Frankfurt Book Fair 2016Guest of Honour: Flanders & The Netherlands

Dear friends,

With Flanders and the Netherlands as Guests of Honour at this year’s Buchmesse, it is with pride and the utmost delight that we share with you this overview of our original Dutch and Flemish titles. Many of these books have found their way to various superb publishing houses abroad: this is what we share (Dies ist, was wir teilen).

Where most of you know Podium as a passionate publisher of foreign literature and quality non-fiction in translation, domestically we are mostly known as one of the leading publishers of contemporary Dutch fiction. With authors such as Renate Dorrestein, Elvis Peeters, Alex Boogers and Inge Schilperoord (to name a few), we have time and time again achieved commercial success through literary quality.

Our original non-fiction is eclectic as always, and spans from fascinating popular science to the biography of Paul Verhoeven, the controversial and highly regarded film director.

This brief brochure is just a quick introduction to a selection of our authors. Do let us know if you would like to receive additional information. Last but not least: the Dutch Foundation for Literature supports all titles mentioned, sometimes up to 70% of translation costs.

All best wishes,Joost Nijsen

Contact usMerijn Hollestelle mh@uitgeverijpodium.nl

(commissioning editor & rights manager)

Joost Nijsen jn@uitgeverijpodium.nl

(publisher)

Alex Boogers

Alex Boogers (1970) is a powerful literary author – with a fresh, rhythmic and gripping style. His clean, economic writing is reminiscent of Hemingway, who of course wrote: ‘Write hard and clear about what hurts.’ He also has a particular gift for character development and authenticity of emotion.

The author of eight novels, Boogers is a writer whose background sets him apart from the usual literary establishment. A working class man, who vacillated between a career in writing or fighting. After he broke his back in a freak traffic accident, he decided that writing was the one true and essential thing for him.

His novel Alone with the Gods (2015) won the Booksellers’ Prize 2016, and was one of the best books of last year according to De Groene Amsterdammer (a leading Dutch Arts Magazine). It also shortlisted for the Libris Literatuurprijs 2016 – the Dutch equivalent of the Man Booker Prize.

“Alex Boogers is one of the most authentic literary writers I have ever published.” – Joost Nijsen

“Boogers tells a story that is rarely heard in Dutch literature. Great power of expression.”– NRC Handelsblad

“Beautiful, compelling prose. This novel is a high point in his oeuvre.” – De Groene Amsterdammer

“Rarely is writing so spot on. A first-class Bildungsroman.” – VPRO Gids

“Ruthless and hyper realistic.” – de Volkskrant

Translation rightsConville & Walsh c/o Podium

alexandra@convilleandwalsh.com

Renate Dorrestein

Renate Dorrestein (1954) is one of the foremost Dutch novelists. Her books have been nominated for the AKO Literatuurprijs, the Libris Literatuurprijs and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

Since she debuted in 1983, she published an impressive number of titles whilst also lecturing at universities in the US and Europe. Her international breakthrough came in 1998 with A Heart of Stone, published by Viking in the US and translated into fifteen languages. She suffered from a writer’s block for three years in the past decade. With Seven Types of Hunger she is at the height of her powers again.

Often has Dorrestein’s writing been compared to that of Anne Tyler, Margaret Atwood and Tessa Hadley. But beware, for Dorrestein’s work tends to be a bit darker and more suspenseful: she shows that evil usually lives close to home, even under apparently ordinary and familiar circumstances.

“This is Dorrestein at her brilliant best.” – De Margriet about Seven Types of Hunger

“Dorrestein shares with Hitchcock one of the filmmaker’s great virtues — an intuitive sense of suspense. The uncanny movement between domestic scenes and macabre ones is seamlessly executed. Dorrestein provides enough turns of the screw to keep the reader off balance to the end.” – The Wall Street Journal

“Her novels read like film scripts…psychological thrillers in which what’s most to be feared is closest to home… painfully cutting, and surprisingly funny… a truly courageous writer.” – The Independent

Translation rights Cossee c/o Podiumrieck@cossee.com

Ronald GiphartFor readers of Nick Hornby and David Nicholls

Ronald Giphart (1965) has sold millions of copies of his works,

since debuting in 1992. Three of his novels have been made into iconic

Dutch movies, jump-starting the careers of actors and actresses who have

now made it all the way to Hollywood and series like Game of Thrones.

