Member: kverburg

Kruistocht in spijkerbroek is a good suggestion, cheers. I'd like to have another go at Nooit Meer Slapen, don't know if it qualifies as YA but it was an assigned reading for a friend in high school. (Depressing, but I suspect a lot of dark ironic humour that I will have missed first time through.) Thanks for the other recommendations, I'll keep my eyes peeled for them on the Boekenmarkt Spui.

posted by tikitu at 3:50 pm (EST) on Oct 29, 2008

My first serious effort was "Pluk van de Petteflet" by Annie MG Schmidt. With illustrations!

The Elsschot I've read (Kaas) was also depressing and full of soul-searching, albeit not post-war. "Onder Professoren" by Hermans is war-free and pretty funny if you're an academic. "Light" doesn't seem to be a common Dutch virtue, though, I'll admit.

I didn't know Hella S. Haase, can you recommend a good title to start with? Just to make putting off Max Havelaar easier...

(Last night I started my first Greek (childrens) story, but had to give up after a two paragraphs -- even with voice-activated dictionary (i.e. girlfriend) it's just too exhausting. Maybe Asterix would be a better way to begin.)

posted by tikitu at 5:41 am (EST) on Oct 27, 2008

I loaned De Engel van Amsterdam to one of my folk who I took my first Dutch class with, and haven't got it back yet. Remember being pretty struck with his descriptions of life on the street though, the deadliness of letting yourself get wet in wintertime. Actually it's one of the ones I read before my Dutch was really up to the task (like Nooit Meer Slapen and Kaas), I should go back and see what I get on a second run-through. Reading in Dutch is so much slower for me I find it hard to get motivated -- Max Havelaar is waiting to be embarked upon, and I stalled halfway through the second short story of a 1500-page anthology, which I hope is too ridiculous to be really embarassing.

posted by tikitu at 4:02 pm (EST) on Oct 22, 2008

Funnybones! Snap! I found it in Amsterdam, would you believe?

(I had "How Tom Beat Captain Najork and his Hired Sportsmen" as a kid, discovered "Riddley Walker" at varsity, several years later realised they were both by the same guy.)

"The Ascent of Wonder" looks fantastic. And gosh, yes, you've got a lot of Pratchett.

posted by tikitu at 3:33 pm (EST) on Oct 21, 2008