Simone Atangana Bekono's poems are vivid and arresting, with the feeling of letters or diary entries. In nine breath-taking streams of consciousness, the poet explore race, gender and sexuality, addressing the social stigmatization of race and gender and invoking empathy and human connection in a voice that is both confident and innovative.
Eddy de Wind, a Dutch doctor and psychiatrist, was sent to Auschwitz with his wife, Friedel, whom he married at the Westerbork labor camp. They survived the brutal selection process and faced daily battles for survival—Eddy negotiating with volatile guards in the medical barracks while Friedel sought to evade the Nazis' horrific medical experiments. As the war neared its end and the Russian Army advanced, many Nazis fled, taking prisoners with them, including Friedel. Eddy, however, hid under old clothes and began documenting his experiences in a notebook, writing with intense urgency. This account offers a near real-time glimpse into the daily struggle for survival, interwoven with fleeting moments of joy between Eddy and Friedel, such as passing notes through the fence and stealing brief embraces. It captures both the best and worst of humanity, serving as a timeless reminder of our capabilities and the glimmer of hope that can exist even in the darkest of times. Considered the only complete book written within Auschwitz, it leaves a lasting impression long after the final page.
An English translation of the famous Dutch children's book. There's a room free in the Pill Building. Up on top, in the tower. When Pluck finds out, he drives straight there in his red tow truck. Finally he has a home. And right away he makes lots of new friends: Zaza the cockroach and Dolly the pigeon, Mr Penn, the Stampers and Aggie. Pluck's adventures can begin.
Adriaan van Dis masterfully narrates the story of a Dutch man grappling with his life's losses and their impact on his family. The death of his half-sister stirs memories of his father, a Dutch soldier who endured three years in a Japanese concentration camp and passed away when the narrator was just 11. As he delves into his family's complex history, he discovers that his memories of his father conflict with those of others. The narrative deftly explores themes like sibling relationships, child abuse, war, and repressed memories, showcasing the quality of van Dis's writing and the skill of translator Claire Nicolas White. The unnamed narrator, a child of refugees from Dutch Indonesia, feels his family's marginalization within mainstream Dutch society. As an adult, he faces the disintegration of his family: his sister Ada's death leaves her husband struggling with mental health issues and a son lost in adolescence. Another sister, Jana, who moved to Canada, falls ill, prompting a third sister, Saskia, to unearth buried memories of their family's internment during the war. This revelation forces the narrator to confront his own memories of a harsh father who entered the family after his mother's first husband vanished. Van Dis skillfully illustrates how wartime traumas persist in collective memory, yet the narrative remains overwhelmingly somber, with few moments of fulfillment and a shadowy presence of the narrator's girlfri