After the 2003 movie adaptation of Phileine Says Sorry, the name

‘Phileine’ became wildly popular – that’s how far Giphart’s influence goes.

Giphart writes witty and intelligent about sex and love, desire and loyalty

and freedom and responsibility. His latest novel – Lieve (2016) – is a

compelling, deftly funny story about a young actress playing the role of the

film director’s deceased wife. It looks at what happens, and what we learn

about ourselves, when we have to chose between the possibility of love

and what we love to do. In Giphart’s gifted hands, the story turns into a

seductive, funny and inventive pager-turner full of subtle jokes.

“Giphart is stylistically so profound that he grasps hold of you

and never lets go.”

– De Morgen

“No one writes so devotedly about love as Giphart does.”

– NRC Handelsblad about Lieve ****

MismatchHow our Stone Age brain deceives us every day

In Mismatch (2016) a best-selling novelist and a Professor of Evolutionary Psychology set out on a highly enjoyable exploration of how the Stone Age brain (mal)functions in the Modern World. Based on the academic research and knowledge of an absolute expert in the field of Evolutionary Psychology (Van Vugt) and written by a novelist in clear and elegant prose, Mismatch offers a playful look at human beings and the strange ways our species behaves.

Examining mismatch in the fields of healthcare, love, sex, leadership, religion, environment and media, the scope of Mismatch is bigger than any other book on this evolutionary psychology concept has ever been.

Ronald Giphart is an award-winning and best-selling novelist with a strong interest in psychology and human behaviour. He met Professor Mark van Vugt when he worked as a creative writing teacher at the VU University Amsterdam.

Mark van Vugt is a Professor of Evolutionary, Work and Organizational Psychology at VU University, and research associate at Oxford University. He is the author of the international succes Leadership (2011), and a regular contributor to media channels such as the BBC, Channel Four, ABC and CNN. He also regularly writes for Nature, New Scientist and The Times.

“The book was warmly received by our editorial group – everyone liked the concept, and the sample material, and were fascinated by how unique it is to see a novelist and a scientist paired up in this way. Mismatch works very well for us, as it applies the idea of “mismatch” to a wide audience.”– Andrew McAleer, editor at Little, Brown

Rights soldLittle, Brown (World English), Paloma Yayinevi (Turkey)

Wilfried de Jong

Timeless literary cycling stories, over 120.000 copies sold

Wilfried de Jong (1957) is the star of Dutch sports writing and broadcasting. A familiar face on Dutch TV, De Jong has also made a number of award-winning sports documentaries. In 2012 he won the Award for the best sports book of the year.

The Man and his Bike combines the very best of De Jong’s stories on cycling in a tailor-made selection for international publication. His comic, melancholic, existential charm unlocks a sport that involves so much pain, punishment, isolation and a high probability of failure. Whether he is describing being ejected from Paris-Roubaix, a terminal incident with a bird while out riding, the drama that unfolds in a forgotten café as they wait for the Tour to pass, or explaining why he is standing stark naked on Belgian cobbles with a tyre in his hand in the morning mist, he always reveals the true soul of cycling – why we do it, why we watch it, why we hate it, why we love it.

“No one can capture the beauty of cycling like Wilfried.” – Het Parool

“A master of the short story.” – Die Zeit

“Sit down and let Wilfried guide you through the wondrous world of cycling.” – Tim Krabbé, author of international bestseller The rider

Rights sold Ebury/Penguin, Random House (World English), Libros del Lince (Spain),

Covadonga (Germany)

Translation rights David Luxton Associates c/o Podiumdavid@davidluxtonassociates.co.uk

Ray KluunDJ: Coming in February 2017

With some 1.2 million copies sold domestically and translations into more

than 30 languages, A Woman Goes to the Doctor (2003) – the

semi-autobiographical novel of Raymond van de Klundert, better known

as Ray Kluun – holds the record as the Netherlands’ bestselling novel

of all time. The major motion-picture adaptation that followed was equally

successful, as were Kluun’s two subsequent novels, which both reached

number-one on the national bestseller list.

This February, we will publish Kluun’s sensational new novel: DJ.

Set against the backdrop of the international dance scene, DJ starts with

Kluun at a low ebb following a painful divorce and custody battle. Struggling

emotionally, financially and creatively, he is approached by a TV company

to interview DJ Thor, a former flatmate from his student days, who is now

one of the world’s biggest DJs and producers. Kluun accepts the challenge

and is catapulted into the hedonistic world of EDM superclubs, with their

big beats, seductive women and hard drugs. Risking all to redeem himself,

how close will Kluun get to his superstar DJ friend? And at what cost?

