“I am the nameless crew member who died on January 27, 1597.” So reports the Dutch narrator of Strange and Perfect Account from the Permafrost from his icy grave.
Join Dutch author Donald Niedekker, translator Jonathan Reeder, and Sandorf Passage cofounder/publisher Buzz Poole at the Main Library on Thursday, June 5th at 6pm to discover how history and fiction clash with tectonic force in this boldly imaginative, profoundly beautiful novel about Arctic exploration. Get to know South Portland publisher Sandorf Passage as it celebrates the release of this award-winning novel.
Hailed as the “Zen master of Dutch literature,” Donald Niedekker was awarded the 2021 Brussels Free University’s Luc Bucquoye Prize, given for work that stands out for its unconventional and idiosyncratic nature. In 2023, Waarachtige Beschrijvingen Uit de Permafrost (Strange and Perfect Account from the Permafrost), won the prestigious Bordewijk Prize. The jury praised it as “a scintillating ode to language and history, which at the same time astutely sheds light on our own times. A novel to freeze yourself to.”
Jonathan Reeder, a New York native and longtime Amsterdam resident, has enjoyed a dual career as a literary translator and performing musician. After many years as an orchestral bassoonist, he now translates contemporary Dutch and Flemish fiction and nonfiction, as well as opera libretti and essays on classical music. Recent translations include Crackling Skulls by Roger Van de Velde, The Sound of Utopia by Michel Krielaars, and Mathijs Deen’s Down Old Roads and The Boundless River.
Buzz Poole has been editing critically acclaimed fiction and nonfiction books for over twenty years. In 2020, he cofounded the South Portland-based publisher Sandorf Passage, which focuses on work in translation. He is the author of Workingman’s Dead, published as part of the “33 1/3” series, and he has written about books, music, design, and culture for numerous media outlets, including The Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, The Believer, Literary Hub, Los Angeles Review of Books, and Down East.
For more information, visit the South Portland Public Library website.
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