Frankfurt Rights Guide

Frankfurt Book Fair 2010

De Arbeiderspers Foreign Rights Guide Contact details: De Arbeiderspers, Herengracht 370-372 1016 CH Amsterdam, The Netherlands Telephone: + 31 20 52 47 500 Fax: + 31 20 62 24 937

CONTACT DETAILS De Arbeiderspers Herengracht 370-372 Mail to po Box 2877 1000 cw Amsterdam Tel 00 31 20 625 7500 Fax 00 31 20 622 4937 (General) / 7529 (Editorial) Publishing Director of De Arbeiderspers and Balans: Lex Jansen: l.jansen@uitgeverijenaab.nl Publisher: Elik Lettinga: e.lettinga@arbeiderspers.nl Editor-in-Chief & Sporthuis: Peter Nijssen: p.nijssen@arbeiderspers.nl Commissioning Editor, Books in Translation: Michele Hutchison: m.hutchison@arbeiderspers.nl Commissioning Editor, Michel van de Waart (specialism: German): m.v.de.waart@arbeiderspers.nl Commissioning Editor, Marja Duin: m.duin@arbeiderspers.nl Foreign Rights & Film Rights: Michele Hutchison: m.hutchison@arbeiderspers.nl Subagents The Susijn Agency (De Loo, Benali, Schogt) 3rd Floor, 64 Great Titchfield street London W1W 7QH Tel +44 20 7580 6341 Fax +44 20 7580 8626 www.thesusijnagency.com Email Laura@thesusijnagency.com Marianne Schönbach Literary Agency (Germany) Oostenburgervoorstraat 130 1018 mr Amsterdam Tel +31 20 620 0020 Email m.schonbach@schonbach.nl Kalem Agency (Turkey) Harris Elon Agency (Israel)

NEWS Former aab women’s books imprint Archipel has been merged into De Arbeiderspers. De Arbeiderspers will broaden its range to include quality commercial fiction in translation as well as literary fiction and non-fiction. The group aab will now consist of two publishing arms: Balans and De Arbeiderspers, and Singel paperbacks.

De Arbeiderspers author Joost Zwagerman was chosen as the National Book Week Author for 2010.

A total of 958,000 copies of his short novel Duel were printed and distributed during Book Week in March. Eye-catching reissues of three of his bestselling novels, Vals licht, Gimmick! and De Buiten­ vrouw, have also been released.

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RIGHTS SALES

Film rights to Joost Zwagerman’s 1980s classic Gimmick! to Isabella Films.

Film rights to Lucia de Berk’s prison memoir Lucia de B to Rinkel Films.

Polish rights to Joost Zwagerman’s Six Stars (Zes sterren) to Tl̷ umaczen´.

The Guard (De bewaker) by Peter Terrin to MacLehose Press (wel), Gallimard (fr) and Bompiani (it).

Step by Step (Stap voor stap) by Geert Kimpen to option publisher Eds Bertrand in Portugal.

Counterpoint (Contrapunt) by Anna Enquist to option publisher Mlada Fronta in the Czech Republic and to Text in Russia.

The Hand Job (Met de hand) by Mels van Driel to option publisher Reaktion Books for wel.

PRIZES The Gerald Walschap prize to Christiaan Weijts for Via Cappello 23.

Serpent by Carla de Jong shortlisted for the Gouden Strop thriller prize 2010.

The Window Dresser (De etaleur) by Christiaan Weijts nominated for the 2010 ako prize.

Counterpoint by Anna Enquist shortlisted for the Boekdelen prize 2010.

Peter Terrin’s The Guard nominated for the 2010 ako prize and shortlisted for the European Union Prize 2010.

Previously shortlisted for the Libris Prize 2010.

Joost Vandecasteele’s short story collection How the World Functions Perfectly Well without Me (Hoe de wereld perfect functioneert zonder mij) shortlisted for the 2010 Selexyz Debut Prize and the 2010 Academica Debut Prize.

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CONTENTS Recent sales and/or foreign publications The Guard, Peter Terrin Counterpoint, Anna Enquist Bride Flight, Marieke van der Pol Literary fiction Vaslav, Arthur Japin (rights @ rcw) And the forgetting is so long, Pauline Slot (sample) Duel, Joost Zwagerman (sample) Again and again and again, Joost Vandecasteele (sample & Ten Books) Mila Burger’s demise, Pieter Waterdrinker (Ten Books) The hero inspector, Atte Jongstra 49 Ways of getting through the day, Christophe Vekeman The window dresser, Christiaan Weijts (Ten Books) Commercial fiction More dead than alive, Tupla Mourits Alva’s thumb, Kisling & Verhuyck Free, Martine Kamphuis (full English translation) Non-fiction Time on our side, J.J. Hermsen The monotheistic dilemma, Paul Cliteur The hand job, Mels van Driel France of the tour, Jeroen Wielaert Backlist Louis Paul Boon Maarten ’t Hart

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*New novel by a top Flemish writer twice nominated for the ako prize *Subsidies available from the Flemish literary foundation *English sample available *Nominated for the 2010 Gouden Uil & ako prizes, shortlisted for the 2009 Libris Prize *reprinted several times

The Guard 220 pp hardback September 2009

The Road meets Waiting for Godot

recent sales and/or foreign publications

DE BEWAKER Peter Terrin

In the near future in an unknown Western city, two men guard the only entrance to an unusual building housing forty luxury apartments inhabited by the richest of the rich. The entrance is in the basement, through the ultra-secure car park. The security guards are the last line of defence, keeping a watch over the lifts.

