Singel publishers non fiction autumn 2014

Jona Lendering

Israel Divided: The Jewish world at the beginning of our era • How Judaism and Christianity went their separate ways • Present-day Israel’s roots unravelled • The Jewish world in Christ’s epoch Judiasm in a bygone time: the two hundred and fifty years between around 180 bc and 70 ad.

It was very different from today. Not all Jews recognized the Bible in the form we know it and there were still daily sacrifices in the temple. A strange world but also the period which two world religions, Rabbinical Judaism and Christianity, look back to.

Israel Divided reconstructs the way of thinking of old Judaism. It wasn’t in any way simple: Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes, followers of the ‘fourth philosophy’ and of Jesus all had different ideas as to how their religion should be given form. Jona Lendering depicts a crucial period in religious history, based on recent historical and archaeological insights.

Jona Lendering runs the largest website on the ancient world, Livius.org, is a much read blogger (MainzerBeobachter.com) and writes about religion on the news website Sargasso.nl. His books were praised by the nrc Handelsblad as a convincing testimonial to antiquity. Lendering’s Edge of Empire, Rome’s Frontier on the Lower Rhine, which he wrote with archeologist Arjen Bosman, has been translated into English.

non fiction

Original title Israël verdeeld (to be published in November 2014) Non fiction | 288 pages | illustrated Athenaeum – Polak & Van Gennep | www.uitgeverijathenaeum.nl Foreign rights: Patricia de Groot » p.de.groot@singel262.nl Maria Vlaar » mg.vlaar@xs4all.nl

Guus Kuijer

The Bible for Unbelievers • Parts 1, 2 and 3 very successful • 30,000 copies sold • Parts 2 and 3 longlisted for the AKO Literature Prize 2014 The Bible is a fascinating book. Western culture is unimaginable without the Christian holy book.

However, many people, particularly those who did not grow up within the Christian tradition, have never read it. And that is a real shame, as it contains some of the most beautiful stories in world literature. Guus Kuijer retells these tales for both unbelievers and believers.

Part 3 has recently been published, following on from the great success of the first two parts: Genesis (part 1), Exodus through Judges (part 2), Ruth and part of Samuel (part 3) – and of course there are more parts to come. A fourth part, on the governments of David and Solomon, is planned for 2016.

‘A completely original literary undertaking which knows no equal.’

– De Groene Amsterdammer ‘Kuijer’s retelling is merciless, his knowledge of the stories superior, no biblical detail goes unmissed.’

– NRC Handelsblad Original title De Bijbel voor ongelovigen 288 pages | 272 pages | 304 pages Athenaeum – Polak & Van Gennep | www.uitgeverijathenaeum.nl

non fiction

Rights sold: Seven Stories Press (US), Antje Kunstmann (Germany) Guus Kuijer’s books have been translated into 17 languages English sample translation available Foreign rights: Patricia de Groot » p.de.groot@singel262.nl Maria Vlaar » mg.vlaar@xs4all.nl

Guus Kuijer won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for his entire body of work.

The Book of Everything has become a modern classic of children’s literature, with the movie rights recently sold. He has also been successful as a writer of adult books.

© Jaco Klamer

Martin Bossenbroek The Boer War

• Winner of the Libris History Prize 2013 • Shortlisted for the AKO Literature Prize 2013 • 50,000 copies sold The (Anglo) Boer War (1899-1902) is one of the most intriguing conflicts in modern history: originator of Apartheid; the first media war; a foretoken of the First and Second World Wars.

The difference in status between the superpower of Great Britain and the two tiny Boer republics, inhabited by descendants of Dutch colonists, was bizarre. However, the Brits ended up having to go to extremes to win the war, including the systematic terrorizing of civilians.

The Boers seemed to go down like tragic heroes from a bygone era, but after their defeat they won peace. They rebuilt South Africa as a country of white masters and black servants. At the end of the Apartheid, the roles were reversed. The Boers seem to be going down, now fulfilling the role of the tragic bad guys.

‘Reads like an incredibly page-turning novel.’ – Jury report AKO Literature Prize ‘Bossenbroek makes the excitement, the overconfidence, the despair and the doubt tangible. He has an eye for the striking detail and the clarifying quotation.’