From the international best-selling author comes an intensely atmospheric,

intoxicating novel about friendship, jealousy and destruction, set in the

vulgar world of dance.

All rightsPodium

A full English translation will be available in March 2017

Arjen Lubach

Arjen Lubach (1979) is one of the leading writers of a new generation. As many of the young and creative, he is multi-talented: he’s the host of a hugely successful satirical TV-show, a comedian and a celebrated musician. But above all, he is a writer.

His oeuvre spans two novels and a literary thriller about the Dutch royal house. His breakthrough came with Magnus (2011), a funny, melancholic and moving road novel about a young man on a journey through Sweden to find his stolen credit card.

His writing is candid, full of dazzling sentences and unexpected twists. Magnus was a critical and commercial success, selling over 20.000 copies.

A German translation of his royal thriller IV (2013) was published in 2016 by BTB.

“24 meets The Da Vinci Code in a royal setting. A delicious book” – nrc next about IV

“A pinnacle in Arjen Lubach’s oeuvre.” – Het Parool about Magnus

“The many beautiful sentences and thoughts about love aside, Magnus is an engaging pageturner.” – Viva about Magnus

Rights sold IV: BTB (Germany)

Elvis Peeters

Elvis Peeters (1957) is a performer, musician and playwright, but above all a novelist and poet. He co-writes his novels with Nicole van Bael. Critics consider Peeters one of the best contemporary authors in the Dutch language. Always written in their idiosyncratic sparse, clear and precise prose, their works of fiction find their way to the long- and shortlists of literary awards almost naturally.

In Us (2009) Peeters imagined the amoral welfare state through a story of the horrifying behaviour of eight youths. Us will be brought to the big screen in 2017, screened by a prize-winning production company and director. It’s most likely to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this winter.

In his latest novel, Hunt (2015), Peeters again succeeds in raising a fascinating moral issue: what would happen if animals could think too? The book depicts the biotope of man as an animal among animals in a wholly original way.

“Peeters is able to masterfully set down human failings in subtle prose.” – Knack

“Us sharpens one’s senses, broadens one’s mind and offers the best of what literature may be expected to.” – De Volkskrant *****

“A shining example of how powerful literature can be when it encourages people to contemplate the world they live in.” – Het Parool ***** about Us

“Masterful.” – de Volkskrant ***** about Us

Rights sold The Uncountables: Tekin (Turkey), Nova Gorica (Slovenia)

Tuesday: Turbine (Denmark), Shoraisha (Japan), Alef (Turkey), Hrvatsko (Croatia)

Us: Aufbau/Blumenbar (Germany), Europa (Hungaria)Hunt: Tusquets/Planeta (Spanish North & Central America)

Peter PontiacThe Dutch Godfather of Graphic Novels

Peter Pontiac (1951-2015) was one of the world’s most daring and inventive comic artists. He died on the 20th of January 2015, of liver damage that dated back to his days as a junkie sharing needles in foul squats. His stature in his native Holland was comparable to Robert Crumb’s in the English-speaking world, although his brooding chiaroscuro style had more in common with subculture mavericks like Spain Rodriguez, Rand Holmes and Greg Irons.

The young Pontiac had a heavy cross to bear: his father collaborated with the Nazis in World War II, wrote for German newspapers during the Occupation, was imprisoned until shortly before Peter’s birth, and, nine years after his estranged son left home, walked from a hire car into the Caribbean Ocean, never to be seen again. Pontiac’s struggle to come to terms not only with his personal loss but with the larger forces of history that blighted his family gave rise to the graphic biography Kraut (2000). Kraut was hailed as an absolute masterpiece that can compete with Art Spiegelman’s Maus and is generally considered the best Dutch Graphic Novel of all time.

When hepatitis C and cirrhosis of the liver were eventually diagnosed, Pontiac chose against chemotherapy or a liver transplant, and set to work on Styx, his magnum opus on a subject that had always fascinated him: death. “My life and my work are now one and the same,” he declared. Seldom have the words ‘swan song’ rung so true: Pontiac died before finishing the project, but has bequeathed to us a deeply moving response to his own imminent death. The drama of his lost battle with the Grim Reaper only adds to the power of the images.