One day a curious thing happens: every single inhabitant except one abandons the complex, leaving the guards wondering what is going on outside: war? terrorism? Their only source of information is the man responsible for their supplies, but they are wary of him for certain reasons. Where is the third guard they were told to expect? What is the one remaining inhabitant doing? As the two guards punctiliously continue their rounds and no news comes from their bosses, the tense situation begins to affect their mental reasoning, with dramatic and deadly consequences.

The Guard is a page-turning huis-clos about war, paranoia and the human condition.

Reviews

‘I’ll say it right away to get this much straight – The Guard is a sublime book... You could describe the book as a “Kafka-esque novel of ideas” or a “surreal allegory” and that would be true enough, but it doesn’t sound too appealing. Hearing those powerful terms most people would feign interest and then go off and search the shelves for a more “accessible” novel. They’d be wrong, this novel has an unbelievable amount to offer, in first place a brilliantly-told story. It doesn’t get much more accessible than this.’ – Het Parool ‘The most intriguing author of his generation.’ – De Tijd ‘It’s not that Peter Terrin will become great, he is already.’ – De Morgen

Sales: Brandgul (option publisher), Gallimard, Bompiani and MacLehose Press.

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Peter Terrin (1968) writes novels, short stories and contemplative pieces. His novel Women and Children First was nominated for the BNG Literature Prize, both Blanco (2003) and the stories The Beeeaters (2006) were nominated for the AKO Prize and he also won a regional prize for the latter (West-Flanders province).

One of the stories from The Bee-eaters has appeared in English translation in BEST EUROPEAN FICTION 2010 from Dalkey Archive Press.

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*One of Holland’s top literary authors: each of her four novels has been a top ten bestseller, The Homecoming was also a top ten bestseller in Germany and awarded the Prix du Livre Corderie Royale in France *English translation available *Selected for Ten Books from Holland & Flanders 2008 *Successful ongoing reading tour with piano accompaniment

by Ivo Janssen *Appeared at Adelaide festival, 2010

Counterpoint 208 pp hardback May 2009

Bach’s music forms the backdrop to this stunning short novel about motherhood and loss

recent sales and/or foreign publications

CONTRAPUNT Anna Enquist

A woman with a complicated past attempts to master Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations on her grand piano. The music becomes a way of understanding and interpreting her life as a parent. Each variation correlates to a particular memory until she can finally regain a sense of composure. Slowly but surely the landscape of her past unfolds; a family, mother, father, son and daughter appear during various stages of their lives together as the story builds up to a crescendo of great emotional power.

Counterpoint by Anna Enquist was published in Australia and New Zealand by uwa Press. The book received excellent reviews and the author was introduced at Adelaide festival by J.M. Coetzee who endorsed her books with incredible enthusiasm.

Sold to Luchterhand (ger), Actes Sud (fr), Sifriat Poalim (isr), University of Western Australia Press (anz), Turbine Forlaget (den), Mlada Fronta (czh), Text (ru) Options: Is Bankasi (tur), PIW (pol) Reviews

‘A deeply moving story of memory and mourning, all the more moving because grief for the lost child is strictly contained in the template provided by the music of Bach.’ – J.M. Coetzee

‘After the musical theories and the philosophising is done, all that’s left is a human body and a remarkable feat of hand-eye-ear coordination: two hands moving across a keyboard, fingers and opposable thumbs jumping and striking at keys. It could be a description of a pianist or a novelist. Either way, that Counterpoint remains readable as literature and doesn’t sink into a pit of semi-autobiographical misery is testament to Enquist’s skill as a writer and to that of Jeannette Ringold, her Australian translator.’ – The Australian

‘Anna Enquist repeatedly constructs new images from the broken pieces of a shattered existence, but they remain mirrors of broken glass... Contrapunt with its Bachian title and dominant form is a harsh novel, 7

but harsh in the way only very sensitive artists can be harsh. Structure is the thing – and any music lover knows this – that allows us to break down and weep.’ – P.F. Thomese, author of Shadow Child ‘Dutch writer Anna Enquist translates Bach’s music into words with an astonishing intensity and weaves them into a story of a mother and a daughter without a trace of sentimentality. A major story about love and music in which the denouement of both themes is contained in the overture.’ – Claudia Voigt in Der Spiegel Anna Enquist (1945) is one of Holland’s best-loved writers. She is also the author of the widely-translated, bestselling novels The Secret, The Masterpiece and The Homecoming, as well as plays, poems and short stories.

*Sold at auction to Kruger in Germany, sold to Mondadori Italy, Portobello uk/us, uwa Australia, Pax Norway *Big budget Dutch film starring Rutger Hauer, now available on Dvd *Currently on the German bestseller list, 60,000 paperbacks sold. Book Club Lead Title in Norway and bestseller *Available in English translation

Bride Flight 416 pp trade paperback September 2008

A page-turning, witty debut about a generation of emigrants taken from real-life

recent sales and/or foreign publications

BRUIDSVLUCHT Marieke van der Pol

1953 was the year of the last great air race from London to Christchurch. The Dutch klm plane carrying 60 emigrants to New Zealand won, and because there were so many future brides amongst the passengers it was immortalised as ‘the Bride Flight’. Marieke van der Pol, author of the prize-winning script for Tessa de Loo’s The Twins, has taken three young women from the legendary flight and imagines their pioneering experiences.

