An English translation of the famous Dutch children's book. There's a room free in the Pill Building. Up on top, in the tower. When Pluck finds out, he drives straight there in his red tow truck. Finally he has a home. And right away he makes lots of new friends: Zaza the cockroach and Dolly the pigeon, Mr Penn, the Stampers and Aggie. Pluck's adventures can begin.
Eddy de Wind, a Dutch doctor and psychiatrist, was sent to Auschwitz with his wife, Friedel, whom he married at the Westerbork labor camp. They survived the brutal selection process and faced daily battles for survival—Eddy negotiating with volatile guards in the medical barracks while Friedel sought to evade the Nazis' horrific medical experiments. As the war neared its end and the Russian Army advanced, many Nazis fled, taking prisoners with them, including Friedel. Eddy, however, hid under old clothes and began documenting his experiences in a notebook, writing with intense urgency. This account offers a near real-time glimpse into the daily struggle for survival, interwoven with fleeting moments of joy between Eddy and Friedel, such as passing notes through the fence and stealing brief embraces. It captures both the best and worst of humanity, serving as a timeless reminder of our capabilities and the glimmer of hope that can exist even in the darkest of times. Considered the only complete book written within Auschwitz, it leaves a lasting impression long after the final page.
In <i>Repatriated</i> the world is a dangerous place and the bomb is ticking - at home and abroad. In a seaside town in the Netherlands, Mr Java - a war damaged ex-colonial - drills his son for the future, drawing him deeper and deeper into his delusionary world. As the radio broadcasts news of H bomb tests, Mr Java writes letters of complaint to the authorities, dreams of horses, and stands at the front window, on the look out for special security spies and nuclear holocaust. His wife and her three daughters from a previous marriage in Indonesia form a sort of Greek chorus, providing a sceptical commentary as his obsessions build towards a dark, absurdist climax. <i>Repatriated</i> is an inventive, blackly funny novel that shows an adolescent boy trying to break free from his parents and finding he cannot escape their past.
Simone Atangana Bekono's poems are vivid and arresting, with the feeling of letters or diary entries. In nine breath-taking streams of consciousness, the poet explore race, gender and sexuality, addressing the social stigmatization of race and gender and invoking empathy and human connection in a voice that is both confident and innovative.