{"product_id":"penguin-book-of-dutch-short-stories","title":"Penguin Book Of Dutch Short Stories","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e''\u003c\/i\u003eThe stories here will provoke, delight and impress. Joost Zwagerman''s selection forms a fascinating guidebook to a landscape you''ll surely want to wander in again.'' Clare Lowden, \u003ci\u003eTLS\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''There is a lot of northern European melancholy in the collection, though often tinged with wry humour...an excellent book'' Jonathan Gibbs, \u003ci\u003eMinor Literatures\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWe were kids \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e- \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003ebut good kids. If \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eI may say so myself. We\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e''\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003ere much smarter now, so smart it\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e''\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003es pathetic. Except for Bavink, who went crazy\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e''\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA husband forms gruesome plans for his new fridge; a government employee has a haunting experience on his commute home; prisoners serve as entertainment for wealthy party guests; an army officer suffers a monstrous tropical illness. These short stories contain some of the most groundbreaking and innovative writing in Dutch literature from 1915 to the present day, with most pieces appearing here in English for the first time. Blending unforgettable snapshots of the realities of everyday life with surrealism, fantasy and subversion, this collection shows Dutch writing to be an integral part of world literary history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJoost Zwagerman\u003c\/b\u003e (1963-2015) was a novelist, poet, essayist and editor of several anthologies. He started his career as a writer with bestselling novels, describing the atmosphere of the 1980s and 1990s, such as \u003ci\u003eGimmick!\u003c\/i\u003e(1988) and \u003ci\u003eFalse Light\u003c\/i\u003e (1991). In later years, he concentrated on writing essays - notably on pop culture and visual arts - and poetry. Suicide was the theme of the novel \u003ci\u003eSix Stars\u003c\/i\u003e (2002). He took his own life just after having published a new collection of essays on art, \u003ci\u003eThe Museum of Light\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MediaPlace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57549423575422,"sku":"NW9780141395722","price":11.67,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1379\/1261\/files\/9780141395722.jpg?v=1781527995","url":"https:\/\/mediaplace.com\/products\/penguin-book-of-dutch-short-stories","provider":"MediaPlace","version":"1.0","type":"link"}