Ada, Marjorie and Esther yearn to escape the hardships of post-war life in the Netherlands, and their own pasts. They take part in an international air race and travel to New Zealand in a flight full of other girls like them: brides on their way to their fiancés. During the trip they meet Frank, a single man, travelling alone, who will come to have a dramatic influence on their lives. Once in New Zealand, their lives follow different courses, but when they meet up again years later they get the chance to hear each other’s stories.

Marieke van der Pol (1953) trained as an actress and enjoyed a successful career in a Dutch tele­ vision sitcom. She wrote the screenplay for The Twins, which received the Gouden Kalf and an Oscar nomination. Bride Flight was written as a screenplay and as a novel simultaneously.

Marieke continues to write and work on new screenplays.

www.brideflight.nl

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*English sample available *immediate bestseller upon publication *70,000 copy first printing

360 pp hardback September 2010

literary fiction

VASLAV Arthur Japin (rights @ RCW)

Stunning new historical novel set in the interbellum period At the peak of his fame, legendary ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinski interrupts a brilliant performance, turns to his audience and says, ‘Now the little horse is tired.’ He walks off stage and spends the remaining 31 years of his life without ever dancing or speaking again.

What drives a person to make such a radical decision and what kind of impact does it have on the people that surround him: his former lover, his wife and daughter, their servants? Is it madness or the sanest decision of his life? Three of the people who are most dear to him give their version of what happened before, during and after the day that changed everything. First there is Vaslav’s wife, Romola, who fought like a tigress to conquer the ‘God of dance’. Then there’s the other legendary dancer, Sergei Diaghilev, who has tried hard to destroy Vaslav after being rebuffed by him romantically. Finally, there is Peter, a loyal servant, who is inspired by his master’s dramatic decision and finds the courage to radically change his own life.

A fascinating historical novel on passion, fame, war and all-consuming love.

Arthur Japin is one of Holland’s most celebrated writers. He has written historical bestsellers such as The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi (De zwarte met het witte hart, 1997) and In Lucia’s Eyes (Een schitterend gebrek, 2003). His books have been translated into numerous languages and many of his works have been adapted for film and theatre.

Option publishers: Knopf, Bompiani.

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And the Forgetting is So Long 371 pp hardback March 2010

*New novel by acclaimed historical fiction writer *Based on a true story *English sample available

literary fiction

EN HET VERGETEN ZO LANG Pauline Slot

The heart-wrenching story of Pablo Neruda’s forgotten wife Anyone who has seen the charming Italian film Il Postino will be familiar with the stunning love poems written

by Chilean poet and Nobel prize winner, Pablo Neruda. But how many people know that he had a Dutch wife?

In the 1930s, Neruda travels to the Dutch colonies as a diplomat and meets Maria Hagenaar in Java. He gets her pregnant, she has an abortion, but they marry nevertheless and he takes her off with him on his travels across three continents. Maria, or Maruca, as he nicknames her, strikes a peculiar figure, skinny and six feet tall, at 33 she is four years older than her husband and was heading towards life as a spinster. By many she is considered an unsuitable bride.

Pauline Slot has meticulously researched Maruca’s life, her fascinating travels around the world as she accompanies her husband on his diplomatic missions, their daughter born in Madrid in 1934, tragically handicapped and destined to die young. The unintellectual Maruca is soon dropped by Neruda who moves in interesting literary and political circles with close friends like Federico Garcia Lorca. He’s an incorrigible womanizer and likes a drink. In 1942 he files for divorce, and bigamously marries Delia del Carrill, his much older mistress, but this is not where Maruca’s story ends.

Covering a fascinating period of history, and a wide range of places from the colonial East Indies, Chile and Argentina in the post-war period, to the Spanish civil war, to the second world war in Europe, and finally postwar South America.

Reviews ‘Unmissable... read it!’ – Linda ‘En het vergeten zo lang is deeply tragic but remains above all an exciting travel story.’ – De Telegraaf Pauline Slot broke out in 1999 with the historical novel Zuiderkruis, which was translated into German. And the Forgetting is So Long is her fifth novel.

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949019 Zwagerman_Duel:Opmaak 1

02-12-2009

14:03

Pagina 1

J O O S T Z WA G E R M A N

‘ Voor zijn ogen zag hij gebeuren wat nog niet was ge zijn hand, de vuist, het canvas.’

J O O S T Z WA G E R M A N

beurd en op datzelfde ogenblik al gebeurd leek te zijn:

D U E L

FOTO

:

PETER BOER

DUEL

Duel 96 pp, March 2010. ‘Book Week’ title: 958,000 copies distributed.

An art curator accidentally puts his fist through a valuable painting and tries to cover it up. Written in a light, knowing tone, this short novel was well received by readers and press alike. *English sample available

9 789059 651043

Gimmick!

237 pp, 1989 + 2009 – published in Estonian translation, more than 100,000 copies sold, film rights recently sold.

