Any Dutch speakers reading? Then you may be interested in the Dutch edition of A Gentle Axe. And you may be able to tell me what they're saying about it. I did spot a reference to De Dante-club van Matthew Pearl. I'd love to know what they're saying.
4 comments:
Hi Roger,
I am an editor at your Dutch publishing house, Cargo (part of De Bezige Bij), so would love to be in touch! We are now finalizing our cover (which looks pretty much like the English one...). I don't have your e-mail address, so it would be nice if you could drop me a line at...
p.vanderzwaag(at)debezigebij.nl
Many thanks & all best,
Peter
ps Wonderful book, by the way...
I'm not planning on reading it in Dutch, but let me know and I could do a translation of the review if you still need it.
Here's my rough translation, done with the aid of a dictionary -otherwise your novel would be taking us to the "depths of the Russian lino", which I'm sure is not what you intended. And I thought that you might be interested to know that your books been translated as "The Velvet Axe".
Sint-Petersburg in winter of 1867. Two frozen bodies are found in a secluded area of the Petrovsky Park. The 1st body, that of a dwarf, has been tidily packed in a suitcase. The dwarf's head has been split in 2 by an axe. The 2nd body, of a solidly built farmer, hangs from a tree with a bloody axe tucked into his belt.
The authorities say that it's is an open and shut case, but police inspector Porfiry Petrovich, (from Dostojevsy’s Crime and Punishment), thinks that the truth is more complex than it looks at first sight.
His investigation takes him to slums, brothels and seedy pubs but also to more civilized parts of society. From the dramatic beginning to the shocking climax, the gentle axe takes the reader to the darkest corners of the Russian soul. This richly layered crime novel will appeal to readers of Russian classics and historical thrillers like Matthew Pearl's the Dante-club. It's a gripping read from start to finish.
Thanks Debra! Nicely done.
Hmm, The Velvet Axe. I quite like that.
Best wishes,
Roger
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