In Praise of Navigation

From the West Indies to Shanghai, this collection of contemporary short stories opens up a new world of Dutch writing to English language readers. Subjects range from poetry to paranoia, power and desire as the reader is taken on a voyage around the globe, or focussed on a claustrophobic homeland. The variety of style, subject and thinking among authors from a small country may surprise, until we remind ourselves that Holland has been both a crossroads in Europe and an imperial power. This is an intense, powerful collection which sets the internal world of individuals against backgrounds such as the politics of post-Cold War Europe, and colonial, seafaring traditions. "In Praise of Navigation" provides an overarching view of twentieth century Dutch writing in a field where many outstanding writers are poorly represented in translation and deserve a wider audience. It is a companion volume to "In a Different Light" - a collection of contemporary Dutch-language poets in translation, published by Seren in 2002.