policières souvent dignes des plus graves infractions aux droits de l’homme élémentaires et, enfin, par les combines ridicules que bien des individus doivent inventer pour acquérir leurs papiers officiels, Los déverse ainsi un véritable inventaire…"

Read the article in full.

Cut Loose - the movie, based upon the novel by Tom Naegels

2008-09-09T16:58:00.005+02:00

(Still from the movie Cut Loose.)

The movie Cut Loose is based on the awardwinning novel by Tom Naegels. Cut Loose was selected for the Montréal World Film Festival, where it was received with a lot of enthousiasm.

Cut Loose tells the story of Tom, an idealistic young journalist, who is about to settle down with his girlfriend when his life and views are shaken up by beautiful Pakistani refugee Nadia. At work, his ideals are challenged by the harsh reality of modern urban society, while his flamboyant grandfather fights his last personal battle – a battle for his right to die. Cut Loose is a funny, heartfelt and emotional film about very serious issues. It is the first comedy made in Belgium about euthanasia and the confusions of the multicultural society.

The Belgian premiere of the movie is set for september 11. Do visit www.losdefilm.be for more info. The site also features a very nice trailer.

Meulenhoff/Manteau has released a special edition of Cut Loose.

Dutch translation of Henry Bauchau's Le Boulevard périphérique will be published by Meulenhoff/Manteau

2008-09-09T16:15:00.005+02:00

(Henry Bauchau, acclaimed author of Le boulevard périphérique, which was described by Libération as 'un roman qui éclaire le royaume des ombres'.)

Meulenhoff/Manteau has acquired the Dutch rights for Henry Bauchau's novel Le boulevard périphérique. Earlier this year the novel won Le Prix du Livre Inter 2008, an important French literary award. Suddenly, Bauchau, aged 94, became a bestselling author.

Le boulevard périphérique is written as initiatory journey through love and death. While taking care of his stepdaughter, who suffers from cancer, the narrator is haunted by his memories of World War II.

Henry Bauchau was born in Mechelen (Belgium) and made a career as psychoanalyst and writer. He lives in Paris.

Le boulevard périphérique, and Bauchau's other work, is published by Actes Sud.

To learn more on Bauchau, do read this article in Le Nouvel Observateur.