Book

Albert Alberts

The Islands

Albert Alberts was over forty when his stories, later collected as The Islands, were first published. His debut was extraordinary in that it held back none of its promise. It was perfect, composed in just the right tone and in the ideal form.

Alberts, born in the Dutch East Indies, writes in fiercely restrained, short sentences, which create an extraordinary effect, a kind of transformed reality, as if in a vivid daydream. Alienation, indirectness and courtesy taken to extremes mark the relationships between his characters.

Contact with things, with animals and landscapes is more profound than contact between people, which is a tricky business in almost all of these magisterial stories. Failure of communication may bring catastrophe. It certainly produces an atmosphere that is stark yet sultry.

Alberts’ work is highly concentrated, and he demands concentration of his readers. Every word has a function, and some of the stories have an obsessive quality as a result. The relationship of the colonial figure with the islands and the native inhabitants is central. The scenery is tropical, a shimmering background to stories that are written coolly, ironically, sparingly – a striking contrast that creates a unique tension. This is masterful writing from start to finish.

Alberts must have been more aware than anyone of the unknowability of people and the fundamental mysteriousness of their lives.

Trouw

Translations

Albert Alberts

Albert Alberts (1911-1995) made his debut in 1952 with the short-story collection De eilanden (The Islands). Other well- known titles include De vergaderzaal (The Conference Room, 1974) and De honden jagen niet meer (The Dogs No Longer Hunt, 1979). In 1996 he was awarded the P.C. Hooft Prize, the…

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Details

De eilanden (1952). Fiction, 180 pages.
Words: 30,000
Copies sold: 30,000

Themes: classic

Publications

Dutch Classics

Publisher

G.A. van Oorschot

Herengracht 613
NL - 1017 CE Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 20 623 14 84
Fax: +31 20 625 40 83

E-mail:
[email protected]
Website:
http://www.vanoorschot.nl

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Literary agent

The Susijn Agency

820 Harrow Road, Kensal Green
NW10 5JU London
UK
Tel: +44 20 8968 7435
E-mail:
[email protected]
Website:
http://www.thesusijnagency.com

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