Marcel Möring

Ever since his debut, Marcel Möring has been ranked among the Netherlands’ most important contemporary authors. His first novel, Mendels erfenis (Mendel’s Inheritance, 1990), won him the Geertjan Lubberhuizen Prize, while his second one, Het grote verlangen (The Great Longing, 1992), was awarded the prestigious AKO Literature Prize. Stacey Knecht’s English translation of it won the 1996 Vondel Translation Prize. Möring further published the novellas Bederf is de weg van alle vlees (Decay is the Way of All Flesh, 1994) and Modelvliegen (The Dream Room, 2000), the novel In Babylon (1997), which earned him the Flemish Golden Owl Award, and the long-awaited Dis (2006). His work has been widely translated.

In Babylon

‘I try to take a new step in my development with each book,’ stated the author on the appearance of this novel. ‘Not only the subject, but also the style is completely different in each of my three novels. Mendels erfenis is written poetically. Het grote verlangen is an urban novel, like a road movie. In Babylon is epic, with a classical narrative tone, alternating with light passages.’ Different as the tone may be, there are constants in Möring’s work.

In a Dark Wood

If love died at Auschwitz, is there any hope of reviving it? This is a crucial question in Dis (In a Dark Wood), a tragic love story set in the provincial town of Assen in June 1980, on the eve of an internationally famous motorcycle race, the Dutch TT. In a style that explores the whole range of human emotions, Marcel Möring recounts the rise and impending downfall of the prosperous but despondent Jakob Noach, proud father of three daughters.

The Great Longing

Marcel Möring’s opinions on political and social developments are frequently sought. Both inside and outside his literary work he displays an aversion to permissive, ironic literature. An engaging writer, he enjoys tackling real and serious matters while maintaining his sense of humour at all times.

Translated books

Bengali
[(In Babylon)], 2005 (In Babylon)
[(Het grote verlangen)], 2006 (The Great Longing)
Danish
I Babylon, 1999 (In Babylon)
Den store længsel, 1995 (The Great Longing)
Den store længsel, 1996 (The Great Longing)
English
East Bergholt, 1993
Benjamin, 1996
East Bergholt, 2000
The dream room, 2002
The dream room, 2002
The dream room, 2002
In a dark wood, 2009 (In a Dark Wood)
In Babylon, 1999 (In Babylon)
In Babylon, 2000 (In Babylon)
In Babylon, 2000 (In Babylon)
In Babylon, 2001 (In Babylon)
The great longing, 1995 (The Great Longing)
The great longing, 1995 (The Great Longing)
French
La chambre d'amis, 2003
La chambre d'amis, 2008
La fabuleuse histoire des Hollander, 2001 (In Babylon)
Le grand désir, 1997 (The Great Longing)
German
(Louteringsberg)
Modellfliegen, 2001
Mendel, 2003
Modellfliegen, 2003
Mendel, 2004
Der nächtige Ort, 2009
Eine Frau, 2009
Der nächtige Ort, 2009 (In a Dark Wood)
In Babylon, 1998 (In Babylon)
In Babylon, 2000 (In Babylon)
Das große Verlangen, 1994 (The Great Longing)
Das große Verlangen, 1998 (The Great Longing)
Hebrew
[(Dis)], 2012 (In a Dark Wood)
[Bavel], 2000 (In Babylon)
[Ha-kmiha ha-gdola], 1998 (The Great Longing)
Hungarian
Műrepülés, 2005
Japanese
[Ushinawareta rakuen wo motomete], 1997 (The Great Longing)
Norwegian
Den store lengselen, 1995 (The Great Longing)
Romanian
Marea dorinta, 2002 (The Great Longing)
Slovakian
East Bergholt, 1994
Spanish
En Babilonia, 2003 (In Babylon)
Swedish
I Babylon, 1998 (In Babylon)
Stora längtan, 1994 (The Great Longing)
Turkish
Büyük özlem, 1999 (The Great Longing)

Author

Marcel Möring

In Babylon

In a Dark Wood

The Great Longing

Translated books

Website