Singel Publishers fiction + non-fiction spring 2015

literary fiction

Rights Guide Singel Publishers London Book Fair 2015

de a r b e i d e r s pe r s at h en a e u m s i n g e l P u b l i s h e r s

nijgh & va n dit m a r Q Querido

 Unstoppable bestseller: number 2 on the bestseller list  50,000 copies sold in two months  ‘Amazingly loving. A magnificent book’ – hp/De Tijd

literary fiction

Maarten ’t Hart Magdalena ‘After my death,’ Maarten ’t Hart’s mother often said, ‘you can write whatever you want about me, but spare me as long as I live.’ That’s why ’t Hart kept his religious mother out of sight as far as possible in his books. But as she died in 2012, the author can now subject her wondrous peculiarities and unshakable faith to closer examination. With the necessary sense of perspective, Magdalena draws a loving portrait of mother and son – a universal story, recognizable for every son and mother.

‘Magnificent testimony.’ Vrij Nederland ‘Despite the thorny issues ’t Hart exposes in her character, this is a loving portrait of a mother with eccentric quirks.’ De Morgen

Maarten ’t Hart (1944) has published more than

Original title Magdalena Novel | 254 pages | De Arbeiderspers

Rights sold: Piper Verlag (Germany)

thirty books, many of which have © Tessa Posthuma de Boer

been translated into German. His

English sample available

classic novel, Een vlucht regenwulpen (A Flight of Rainbirds, more

Foreign rights:

than 1 million copies sold), was

Patricia de Groot | p.de.groot@singeluitgeverijen.nl

the focus of the Dutch reading

Maria Vlaar | mg.vlaar@xs4all.nl

campaign ‘Nederland Leest 2014’.

Martijn Prins | m.prins@singeluitgeverijen.nl

 The number one literary discovery of the year  More than 30,000 copies sold  Shortlisted for the Libris Literature Prize 2015 and longlisted for the Gouden Boekenuil  Selected for ‘Ten Books’ of the Dutch Foundation for Literature

literary fiction

Gustaaf Peek Goddess, Hero What is love? The heart is unpredictable, man a contradictory being. Tessa and Marius have been in love all their lives. They meet at school and are unable to forget one another. For years they live off secret meetings in hotel rooms. A romance with many names: infatuation, affair, obsession. She is his goddess, he is her hero. This is their story unveiled, told from end to beginning, from the final touch to the first meeting, from the final word to the first glance.

An undisguised novel about the mysterious and all too human aspects of love.

‘The composition of the novel gives the book a great elegance.’ **** nrc Handelsblad ‘Both provocative and poignant.’ De Groene Amsterdammer Original title Godin, held

‘This book is sex. Heartrending.’ ***** Het Parool

Gustaaf Peek (1975) debuted in 2006 with

Novel | 274 pages | Querido

Rights sold: DVA (Germany)

the novel Armin, followed by Dover, nominated for the bng

English sample available

New Literature Prize, and Ik was © Maria Hermes

Amerika (I was America), which won the bng New Literature Prize and the F. Bordewijk Prize.

Foreign rights: Patricia de Groot | p.de.groot@singeluitgeverijen.nl Maria Vlaar | mg.vlaar@xs4all.nl Martijn Prins | m.prins@singeluitgeverijen.nl

 Six print runs in quick succession  Shortlisted for the Libris Literature Prize 2015 and longlisted for the Gouden Boekenuil  Selected for ‘Ten Books’ of the Dutch Foundation for Literature

literary fiction

Kees ’t Hart Teatro Olimpico Two theatre-makers are invited to produce a play for the Rousseau Festival in the renowned Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, but their euphoria soon suffers a serious blow. Where can they obtain an actor so quickly and what about finding the money? How will they transport their sets from the Netherlands to Italy? They end up in an obscure but humorously described world of miscommunication with Italian directors, actors and financiers. Still they try to keep their plans in motion. After all, a performance at the Teatro Olimpico is the highest possible attainment.

Everything must make way for that.

‘The wittiest novel of the year.’ ***** nrc Handelsblad Original title Teatro Olimpico

‘A hilarious report on a dazzling failure.’ Trouw

© Euf Lindeboom

Kees ’t Hart

Novel | 224 pages | Querido

English sample available

(1944) writes novels, essays, stories and poems. Hotel Vertigo

Foreign rights:

came out in 2012 and was highly

Patricia de Groot | p.de.groot@singeluitgeverijen.nl

praised, making the longlist for

Maria Vlaar | mg.vlaar@xs4all.nl

the Libris Literature Prize, the

Martijn Prins | m.prins@singeluitgeverijen.nl

ako Literature Prize and the Gouden Boekenuil.

