Introducing Verzet Chapbooks
By Nicole Oshisanwo (BA History with Dutch and German)
On the evening of 13 October 2020, we were treated to an exciting exploration into the world of contemporary Dutch literature courtesy of 91̽»¨â€™s Off the Shelf Festival of Words, New Dutch Writing and 91̽»¨â€™s Centre for Dutch and Flemish Studies. The literary festival is now into its 29th year, with each year introducing an exciting new array of literary talents. The focus of the talk was , a funky new collection of translated short stories combined under the Dutch title Verzet (resistance), with the spirit of resistance present both in the selection of authors for the collection and in the contents of the collection itself.
Verzet aims to expand Dutch literature to new voices and make sure that a diverse range of opinions are heard, whilst also situating the translator as an important co-contributor to the writing process and allowing them to share space with the authors themselves. This collection could not have been published at a better time, as Dutch literature is currently experiencing an excellent year of international exposure. The international Booker prize 2020 was won by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld for her novel The Discomfort of Evening, translated by Michele Hutchinson. These chapbooks therefore can look to capitalise on the worldwide surge of interest in Dutch literature generated by this outstanding win.
Through the Verzet chapbook collection and events like this, more and more people will be able to discover the diverse contributions Dutch literature has to make and recognise the importance of good translators.
Nicole Oshisanwo
Off the Shelf: Verzet Chapbooks
The moderator of the evening was our own Dr Henriette Louwerse, who introduced the authors Sanneke van Hassel, and Jamal Ouariachi, and the translators Emma Rault and Alice Tetley-Paul. We were treated to a reading from each book that they had either translated or written. I enjoyed them all, although the reading from Rault was the most interesting for me, as she also mentioned some of the pitfalls of translating emotive language. Reading from her translated work ‘The Dandy’ (by Nina Polak) which contains five stories about the perils of modern relationships, Rault discussed the issue, some cultures simply don’t have words for certain feelings, or express them in different ways. The ‘uncertain rose’ in Dutch therefore becomes a ‘tentative’ rose in English, as roses simply can’t be uncertain in English. Similarly, there are no words for the Dutch feeling of ‘vertedering’, and it can only be translated as (the similar but not accurate) affection.
Although brief, the evening was a pleasant dive into the new and exciting developments in Dutch literature. It was also an excellent way to emphasise the increasing visibility of translators in literature, and it was fascinating to be able to hear them talk about their writing and translation process. Jamal Ouariachi summed up the night by reminding us that, contrary to the recent Dutch Booker prize winner, Dutch writing isn’t all farms and difficult Protestant upbringings. Through the Verzet chapbook collection and events like this, more and more people will be able to discover the diverse contributions Dutch literature has to make and recognise the importance of good translators.
The next literary event will be an evening with Niña Weijers, author of The Consequences, on Wednesday 25 November. Check the Centre for Dutch and Flemish events page for more details.