“Pontiac’s work is fresh and original.” – Will Eisner

“A very moving story that reads like a thriller.” – Michel Faber about Styx, author of The Crimson Petal and the White

Rights sold Kraut: Avant Verlag (German), Fulgencio Pimentel (Spanish)

Styx: Fulgencio Pimentel (Spanish)

Inge Schilperoord

Inge Schilperoord (1973) works as a criminal psychologist and as an editor and reviewer for several dailies and weeklies. Muidhond is her debut novel. It was shortlisted for the Libris Literatuurprijs, the ECI Literatuurprijs, the Fintro Literatuurprijs, the Anton Wachterprijs, the ANV Debutantenprijs and won the Bronze Owl for best debut of the year.

Muidhond (English title: Breathe) tells the story of Jonathan. After his release from psychiatric prison due to insufficient evidence for his charge of sexual assault, he returns to his seaside hometown and the cramped house he shares with his infirm mother. Soon Jonathan discovers that he has a new neighbour – a young girl, left to fend for herself by her parents and desperate for attention and friendship. Afraid of making the same mistake as before, Jonathan tries to keep the girl at arm’s length, using the exercises he learnt from his prison therapist to control his feelings, but as life in the outside world becomes increasingly difficult he seems to be losing control...

This controversial subject matter is treated with subtlety and intelligence by Schilperoord, who uses her experience as a criminal psychologist to weave a nerve-wreckingly tense and unsettlingly believable story.

“A brilliant and necessary novel.” – De Morgen *****

“You only come across a debut novel of this quality once in every five to ten years... Breathe takes us to a place we’d rather stay well away from but fighting against it doesn’t help. A dark and impressive feat.” – De Volkskrant *****

“A book your eyes stick to like magnets.” – NRC Handelsblad

Rights soldPushkin (World English), Belfond (France), Fazi (Italy), Aschehoug (Norway)

Pinhan (Turkey), Prime Time (film rights)

Maaike Sips

Maaike Sips (1971) studied Dutch and Literature. She works as a

journalist and has made various art programmes and documentaries for

television and short films for big brands. Monica, my Father (2015) is her

first book.

When Maaike’s father retired, he took the drastic decision to say goodbye

to his life as a man. Monica, my Father is a ground-breaking

literary memoir, in which Sips achieves a delicate balance between

journalistic objectivity and personal involvement as she describes her

father’s gender transition from man to woman in later life. She never got

the chance to say farewell to the man she had known as her father and was

left by so many questions. Why did he wait so long? And how did he cope

with being a man for almost seventy years?

Telling the story of her father, Maaike Sips shows the social, cultural and

medical history of transsexuality. This makes her memoir a powerful human

story about people struggling with their very person.

“Incredibly engaging and well-written.”

– Channel Two, National Television

“Sips has a great eye for detail. This is a taboo-breaking

memoir that reads like a novel.”

– Hebban *****

Rights soldDroemer/Knaur (Germany)

Kris Van Steenberge

Kris van Steenberge (1963) is an author, playwright, director and lecturer. Stories of the Great War told by his grandfather spawned his debut novel Woesten (2015), that went on to win several literary awards in 2014 and sold over 25.000 copies.

Woesten recounts a suffocating story full of village gossip about a family in which fate strikes with a heavy hand, leaving no-one unscathed. The nineteenth century is coming to its end. Elisabeth, daughter of the smith in Woesten – a tiny village near Ypres – marries young doctor Guillaume Duponselle. It is not a happy marriage. When Elisabeth gives birth to twins eight months later, the firstborn turns out to be a beautiful son, Valentijn. The second child is so deformed that Guillaume refuses to give him a name. Nameless survives nevertheless. His appearance makes his father and the villagers recoil, so Nameless wanders around veiled. Then World War I breaks out. The future no longer looks the same for anyone.

Woesten tells its compelling tale from alternating perspectives of protagonists Elisabeth, Guillaume, Nameless and Valentijn. It portrays a realistic, almost naturalistic image of a typical rural village in the early 20th century and offers a nuanced view of the psychology of intriguing characters. The story of Elisabeth and her family is set in the lead-up to World War I, but the war constantly remains in the background, like a black backdrop for an even darker play.

