In Praise of Navigation An Anthology of Modern Dutch Short Stories

This collection of short stories showcases 20th-century Dutch authorsincluding Hugo Claus, Harry Mulisch, and Gerard Revewho are inadequately represented in translation. The range of styles, subject matter, and political argument among these writers makes for a startling reminder that Holland has been both a crossroads in Europe and an imperial power with entanglements from South Africa to the East and the West Indies to Shanghai. Claustrophobia, paranoia, power, and desire are the themes of many of these stories, and whether set at home or in exotic locales, they turn an eye to global events.

P. C. Evans is a poet and a translator of Dutch plays, two of which have been staged by Kevin Spacey at the Old Vic Threatre in London. Paul Vincent is the translator of more than a dozen works of Dutch fiction.