 A cartoonist on the edge  ‘One of the most talented authors of his generation’ – Het Parool

literary fiction

Christiaan Weijts The Left-handers Cartoonist Zink has drawn an infamous cartoon about the power of multinationals over European politics. The chief editor of his newspaper is reluctant to publish and wants to censor the cartoon. Zink refuses. He tears off in his car, taking with him a young woman hitchhiking with a cello case. What follows is a merry dance, which takes on ever more mysterious dimensions; all the more so when Zink’s past catches up with him on the way. Where does the cellist want to go? And what’s really in her case?

The Left-handers is a grotesque, page-turning novel about caricature, irony, privacy and ‘the sinister gift of left-handedness’.

‘The treatment of this theme, and the sharp ingenuity to work all of it at speed into a smooth, short novel, is a tour de force which the reader has associated with this Dutch writer since his debut.’ **** Cobra

Christiaan Weijts

Original title De linkshandigen Novel | 196 pages | De Arbeiderspers

English sample available (500 words)

(1976) is a writer and freelance journalist. He won the Gouden Ezelsoor and the Anton Wachter Prize for his debut novel, Art. 285b. His novel Euphoria (2012) © Erik Smits

earned him the bng New Literature Prize and was shortlisted for the Libris Literature Prize.

Foreign rights: Patricia de Groot | p.de.groot@singeluitgeverijen.nl Maria Vlaar | mg.vlaar@xs4all.nl Martijn Prins | m.prins@singeluitgeverijen.nl

 A great new talent  ‘A true feat of writing, not driven by plot, but intuitively structured’ – bng Literature Prize jury report  Audience Award of the bng Literature Prize

literary fiction

Naomi Rebekka Boekwijt Plateau In the Swiss Feldi lies Moser’s old farm. Opposite him is Wyss’s modern dairy business. A young Dutch woman working for Moser on this desolate plateau is challenged not only by the work but also by unexpected love. When the snow in the mountains begins to melt, the Thur river threatens to burst its banks. Confronted with the danger of flooding the inhabitants of Feldi reveal their true face.

‘A unique voice summoning up a unique world.’

Vrij Nederland ‘Boekwijt makes a self-assured choice for a raw, bold style.’ de Volkskrant

Original title Hoogvlakte Novel | 176 pages | De Arbeiderspers

© Rachel Engeli

Naomi Rebekka Boekwijt (1990) studied philosophy at

Foreign rights: Patricia de Groot | p.de.groot@singeluitgeverijen.nl

Leiden University. She debuted

Maria Vlaar | mg.vlaar@xs4all.nl

in 2013 with Pels, a collection of

Martijn Prins | m.prins@singeluitgeverijen.nl

stories which was nominated for the Academica Literature Prize.

Plateau is her first novel. She lives on a farm in Switzerland.

 The new Grunberg!

literary fiction

Arnon Grunberg The File Is there something more beautiful and perfect than physical reality as we know it? For Lillian, an ‘eastern princess in a pretty average girl’s body’, there can be no doubt: real life is online – outside of that there is only socially desirable behaviour. The renewal or rebirth of humanity will take place in that better reality, but first the old humanity must disappear.

Under the watchful eye of her mentor Banri Watanuki, as a receptionist at cyber security company BClever, Lillian comes closer to her ideal step by step: life without a body, becoming nothing more than pure intelligence, leaving the animal kingdom behind.

‘Grunberg’s moral tale of the internet generation is funny, witty and grabs the spirit of the times.’

De Standaard

Original title Het bestand Novel | 172 pages | Nijgh & Van Ditmar

Arnon Grunberg (1971) is one of the most widely

Foreign rights: Arnon Grunberg is represented by

read European writers today.

the Arnon Grunberg Agency.

His work has been translated

Contact Oscar van Gelderen or Elik Lettinga at:

into 27 languages. He lives in

info@arnongrunbergagency.com

© Koos Breukel

New York most of the time and has a daily column on the front page of de Volkskrant.

 A small, refined body of work  Proven classic – the best of the treasure trove of Dutch literature

literary fiction

Nescio Amsterdam Stories Nescio (pseudonym of businessman J.H.F. Grönloh) is Latin for ‘I don’t know’. The author Nescio only published 350 pages during his lifetime: the novellas De uitvreter (The Sponger), Titaantjes (Young Titans) and Dichtertje (Little Poet), along with two collections of stories. Nevertheless he has built a reputation on these, which has only grown over the years.