Nightclub Gimmick! is the meeting point for a group of Amsterdam artists, driven by drugs, drink, money, sex and the modern media. Young artist Walter van Raamsdonk, known as ‘Raam’, tries to find a place in this world. But in work and in love things go awry.

Gimmick! is the novel of a generation and a modern classic in Dutch literature.

Vals licht 307 pp, 1991 – published in France (Calmann Levy) and Germany.

Simon Prins is fascinated by the world of prostitution.

He goes off in search of the laws and secrets of this shadowy realm, as he calls the life of whores. The inevitable happens, he falls in love with one of the working girls. Vals licht was shortlisted for the AKO literature prize, and filmed by Theo van Gogh.

De buitenvrouw – published in Germany.

235 pp, 1994 Happily married Dutch teacher Theo Altena has an affair with his Surinamese colleague Iris Pompier. At first he manages to keep it secret, but he betrays himself through a sudden interest in issues surrounding racism, discrimination and multi-cultural politics. Theo’s ‘awareness’ transforms into a worrying obsession.

Joost Zwagerman was born in Alkmaar in 1963. His first novel was published when he was just twenty-two. Three years later he had his first bestseller with Gimmick!

In total he has written eight novels, six poetry collections and eleven essayistic works. His books have been translated into German, French, Hungarian, Czech and Japanese. Joost also writes for various newspapers and is a frequent guest on Dutch television. In 2008, he was awarded the Gouden Ganzenveer (Golden Goose Feather) for his entire oeuvre.

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literary fiction

DUEL and backlist titles Joost Zwagerman

*English sample available *Supported by the Flemish Literary Foundation, subsidy available *For fans of Sin City and Tank Girl

Again and Again and Again 308 pp trade paperback July 2010

literary fiction

OPNIEUW EN OPNIEUW EN OPNIEUW Joost Vandecasteele

Literary speculative fiction from the new wave In this hyperrealistic, ultra-violent and raging novel situated in an immense city, a modern myth is created to compete with those from classical antiquity.

Two rivals. He is a hero in the police force; she is an ex-whore and rebel leader. Once they were lovers, now they are each other’s perfect enemies in the smallest battlefield ever, a hotel room, far away from the urban war they themselves started. That is, until she disappears and he is left behind, alone, with an all-consuming obsession. During his search for her, which takes years, he becomes a shadow of the man he was, all his good morals and values lost. He is confronted with extremely maltreated and neglected former prostitutes, a subculture of misfits who call themselves the New Useless, and a teenaged girl who hasn’t slept in years and because of that has developed the gift of second sight. Trapped in a downward spiral of paranoia and violence, the policeman takes decisions that cost him his job, his status and his mental health and lead to the ultimate confrontation. An epic battle between two demi-gods in the suburbs of the mother of all metropolises.

Reviews ‘Quality entertainment with characters that leave a lasting impression.’ – De Standaard ‘A remake of a remake of a remake... this novel is something new but with a touch of the classic. It is intriguing, individual and exciting at the same time.’ – de Volkskrant Joost Vandecasteele (1979) writes stories, novels and plays and is also a comedian. In 2009 his debut was published to rave reviews, a collection of short stories called How the world functions perfectly without me (Hoe de wereld perfect functioneert zonder mij). This book is currently on the shortlists of the 2010 Selexyz Debut Prize and Academica Debut Prize.

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*His previous novel, The German Wedding, was recently published in the uk and received excellent reviews *Selected by the nlpvf for ten books spring 2010, subsidy guaranteed

Mila Burger’s Demise 398 pp trade paperback March 2010

literary fiction

DE DOOD VAN MILA BURGER Pieter Waterdrinker

A young Russian’s search for happiness, from Dutch penny-pinching to Russian profusion Mila is brought up by her grandmother in the Russian town of Kazan, at the end of the Soviet era. After graduating from university she meets a young Dutch man, Nicolaas Burger, and travels with him to Holland. Ten years down the line, she’s still childless, trapped in a dead-end job in a coastal town in an unhappy marriage with a husband on the dole.

That’s when her white prince, Romanovski, turns up and whisks her away to Moscow, to a world of incredible opulence and excess. Moving to a fairytale estate in the forest, they live a secluded and happy existence.

Romanovski is writing a book on Lipizzanerer horses, Mila is trying to forget Holland. Their perfect existence seems complete when Mila becomes pregnant, but then her husband’s shady past catches up with him.

Mila Burger’s Demise is a captivating tragedy, full of rich descriptions and carnivalesque scenes.

Reviews ‘In many respects Mila Burger’s Demise is a novel about twenty-first-century Russia, dished up according to the laws of the nineteenth-century novel. Fluent, expressive, amusing.’ – NRC Handelsblad ‘Mila Burger’s Demise is a classic tragedy. It is quality prose. Exuberant in a rather un-Dutch way.’ – Vrij Nederland Pieter Waterdrinker (born in 1961) has been living alternately in Moscow and Saint Petersburg for 15 years. He has unparalleled knowledge of modern Russia, and his habitat plays a principal role in his work. His breakthrough came with The German Wedding which as well as being sold abroad is currently being made into a German/Dutch film featuring Ulrich Tukur (Das Leben der Anderen), Andrea Sawatzki, Rutger Hauer and Jan Decleir (Karakter).

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The Hero Inspector 424 pp.