– De Groene Amsterdammer Original title De boerenoorlog Non fiction | 614 pages Athenaeum – Polak & Van Gennep | www.uitgeverijathenaeum.nl

non fiction

Rights sold: Seven Stories Press (US rights), Jacana Press (South African English & Afrikaans rights) English sample translation available Foreign rights: Patricia de Groot » p.de.groot@singel262.nl Maria Vlaar » mg.vlaar@xs4all.nl

Martin Bossenbroek, historian and writer, follows three colourful main characters: the Dutch lawyer Willem Leyds; the British war reporter Winston Churchill, and the Boer commando Deneys Reitz.

Never before was the Boer War described in such a vivid and complete manner.

© Jos Uljee

Erik Scherder

Keep Your Brains Running • How exercise keeps your brain young • For readers of Douwe Draaisma and Dick Swaab When children exercise it stimulates the parts of the brain which ensure optimal intellectual development, the same parts of the brain which are the first to degenerate with age. Now it transpires that exercise is just as important for adults. It isn’t just good for your figure but also for your mental fitness.

Keep Your Brains Running describes the rewards you get from exercise, and the negative effects on your physical and mental health if you don’t exercise. In his infectious and convincing argument, scientist and speaker Erik Scherder shows that we mustn’t let our brains go.

Erik Scherder is professor of neuropsychology at the VU in Amsterdam. Together with former Olympic skater Ard Schenk and best-selling author Dick Swaab, he gives lectures across the Netherlands.

In 2013, he was voted best teacher in the Netherlands and is a regular guest on ‘De Wereld Draait Door’, the biggest Dutch talk show. This is his first publication for a non-academic readership.

non fiction

Original title Laat je hersenen niet zitten Non fiction | 176 pages | illustrated Athenaeum – Polak & Van Gennep | www.uitgeverijathenaeum.nl Foreign rights: Patricia de Groot » p.de.groot@singel262.nl Maria Vlaar » mg.vlaar@xs4all.nl

Joke J. Hermsen

Kaïros: A New Engagement • Thought-provoking essay collection from one of Holland’s top philosophers • Sequel to the bestseller Time on Our Side Joke Hermsen makes a passionate plea for a new kind of engagement, one that will inspire us to find new ways of ‘wishful thinking’ to help put the economic and ecological crisis behind us. Referencing the philosophical works of Hannah Arendt, Tomas Sedlacek and Ernst Bloch, Hermsen makes clear that the human condition is on the one hand characterised by ‘initium’, that we are and should be ‘starters’ of new initiatives, and on the other hand by empathy.

After decades of nihilism and cynicism, the time has come for the homo economicus to become a homo empathicus, embracing engagement, enthusiasm and inspiration as their leading principles.

Her novel Blindgangers is a book about destroyed ideals and turbulent relationships between people looking for animation, inspiration and new moral zeal.

‘A brilliant series of essays from Joke Hermsen about the necessity of quality time.’ – Vrij Nederland ‘Hermsen is an excellent teacher who picks out and explains numerous ideas by well-known and lesser known philosophers in an accessible manner.’ – Trouw

non fiction

Original title Kairos. Een nieuwe bevlogenheid Philosophy | 272 pages De Arbeiderspers | www.arbeiderspers.nl Foreign rights: Patricia de Groot » p.de.groot@singel262.nl Maria Vlaar » mg.vlaar@xs4all.nl

Joke J. Hermsen (1961) is a novelist and philosopher. Her latest novel, Blindgangers, was nominated for the Libris Literature Prize. In 2012, her philosophical tract for a broad readership Stil de tijd (Time on Our Side) was awarded the Jan Hanlo Best Essay Book of the Year Award and sold over 65,000 copies.

© Tessa Postuma de Boer

Fred de Vries with Taryn Taylor Pistorius: Every Country Needs a Hero

• Pistorius’s drama comprises the drama of South Africa • Written by an acclaimed South Africa expert with access to those involved A country is looking for a hero and finds one in the shape of a young, handicapped runner. But then the charming Olympic athlete shoots his girlfriend and opens up the cesspit that is South Africa: a damaged country full of firearms, macho’s, misogyny and racism that has never gone away. Pistorius: Every Country Needs A Hero is the story of South Africa and of Oscar Pistorius, the Blade Runner who had to account for the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp while the entire world watched.

Correspondent, Fred de Vries, and the South African journalist, Taryn Taylor, base their portrait of Pistorius not only on conversations with friends, acquaintances and psychologists but also on intense personal experiences with a dangerously incendiary generation.