His stories are characterised by their melancholy perspective on ideals, high expectations and revolutionaries. ‘No one has written more feelingly and more beautifully than Nescio about the madness and sadness, courage and vulnerability of youth: its big plans and vague longings.’ (New York Review of Books Classics)

‘A significant Dutch writer.’ Publishers Weekly ‘The book which makes all other books

Original title De uitvreter / Titaantjes / Dichtertje

superfluous.’ Willem Frederik Hermans

Novel | 160 pages | Nijgh & Van Ditmar

Rights sold:

Nescio The work of Nescio (1882-1961), one of the greatest stylists of Dutch literature, was recently published in America by the renowned nyrb Classics, and the same collection has been published by Iperborea in Italy.

New York Review of Books (us), Iperborea (Italy), Suhrkamp (Germany), Gondolat (Hungary), Malexis (Sweden), Elba (Spain), Európa (Slovenia) and ten other countries English translation available Foreign rights: Patricia de Groot | p.de.groot@singeluitgeverijen.nl Maria Vlaar | mg.vlaar@xs4all.nl Martijn Prins | m.prins@singeluitgeverijen.nl

 The very first book about slavery in the Dutch East Indies (former Dutch colony)  A complete history, from the Dutch East Indies Company to Indonesia’s independence

non-fiction

Reggie Baay Something Terrible Happened There As elsewhere, there was slavery in the Dutch colonies in the east. Colonial slavery took on many forms: house slaves, child slaves, sex slaves, craftsmen’s slaves and slaves on the plantations. Hundreds of thousands were degraded, tortured and murdered.

However unbelievable that seems, this is the first book to tell the story of slavery in the Dutch East Indies in its entirety. Reggie Baay writes about this story and Dutch slavery in Indonesia as a well kept secret, a loaded heritage and a black page in modern history.

‘Baay’s well written book convincingly corrects our distorted view of slavery.’ Trouw

Original title Daar werd wat gruwelijks verricht Non-fiction | 300 pages | Athenaeum – Polak & Van Gennep

Reggie Baay (1955) is a historian who publishes regularly on colonial history

Foreign rights: Patricia de Groot | p.de.groot@singeluitgeverijen.nl

© Anouk van Helmond

and literature. His previous two

Maria Vlaar | mg.vlaar@xs4all.nl

works of non-fiction De njai (The

Martijn Prins | m.prins@singeluitgeverijen.nl

Njai, 2008) and Portret van een oermoeder (Portrait of an Earth Mother, 2010) have been unanimously praised by the press.

 An impossible war adventure in the glorious Golden Age  Prince William iii of Orange and the invasion of England

non-fiction

Machiel Bosman The Predator King November 1688. The fleet gathers off the coast of the Netherlands, ready for the crossing of forty thousand men. It is the greatest military operation in the history of the Republic. The Prince of Orange stands on the eve of an uncertain adventure with potentially catastrophic consequences: an autumn invasion, at the end of the war season, when the North Sea is ravaged by storms.

His aim? England. His mission? To dethrone the king, his father-in-law. His wife? The Scottish princess Mary Stuart. They await an easterly wind…

‘Whoever picks up this book won’t be able to put it down again.’ Michaël Zeeman on Elisabeth de Flines

Machiel Bosman

Original title De Roofkoning | To be published in summer 2015 Non-fiction | 192 pages | Athenaeum – Polak & Van Gennep

English sample available

(1972) is a historian in the tradition of the great storytellers. He was nominated for the ako Literature Prize and the Great History Prize for Elisabeth de Flines (more than 15,000 copies sold).

Foreign rights: Patricia de Groot | p.de.groot@singeluitgeverijen.nl Maria Vlaar | mg.vlaar@xs4all.nl Martijn Prins | m.prins@singeluitgeverijen.nl

 The unique story of a radicalised man who de-radicalised himself  A glimpse into the life and thoughts of jihadists  Extremely topical

non-fiction

Dennis Abdelkarim Honing & Nikki Sterkenburg Unbelievable Dennis Abdelkarim Honing converted to Islam when he was seventeen, having been impressed while in a youth detention centre by the strict rules this religion offered him. He initially attended a liberal mosque, but soon ended up in the orthodox corner and rapidly became radicalised. Along with like-minded peers, many of whom are now fighting in Syria, he attended many demonstrations and informal meetings. Honing pulls apart a number of existing ideas about the background of jihadists and makes recommendations to the European governments on how to tackle radicalisation.

