The ENGRAVER in Dutch

The ENGRAVER in Dutch

While I was writing The Engraver, I imagined most of the characters spoke Dutch to one another. The seventeenth-century protagonist Antonia chattered in Dutch to the family maid as they walked to Grotemarkt in the centre of Antwerp. The modern-day protagonist...
Short and Succinct

Short and Succinct

I have turned to short stories for my reading fix of late. The long dark days of winter and enforced isolation due to the pandemic sees me wandering around my house, completing tasks while listening to stories by Shirley Jackson, Ian McEwan and Elizabeth McCracken. I...
Translated Fiction

Translated Fiction

Although I can bumble my way through basic Dutch to help with grocery shopping and rudimentary French to order from the menu in a Parisian bistro, I am fluent in only one language. I admire those who easily flit from one language to another in everyday conversation. I...
Subtle Art of Symbolism

Subtle Art of Symbolism

While reading Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved, I was intrigued by her repeated use of colour as a way of adding richer context to the courageous story of former slaves in post-Civil War Cincinnati. It led me on a journey to learn more about the use of symbolism in...
Dual Narratives

Dual Narratives

Dual narratives have always fascinated me: transitioning from one character or time period to another, an intriguing juxtaposition of language, idiom, objects and customs that describes two distinct stories and weaves them together to make a whole. My fascination goes...
Book Club Chatter

Book Club Chatter

Book clubs are the go-to places for readers to spend time with fellow enthusiasts, discover new literary voices, step outside their comfort zones and read something they would never normally consider. I’ve belonged to several book clubs over the past twelve years. All...

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