‘Heart-warming. A strong debut. Enlightening. Cleverly done.’ – De Standaard

‘It is not ink in Van Steenberge’s pen, it’s gunpowder. Enchantingly beautiful. Wonderful.’ – Boekhandelspanel DWDD

‘Almost Beckettian beauty.’ – Knack Focus

Rights soldKlett-Cotta (Germany), Quaderns-Crema (Spain), Portea (South-Africa)

Translation rights Marianne Schönbach Literary Agency c/o Uitgeverij Vrijdag

m.schonbach@schonbach.nl

Frans Timmermans

Frans Timmermans is first vice president of the European

commission. He is a member of the Dutch Labour Party and previously

served as the Netherlands’ minister for foreign affairs.

In December 2015, Podium published Fraternité, a heartfelt pro-

Europe pamphlet. Timmermans writes about the unprecedented

maelstrom that Europe faces. The fallout from the financial crash has

stoked anger at a system perceived to be stacked against hardworking

citizens. The refugee crisis has overwhelmed in some areas and fuelled

fear and hate in others. The recent barbaric terrorist attacks in Paris and

Brussels serve as a shocking reminder of the threat from fundamentalists

hell bent on destroying our way of life. A near perfect storm that imperils

the peace, security and liberty of all.

How should European societies respond? That is the key question that

Frans Timmermans sets out to answer in this thinkpiece. He ponders the

difference between boundaries and barriers and asks how we can foster

stronger communities within our society. His conclusion is one of optimism:

that a bright future will prevail if we can discover the ties that bind and

have the courage to see interconnectedness as an opportunity not a threat.

The pamphlet struck a nerve and became a huge success, selling over

20.000 copies within a month. Podium and Timmermans donated all the

revenue to a refugee organization.

Rights soldÉditions Philippe Rey (French), Policy Network (World English)

Paul VerhoevenControversial director’s official biography

Paul Verhoeven (1938) is one of the most controversial directors

in contemporary cinema. In January 2017, Podium will publish his

official, all-access biography, written by Rob van Scheers, who

has followed Verhoeven for over 25 years. The book features chapters

on classic Hollywood movies such as Robocop, Basic Instinct, Total Recall,

Starship Troopers and Showgirls, whose actors and actresses – from

Schwarzenegger to Sharon Stone – Van Scheers has all interviewed. He also

writes about Verhoeven’s love for Alfred Hitchcock and his fascination for

Jezus of Nazareth.

Recently, Verhoeven has moved away from Hollywood, screening ELLE –

featuring Isabelle Huppert – in France. The movie premiered at this year’s

Cannes Film Festival, to huge critical acclaim and a seven minute standing

ovation from the crowd. ELLE will be screened on the festivals of Toronto

and New York City, and receive worldwide distribution, making its way to

cinemas in Germany, Canada, Spain, Russia, the USA, Bulgaria, Greece and

Australia in September 2016. The French even chose to enter the Oscar

race with the Dutchman’s film. The timing for this biography couldn’t have

been any better.

“Utterly gripping and endlessly disturbing.”

– The Guardian ***** about Elle

“A striking return for the Dutchman. We didn’t dare dream of

such an audacious, generous film.”

– Cahiers du Cinéma

“Cannes’ only real high point.”

– The Independent about Elle

Option publishersFaber & Faber (UK)

Recent acquisitions & publications

Willem Anker: Buys (Kwela/NB Uitgewers)

Breyten Breytenbach: Die Singende Hand (Human & Rousseau)

Truman Capote: The Early Stories & The Complete Stories (Random House US)

Stuart Evers: Your Father Sends His Love (Aitken Alexander)

Michel Faber: Undying (Canongate)

Simon Garfield: Timekeepers (Canongate)

Johan Harstad: Max, Mischa & Tetoffensiven (Gyldendal Norsk)

Ingrid Jonker & André Brink: Vlam in die Sneeu (Umuzi)

Ronelda Kamfer: Hammie (NB Uitgewers)

Etgar Keret: Breaking the Pig (Inst. for Hebrew Literature)

S.J. Naudé: The Alphabet of Birds (Janklow & Nesbit)

Dorthe Nors: Kantslag & Minna mangler et øvelokale (Ahlander Agency)

Dorthe Nors: Spejl, Skulder, Blink (Ahlander Agency)

DBC Pierre: Release the Bats (Conville & Walsh)

Maja Säffström: The Illustrated Compendium of Amazing Animal Facts (Crown)

George Saunders: Congratulations by the Way (Curtis Brown)

Rebecca Solnit: Men Explain Things to Me (International Literary Agency/Nadell)

Jan Wagner: Regentonnenvariationen (Hanser)