Original title Ongeloofwaardig Non-fiction | 200 pages | Uitgeverij Q

Honing/Sterkenburg

English sample available

When Honing openly distanced himself from radical thinking, this led to a great deal of publicity, including tv coverage. He is sharp © Geert Snoeijer

and eloquent, and has written this book with journalist Nikki Sterkenburg, who has studied Islam in the modern world.

Foreign rights: Patricia de Groot | p.de.groot@singeluitgeverijen.nl Maria Vlaar | mg.vlaar@xs4all.nl Martijn Prins | m.prins@singeluitgeverijen.nl

 Hundreds of gifted individuals – one sublime orchestra  The secret of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

non-fiction

Judith van der Wel Voices Inside the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Judith van der Wel spent a year following the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and was permitted to accompany them on their 125th anniversary world tour. She travelled with them to various locations including Vienna, Cape Town, Buenos Aires and New York, returning with a treasure trove of material on the functioning of one of the best orchestras in the world.

Voices is a book full of stories about a conductor battling with health problems, a violinist who wants to stand up for rights for homosexuals in Russia, and a director who works through the night to steer the orchestra safely through budget cuts.

‘She gives a complete, detailed picture behind the scenes of a top orchestra. A rich collection of stories.

The best parts are the personal outpourings of the musicians.’ de Volkskrant

Original title Stemmen Non-fiction | 368 pages | Querido

Judith van der Wel (1984) studied religion and psy-

Foreign rights:

chology. She publishes articles

Patricia de Groot | p.de.groot@singeluitgeverijen.nl

in the newspaper Trouw and literary magazines, and writes © Lona Aalders

poetry.

Maria Vlaar | mg.vlaar@xs4all.nl Martijn Prins | m.prins@singeluitgeverijen.nl

The Boer War Recent sales Rights sold: Seven Stories Press (US rights), Jacana Press (South African English & Afrikaans rights), C.H. Beck Verlag (Germany), Éditions du Seuil (France)

English sample available

Marente de Moor

Barbara Stok

The Dutch Maiden

Vincent

Rights sold:

Rights sold:

Suhrkamp (Germany),

EP media (France), Metro

World Editions (English),

Media (UK), BAO Publishing

Izida (Bulgaria), Antolog

(Italy), Mladá Fronta (Czech

(Macedonia), Libri

Republic), Aiora Press

(Hungary), Dituria (Albania),

(Greece), LPM Editors

Heliks (Serbia), Aylak Adam

(Brazil), Salamandra

(Turkey), Italy (Del Vecchio),

(Spain), Turbine (Denmark),

Naklada Ljevak (Croatia)

Yapı Kredi (Turkey), Open Books (Korea)

English sample available

English sample available

Willem Elsschot

Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer

Cheese

La Superba

Willem Elsschot

-

Martin Bossenbroek

Rights sold:

Kaas

Willem Elsschot

Kaas

Rights sold:

Alma Books (English),

Deep Vellum (US), Aufbau

Dar Khan (Arabic), Európa

(Germany), Antolog

(Slovenia), Le Castor

(Macedonia)

Astral (France), Verb (Estonia), Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy (Poland) and 20 other countries

English sample available

English sample available

de a r b e i d e r s pe r s at h en a e u m s i n g e l P u b l i s h e r s

nijgh & va n dit m a r Q Querido

Singel Publishers 1012 WZ Amsterdam The Netherlands Phone: +31 (0)20 760 72 10 Foreign rights Patricia de Groot p.de.groot@singeluitgeverijen.nl Maria Vlaar mg.vlaar@xs4all.nl Reading copies Martijn Prins m.prins@singeluitgeverijen.nl Translation grants Foreign publishers wishing to publish translations of books by Singel Publishers may apply for a subsidy towards the translation costs. The Dutch Foundation for Literature exists to promote interest in Dutch language literature abroad.

Further information and an application form are to be found on www.letterenfonds.nl.

Contact details for the Dutch Foundation for Literature: Nieuwe Prinsengracht 89 1018 VR Amsterdam The Netherlands t +31 (0)20 520 73 00 post@letterenfonds.nl www.letterenfonds.nl Fiction: Victor Schiferli v.schiferli@letterenfonds.nl Non fiction: Maarten Valken m.valken@letterenfonds.nl Mireille Berman m.berman@letterenfonds.nl

literary fiction

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