Trade paperback May 2010, plate section

A rollicking historical romp through the Dutch battlefields

literary fiction

*Break-out novel of an original literary talent *A historical novel set at a famous moment in Dutch history, featuring Willem of Orange II *Atte Jongsta’s novels are perfect for Flashman fans

DE HELDENINSPECTEUR Atte Jongstra

A Dutchman arrives in Brussels in the summer of 1830 during the revolution that separates the southern part of the Lowlands from the northern. Belgium is born! In the beginning, Junius follows with the uprising with interest but after several Dutch attempts to restore the old order, he is named Inspector of Heroes, a seemingly innocent title. Until the Ten Day War. Reviews On Klinkende Ikken: ‘Autobiographical pandemonium.’ – Joost Zwagerman On The Adventures of Henry Fix II: ‘The most fun book I’ve read in recent times.’ – Martin Bril ‘Fix is real just as Homer and Rabelais are real. Read this book.’ – Hugo Brandt Corstius On this novel: ‘Atte Jongstra brings his erudite playfulness to new heights in this novel’ – De Morgen ‘The fun Jongstra must have had while writing this is evident on every page’ – De Groene Amsterdammer ‘It could have been an episode of the British comedy Blackadder.’ – HP/De Tijd Atte Jongstra has written a lot of books. His most recent publications were the post-modern The adventures of Henry II Fix (English sample available) and an autobiography, Klinkende ikken. Atte is very active on Facebook.

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49 Ways to Make it Through the Day 230 pp hardback March 2010

literary fiction

49 MANIEREN OM DE DAG DOOR TE KOMEN Christophe Vekeman

*New novel from Flemish talent

Bizarre self-help for a 30 year-old self-glorifying slacker Vincent De Wimper has just turned thirty and his girlfriend of seven years has left him. That’s fine by him because her legs were so skinny they could have been arms, not good for a man with a calf-obsession, and he hadn’t been sleeping with her for ages anyway. He spends his days idling around his flat, neurotically trying to get a grip on his life but failing. The 49 chapters in the book are his attempts to treat his own ennui by, for example: Shopping Redecorating your home Being happy-go-lucky Not going to the launderette Watching pornography Smoking a cigar Making a list of ex-girlfriends Writing a letter to your dead dog Self-medicating as shame relief Mastering your phone phobia Reviews ‘This is his most affecting novel so far. On the surface a sad story but the author’s colourful language often paints a smile on your face. Good quality from Flanders.’ – Het Nieuwsblad ‘A celebration of nihilistic small-mindedness and a hint of anarchistic madness... despite the steadily increasing madness, it is written with great accurateness and clarity and full of grisly laughs and wisecracks.’ – De Morgen Christophe Vekeman (1972) has made his name as a writer, reviewer and media figure.

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*Nominated for the 2010 ako prize *Produced for the 50th anniversary of the Nederlands Dans Theater *Weijts’ second novel via cappello 23 was shortlisted for the Gouden Uil and was on the ako 2009 longlist *Weijts’ first novel art. 285b (The Scarlatti Fingerings) was also shortlisted for 5 prizes and won the Anton Wachter and the Gouden Ezelsoor for bestselling literary debut

Translated by Brian Doyle 160 pp hardcover special edition 2009

literary fiction

DE ETALEUR/THE WINDOW DRESSER Christiaan Weijts

A literary novella about consumerism inspired in form by modern and classical dance The Cocagne department store dresses windows as they have never been dressed before: interactively, intelligently, and guaranteed to be irresistible. The mastermind behind this new form of window-dressing is Victor Zuid. When the store finds itself under attack from an anti-consumerism action group, Zuid is drawn into the conflict. What he doesn’t realize is that his long-lost love, dancer Vita Laurier, is behind the activism. When they get together he learns that this isn’t her only secret. Victor will soon be forced to see his creations, the people and the city with different eyes. The novella ends with a spectacular performance in the shop window, holograms meeting reality in a clash of ideologies.

Reviews of previous titles ‘Christiaan Weijts erects a cathedral of noise and pain in his virtuoso first novel. Prize juries: prepare yourselves!’ – Vrij Nederland ‘A brilliant debut... an ingenious literary game, let us call it a total theatre of our times, with references to contemporary and classical literature, music history, and that old chestnut “how to live”.’ – NRC Handelsblad Christiaan Weijts (1976) studied Dutch Literature in Leiden and now lives in Den Haag. He is the author of two very successful literary novels, the first of which has been translated into German by Suhrkamp. A French extract of Via Cappello 23, published in the literary magazine Septentrion, is available.

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More Dead Than Alive 280 pp trade paperback May 2010

Thriller set in the Amsterdam sex world

commercial fiction

MEER DOOD DAN LEVEND Tupla Mourits

Law student Luna Bisschop has a fantastic life, many friends and a nice weekend job in an erotic shop in the centre of Amsterdam. Then one evening during late-night shopping she is the victim of a violent robbery. The perpetrators leave her for dead. Whatever she tries, her life just isn’t the same afterwards. When she discovers the identity of one of the criminals and the police refuse to believe her, she decides to take the law into her own hands. Naturally things don’t go to plan.

