In Praise of Navigation: An Anthology of Modern Dutch Short Stories

This collection of short stories showcases 20th-century Dutch authors—including Hugo Claus, Harry Mulisch, and Gerard Reve—who are inadequately represented in translation. The range of styles, subject matter, and political argument among these writers makes for a startling reminder that Holland has been both a crossroads in Europe and an imperial power with entanglements from South Africa to the East and the West Indies to Shanghai. Claustrophobia, paranoia, power, and desire are the themes...