‘A fascinating and thorough historical document.’ – de Volkskrant on Afrikaners

non fiction

Original title Pistorius. Elk land zijn held Non fiction | 304 pages Nijgh & Van Ditmar | www.nijghenvanditmar.nl Foreign rights: Patricia de Groot » p.de.groot@singel262.nl Maria Vlaar » mg.vlaar@xs4all.nl

Fred de Vries is based in South Africa where he works as a journalist and correspondent for De Groene Amsterdammer, Elsevier and Knack.

Previous books were Club Risiko and Afrikaners, een volk op drift (Afrikaners, a nation adrift), which was nominated for the M.J. Brusse Prize and the vpro Bob den Uyl Prize.

© Ellen Elmendorp

Sunny Bergman

The Importance of Being Sexy • Women, their bodies and the quest for real sex • From botox to lessons in sluttery Sunny Bergman’s investigation involves a quest that is personal, but also has a philosophical edge, no easy answers and questions that prove even more difficult. Her journey takes her from ‘sex aunties’ in Uganda to a course for sluts in America, and from a Botox clinic to an erotic lifestyle fair. The main issue is: why are women so concerned about looking sexy when sex is such a minefield?

While a glamorous image and porn-type sex easily find a platform, real women’s bodies and the trickier and more vulnerable aspects of sex are crying out for attention and not receiving it.

‘Never tell Sunny Bergman that things are just like that. Bergman loves to lay into ingrained ideas, assumptions, prejudices, cultural complacency and taboos.’

– Het Parool ‘The Importance of Being Sexy nags and gnaws and opens up discussions – all the way into the bedroom.’ – Trouw

non fiction

Original title Sletvrees Non fiction | 304 pages Nijgh & Van Ditmar | www.nijghenvanditmar.nl Foreign rights: Patricia de Groot» p.de.groot@singel262.nl Maria Vlaar » mg.vlaar@xs4all.nl

Sunny Bergman is a documentary-maker and author. She has filmed a major threepart documentary package for vpro about image, sex and culture: Beperkt houdbaar (Limited Shelf Life), the series Sunny Side of Sex and, coming this autumn, Sletvrees (The Importance of Being Sexy).

© Merlijn Doomernik

Annejet van der Zijl

Gerard Heineken: the Man, the City and the Beer • Shortlisted for the Libris History Prize 2014 • A compelling family drama about the grandfather of Freddy Heineken • 25,000 copies sold in the first month of publication Every day, millions of people around the world drink Heineken beer. It all began in 1863 with one man: Gerard Heineken. Back in those days, Amsterdam was a stinking, desolate city. Heineken was one of the frontrunners of the industrial revolution in the Netherlands, and the driving force behind the Rijksmuseum.

But a success story isn’t complete without drama.

When, after fifteen years of marriage his son Henry was born, it was clear to everyone that a family friend was the father. A few years later Gerard died and left the company to his bastard son, who, like a true Heineken, turned the company into the successful imperium that would later be expanded by his son, Freddy Heineken.

The history of Amsterdam, the history of the company and family history run seamlessly together in a thrilling and fascinating non-fiction book that reads like a novel.

‘Delightful and clear… a real page-turner.’ – NRC Handelsblad ‘Every businessman should read this book!’ – Tros Nieuwsshow

Literary non fiction

Original title Gerard Heineken. De man, de stad en het bier Literary non-fiction | 224 pages | illustrated Querido | www.querido.nl Rights sold: Film rights under option Foreign rights: Patricia de Groot » p.de.groot@singel262.nl Maria Vlaar » mg.vlaar@xs4all.nl

Annejet van der Zijl is ‘the uncrowned queen of literary non-fiction’ (NRC Handelsblad). Her previous book Sonny Boy was translated into German, Italian, Turkish, Swedish and Czech, and sold over half a million copies in the Netherlands. She also wrote a very successful biography of Bernhard, the former queen’s husband.

© Brenda van Leeuwen

Singel Publishers De Arbeiderspers / Athenaeum – Polak & Van Gennep / Nijgh & Van Ditmar / Querido Singel 262 1016 AC Amsterdam The Netherlands Phone: +31 20 55 11 262

Foreign rights Patricia de Groot » p.de.groot@singel262.nl Maria Vlaar » mg.vlaar@xs4all.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 f +31 (0)20 520 73 99 post@letterenfonds.nl www.letterenfonds.nl Fiction: Victor Schiferli v.schiferli@letterenfonds.nl Non fiction: Maarten Valken m.valken@letterenfonds.nl