Reviews ‘Quality guaranteed.’ – Esta ‘Right from page one you are dragged into the story [...] Su-per sca-ry!’ – Viva ‘Because of their expressive writing it almost feels as if you are part of the story.’ – Marie Claire Tupla Mourits is the pen name for female writing duo Wendela de Vos and her partner, Atie Vogelenzang. Their first thriller Vrouwelijk naakt (Female Nude), 2005, was awarded the Schaduw Prize. In 2007 they published Een kwestie van tijd (A Question of Time), followed by Speeddate (Speed-date) in 2008.

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Alva’s Thumb 240 pp trade paperback May 2010

Resident evil at the carnival

commercial fiction

DE DUIM VAN ALVA Kisling & Verhuyck

Every year during the Sinksenfoor, the annual six-week carnival in Antwerp, people who live in its direct surroundings complain about the raised crime rates that seem to be a side effect of the age-old festival. Some connect the increase of aggressive and violent behaviour directly to the Grand Guignol, a small theatre specialized in very realistic horror shows. Would the bizarre sketches really rouse bloodlust amongst its audience? Others blame it on the hellish noise of the Sinksenfoor’s most popular attraction, the Mighty Maiden, a monstrous thing that makes the ground tremble and is so loud you can’t even hear yourself think when you are near it. Or is there perhaps a deeper cause to the sudden outburst of violence that occurs every year in Antwerp, a cause that is hidden in the city’s past? The now famous district of Het Zuid is built on the foundations of the stronghold created by the infamous Spanish Duke of Alva. Is this a case of resident evil – old evil that is hidden underneath the surface and is reactivated by the noise and tremblings of the carnival?

Cornelius Reyziger, a Dutch journalist working for an influential magazine, doesn’t believe a bit of it. When his wife admits that she feels scared living in Het Zuid during the Sinksenfoor, he ignores her, she shouldn’t be ridiculous. When Cornelius decides to further investigate the cause of this supposed increase of violence, just to prove that none of it is true, he too starts to notice a change in people and even in himself. Alva’s Thumb is a layered literary thriller filled to the brim with suspense.

Reviews ‘Anyone tired of the standard plots of so-called literary thrillers can expect to thoroughly enjoy this novel.’ – NRC Handelsblad ‘In a colourful, thrilling story with the taste of blood and sometimes the smell of candyfloss, [Kisling & Verhuyck] have once again delivered a small masterpiece, both in style and content.’ – de Volkskrant Corine Kisling (1954) is a Dutch writer and translator, Paul Verhuyck is a Belgian writer.

Both have previously published five novels individually and so far they have written two historical thrillers together, The Liar’s Tale (Het leugenverhaal, 2007) and Tormentor (De kwelgeest, 2008). This is their third novel.

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*Complete English translation available *Published by Droemer in Germany

Free 196 pp trade paperback June 2006

Desperate housewife on the run

commercial fiction

VRIJ Martine Kamphuis

Middle-class Linde has struggled for years in an unhappy marriage with a difficult man but manages to escape his stranglehold. After a neatly executed murder plan she is out of the woods and ready to start her new life with a brand new love. Or is she? What is it that turns Linde into a cold-blooded serial killer? Is she really the innocent victim she claims to be or an extremely unreliable woman legitimising her blood-lust with stories of incest? Will she get away with it? This page-turning thriller, told from inside the head of an unconventional murderess, is written in a clear, compelling fashion and is absolutely unputdownable.

Free is a book about the battle of the sexes, the way in which people become trapped within marriage and how sex is used to enact the power struggle. In Free, author and psychiatrist Martine Kamphuis shows how an ‘external locus of control’ can lead to a desperately wound-up character remaining trapped in repetitive behavioural patterns.

Reviews: ‘A bloodcurdling thriller... an unforgettable neighbour-horror.’ – Algemeen Dagblad ‘An extremely promising debut.’ – Brabants Dagblad ‘A fluidly-written thriller with a surprising twist at the end.’ – Zin ‘Vrij is a book which is to be read in a single sitting with a combination of fascination and horror.’ – Libelle Martine Kamphuis (1966) is a psychiatrist at a Rotterdam hospital.

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Time on our side: Manifesto for a Slow Future 280 pp Trade paperback October 2009

*Dossier in English *Bestseller in the Netherlands, reprinted ten times! *Subsidy available from nlpvf

non-fiction

STIL DE TIJD: Pleidooi voor een langzame toekomst Joke J. Hermsen

Stop the clocks!

In Time on our side, Hermsen consults thinkers, artists and intellectuals such as Henri Bergson, Ernst Bloch, Virginia Woolf, Marcel Proust, Edmond Jabes, and Mark Rothko, to devise a new vision of the phenomenon of time. Asking questions like ‘Who owns time?’, ‘Does time have a beginning and an end?’ and ‘Does personal time still exist?’ she argues convincingly for a reconsideration of how we experience and use time in today’s modern world and for a slowing down of activity.

Reviews ‘A well-considered and stimulating collection of essays... Hermsen gives a crystal clear demonstration of how boredom and slowness can awaken creativity.’ – De Morgen ‘Well-wrought and highly readable.’ – de Volkskrant, ***** (five stars) Joke J. Hermsen is a writer and philosopher. She debuted in 1998 with the historical novel Het dameoffer, which was followed by Tweeduister, De profielschets and De liefde dus. The latter was nominated for the Libris Prize in 2009 and extremely well-received in the press. She is also the author of an essay collection Heimwee naar de mens, which was shortlisted for a prize for best philosophical work in 2003. In 2008 her entire oeuvre was awarded the Halewijn Prize. She is 48, the mother of two teenagers and lives in Amsterdam.

