Rivers

"Previously published as Rivieren in Holland by Uitgeverij G.A. van Oorschot B.V. in 2016"--Copyright page.

“In Jonathan Reeder’s sturdy translation from the Dutch, the novellas in Rivers read like durable, old-fashioned confrontations between good and evil…The conflicts that Mr. Driessen dramatizes are often petty and cruel, but his settings—and these wise, accomplished tales—feel ageless.” — Wall Street Journal

“Driessen’s noteworthy collection displays humanity at its best and worst in relation to the waters his characters depend on for their lives, as we all are sustained by the earth’s rivers and streams.” — Booklist

“The stories’ power comes from the restraint the writer uses as he seems to hold each and every word hostage until that word can prove its worth. As a result, the slow build of pressure seems more like a rising tide than water bursting from a dam. These stories will make you struggle with ideas as well as plot points. Fascinating work.” —Historical Novel Society

“Those who acknowledge Georges Simenon’s greatness, and enjoy Pascal Garnier at his most bleakly playful, will take a grim delight in Rivers . Driessen is as hard, as uncompromising—and as entertaining—as they come.” —John Banville, Man Booker Prize–winning author of The Sea , Mrs. Osmond , and Time Pieces: A Dublin Memoir

“These extraordinary stories have little tinctures of Maupassant and Conrad but the main ingredient is the powerful talent of Driessen himself. These are classically realized works of art, of impressive force and beauty.” —Sebastian Barry, author of Days Without End

Martin Michael Driessen is a Dutch opera and theater director, translator, and writer. He made his debut in 1999 with the novel Gars, followed by Vader van God (Father of God, 2012) and Een ware held (A True Hero, 2013), both of which were broadly reviewed and nominated for literary prizes. In 2015 his novel Lizzie, written with the highly acclaimed and award-winning poet Liesbeth Lagemaat, was published under the pseudonym Eva Wanjek. Rivieren (Rivers, 2016) was awarded the prestigious ECI Literature Prize (formerly the AKO), the Readers Prize, and the Inktaap Prize, shortlisted for the Fintro Literature Prize, and nominated for the Halewijn Prize. His latest novel, De pelikaan (The Pelican, 2017), was shortlisted for the Libris Prize. His work has been translated into English, Italian, German, Spanish, Slovenian, and Hungarian. Jonathan Reeder, a native of upstate New York and longtime resident of Amsterdam, enjoys a dual career as a literary translator and performing musician. Along with his work as a professional bassoonist, he translates opera libretti and essays on classical music as well as contemporary Dutch fiction and poetry. His first two translated novels—The Cocaine Salesman, by Conny Braam, and Bonita Avenue, by Peter Buwalda—were longlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and Bram Dehouck’s comic thriller A Sleepless Summer (winner of the 2012 Golden Noose) was selected by the Sunday Times Crime Club as a ‘December pick.’ Additional English translations include novels and short stories by Mano Bouzamour, Christine Otten, Hanna Bervoets, and A.F.Th. van der Heijden.