English translation, Dutch literary history
PRESS RELEASE - At last a comprehensive, up-to-date history of Dutch literature is available in English once more. For years, specialists all over the world and foreigners interested in Dutch authors have had to make do with the 1971 account in English by Meijer. Now the void has been filled by A Literary History of the Low Countries, edited by Theo Hermans, Professor of Dutch at University College London, with contributions from Frits van Oostrom, Herman Pleij, Eddy Grootes, Riet Schenkeveld, Marleen de Vries, Willem van den Berg, Ton Anbeek, Anne Marie Musschoot and Jaap Goedegebuure.
A Literary History of the Low Countries is an adaptation of Histoire de la littérature néerlandaise, published ten years ago. The version on which the French book was based has been thoroughly revised, updated, and enriched by the addition of many illustrations and maps. With a list of all English translations of Dutch literature and an extensive index, this book is the standard work for the coming decades.
The new literary history has been long awaited, and not only by those working in the field of Dutch studies. Numerous Dutch authors have sold successfully in translation from Turkey to China and the Arab world, and interest in the literary tradition that produced these writers has increased markedly. Many outside the Netherlands will be surprised to discover that the land of Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh is also home to a sparkling literary culture.
The publication of A Literary History of the Low Countries has been made possible by financial support from the Foundation for the Production and Translation of Dutch Literature, the Dutch Language Union, the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds and the Flemish Literature Fund. A Literary History of the Low Countries is published by Camden House.
More information:
Foundation for the Production and Translation of Dutch Literature, Maarten Valken, tel: +31-20-620 62 61, m.valken@nlpvf.nl
A Literary History of the Low Countries