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The Monotheistic Dilemma 288 pp trade paperback November 2010

non-fiction

HET MONOTHEÏSTISCH DILEMMA Paul Cliteur

Acts of conscience Which laws do you obey? The laws of your country or the laws of God? A groundbreaking and nuanced analysis of religiously inspired terrorism, written by one of Holland’s most authoritative opinion makers.

In The monotheistic dilemma Paul Cliteur raises the question as to how religion and violence are related. The Israeli/Palestinian conflict is viewed more and more as a battle that is primarily based on religiously founded claims for land. Recently in the United States, the Christian murderer of an abortion doctor was convicted.

And during the Christmas holidays of 2009 on Northwest Airlines flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit, an Islamic terrorist was arrested.

In his book, Cliteur mainly focuses on terrorist violence justified by its perpetrators by referring to one of the large monotheistic religions. Religiously inspired terrorism can be considered as an ‘act of conscience’. Its perpetrator is locked in a dilemma: should he obey the laws of the country he lives in or the laws of his God? Cliteur not only considers events in recent world news, meticulously analyzing the Danish cartoon affair for example, but he also consults European thinkers from the age of Enlightenment, such as David Hume and Baron d’Holbach.

Paul Cliteur is a philosopher and professor at Leiden University. His previous publications in Dutch include Against Decadence (Tegen de decadentie, 2004) and Moral Esperanto (Moreel Esperanto, 2007), which was translated into Spanish. This fall Wiley-Blackwell will publish a book he has written in English, The Secular Outlook.

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non-fiction

MET DE HAND. Een culturele geschiedenis van de soloseks Mels van Driel

The Hand Job. A Cultural History of Masturbation 336 pp trade paperback with integrated illustrations May 2010

Everything you always wanted to know about masturbation and didn’t find out for yourself Men do it all over the place apparently, but women prefer to do it at home. Everybody does it. Some see it as a healthy activity, others as self-love. And yet there is still a taboo about solo sex, masturbation is never your regular topic of conversation. To break this taboo, Dr Mels van Driel has written The Hand Job. He tries to answer the question of what masturbation is exactly and what scientific research has discovered about this activity. He looks to theologists, historians, doctors, sexologists, poets, writers, musicians, artists, feminists and chauvinists in his quest to delve into the roots of a common pleasure.

Sales: Reaktion Books wel

GEHEIME DELEN Manhood. The Rise and Fall of the Penis by Mels van Driel (Reaktion Books 2009) received widespread press coverage in uk, usa and Canada. Rights also sold in Poland and China.

‘Van Driel wants to do two things: to inform readers about the anatomy and workings of the penis, scrotum and the rest of it, doing so light-heartedly and with humour, as though a slightly boozy uncle were instructing you in how machine guns work; second, to entertain. This is not a heavy book. Van Driel has read enormously in classical literature and folklore and wears his learning lightly...’ – The Globe and Mail Mels van Driel (1954) is a urologist and sexologist at the University Medical Centre in Groningen.

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France of the Tour 496 pp trade paperback with colour illustrations April 2010

non-fiction

HET FRANKRIJK VAN DE TOUR Jeroen Wielaert

A roadside view This book is more than just a travel guide that leads you through the beautiful landscapes of the Tour de France.

It provides an extensive cultural history of one of the greatest sports events in the world as well as numerous personal observations and cycling anecdotes from a Tour expert.

This book is about a heartfelt connection with the French countryside and its world-famous event. Since its inception over a hundred years ago, the Tour has steadily become a window into France. The France of the Tour is also a construction, as the author demonstrates to his readers. It is the image that the French want the world to have of their country. Jeroen Wielaert, a sports journalist who has been active as a Tour reporter and columnist for over twenty years, has made numerous travels through France over the past several years. Through his work and travels, he has gathered enough information about the country and the competition to create a truly fascinating book that is without comparison. A multifaceted book looking at landscapes, world wars, literature and art, national character and culinary tips – but above all the history of the Tour and cycling in France.

Reviews ‘A must-read for everyone who loves the Tour and France. Buy it!’ – Wieler Revue ‘Wielaert’s bible [...] Sublime!’ – Wielermagazine ‘The most fun part of Wielaert’s book is that it offers a very personal reading of France. France of the Tour functions as a true encyclopedia of the Tour-feeling.’ – NRC Handelsblad Jeroen Wielaert is a radio presenter and sports journalist in his fifties.

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Louis Paul Boon (Flanders, 1912-1979) was without doubt the most important innovator in post-war Flemish and Dutch literature. His masterful novel, De Kapellekensbaan (Chapel Road, 1953), was translated into eight languages and had a great influence on the literature of the Low Lands, but also on the German writer Günter Grass. In 1971, Boon received the Triannual National Award for his novel Pieter Daens, which was later made into a film in 1993 and recieved an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. It was anticipated that Boon would become the first Dutch-language Nobel Prize winner but his untimely death intervened.

backlist authors

LOUIS PAUL BOON

‘The Flemish working class could not find a better historian than Boon. He sprang from its ranks and feels himself at one with it.’ – Vrij Nederland De Arbeiderspers are reissuing the complete collection of all of his works in 24 volumes. Chapel Road is perhaps Boon’s most well-known, politically-charged and ambitious novel. Menuet is a shorter, more psychological novel about a man working 8 hours a day in the refrigerated basement of a factory.

Translations: Minuet (Menuet). New York: Persea Books, 1979. Also in German (Aufbau, 1975; Carl Hanser Verlag, 1979), in French (Complexe, 1973, 2nd edition 2003), in Hungarian (Európa, 1979), in Polish (piw, 1980), in Swedish (Forum, 1976), in Czech (Olomouc: Votobia) and in Danish (Husets, 1994). My Small War (Mijn kleine oorlog). Ravensburg: Verlag Peter Selinka, 1988. Also in Swedish (Forum, 1976), in Russian (Progress, 1980), in Portuguese (Dom Quixote, 1979), in Serbo-Croat (Prometej, 2001), in Czech (Votobia, 2002) and in French (La Longue Vue, 1985). Chapel Road (De Kapellekensbaan). New York: Twayne Publishers, 1972/ Normal: Dalkey Archive Press, 2003. Also in German (Carl Hanser Verlag, 1970; Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, 1979; Berlin: 2nd edition Verlag Volk und Welt, 1986; 3rd edition; München: Luchterhand, 2002), in Hungarian (Európa, 1983), in Polish (Czytelnik, 1982), in Norwegian (Gyldendal Norsk Forlag, 1976), in Swedish (Forum, 1975), in French (l’Age D’Homme, 1999) and in Spanish (Destino, 1979), in Estonian (Varrak, 1999). Jan de Lichte und seine Bande (De bende van Jan de Lichte). Ravensburg: Verlag Peter Selinka, 1987. Also in Rumanian (Univers, 1984). Abel Gholaerts (Abel Gholaerts). Ravensburg: Verlag Peter Selinka, 1990. Der Paradiesvogel (De paradijsvogel). Aachen: Alano Verlag, 1993.

Recent Deals: Editions Anatolia: Fenomenale feminateek; Eens op een mooie avond; Mieke Maaike’s obscene jeugd; Zomer­dagdroom (French), Dalkey Archive Press: Mijn kleine oorlog (English), Alexander Verlag: Menuet (German), Bizim Kataplar: Chapel Road and Summer in Termuren (Turkish)

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MAARTEN ’T HART backlist and autobiography *One of Holland’s most famous and best-loved writers *English translations available *All titles sold to Piper and bestsellers in Germany *Historical context: small Calvinist communities, religion and social revolution *Themes: families, relationships, betrayals

VERLOVINGSTIJD

Engagement 308 pp hardback September 2009 Jouri and the story’s narrator grow up together in Maassluis at the end of the 1940s, their fathers a bicycle repairman and sewage worker respectively, one of them a collaborator. Throughout their school years, Jouri systematically steals the narrator’s girlfriends. The protagonist even helps a mutual friend, Frederica, to seduce Jouri by pretending to have a relationship with her, while harbouring feelings for her himself.

A few years later, the narrator is married to a quiet, unassuming woman, has had affairs with his students, and is as unhappily married as his parents were. When Frederica appears back on the scene, he has a golden opportunity to wreak lengthy revenge on Youri.

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HET WOEDEN DER GEHELE WERELD

*Major bestseller in Holland *Winner of the Gouden Strop thriller prize 1994 *Filmed in 2006

God sought to kill Moses (1993) Translated by Michiel Horn

‘The book that you always wanted, as is revealed when you sit down and submerge yourself in a fascinating world. Such books are rarely written.’ – Der Spiegel Based on the 1956 murder of a policeman, during an evangelistic campaign in Maassluis. Goudveyl, son of a rag dealer, witnesses the murder which was never solved. Through him we are given a wittily sketched picture of a working-class neighbourhood. His interest in the murder takes him back in time and he finally arrives at an explanation that has more to do with himself than he realises. A fascinating literary whodunit.

Sales: Lumen Spain; Longanesi Italy; Arche Verlag/Piper Germany; Belfond France; Atlantis Sweden; Karolinum Czech Republic; Dulnyouk Korea. Filmed by Rob Houwer.

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DE KROONGETUIGE

The Crown Witness (1983) Sample translation

by Michiel Horn

*Bestseller in the Netherlands *Set in the university town of Leiden

‘Are not most marriages of the kind that one wishes there were a crown witness present? And there usually is: the child. But the child is usually more than just a witness, he’s a scapegoat.’

When Jenny disappears, her lover Thomas gets caught up in a police investigation into her possible murder.

They believe he has disposed of her body in his laboratory by feeding it to the rats. He is desperate for his infertile wife Leonie not to get caught up in the case.

Maarten ’t Hart was born in 1944 in Maasluis in a strict Reformed (Calvinist) family, a milieu he later escaped. He studied biology with a thesis on the behaviour of the three spiked stickleback.

His writing career started in 1971 but his breakthrough came in 1978 with his novel Een vlucht regenwulpen (now over a million copies sold) which has been filmed.

His themes include music (in particular Bach), nature and literature. With the publication of his novel Het woeden der gehele wereld, winner of the Gouden Strop 1994 for the best suspense novel, sales hit two million.

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