Internationale Neerlandistiek - Current Issue

The novel Winst (2012), written by Jeroen Olyslaegers, takes place against the background of the failure of the political and economic system of the 21st century, but also has an ecological dimension that has not been highlighted until now. In the novel, people struggle with the non-human – with solar storms and wild animals. In this article, I aim for a posthumanist reading (Herbrechter & Callus, 2008; Lummaa, 2019) of the novel. First, I show how the alleged difference between humans and animals, and the exceptionalism of humans, is problematized. Secondly, my analysis reveals the connection between human and non-human animals, technologies, and the universe. Such a concept of interconnectedness is central to posthumanist philosophy (Keeling et al., 2015; Ranisch & Sorgner, 2015, p. 8). I show that the novel revises binary oppositions between ‘human’ and ‘animal’, ‘nature’ and ‘technology’, and ultimately questions the superiority of humans and anthropocentrism. Using the case of Winst, I demonstrate what a posthumanist reading can add to the reading of Dutch future narratives and how the disciplines of ecocriticism and animal studies can be supplemented by a posthumanist perspective.

In this paper we look at publications of Dutch literature for children and adolescents in Polish translation as manifestations of cultural mobility. We analyse the role of the publishing house Dwie Siostry as a ‘gatekeeper of ideas’ or intermediary in the circulation of Dutch literature in Poland in the years 2006-2021. After introducing the publisher’s profile, we specify the political, cultural, economic, and social factors that influence the circulation of texts. We argue that the choices made by Dwie Siostry are based on personal taste and – most importantly – the self-image that the publisher wishes to construct. We conclude that Dwie Siostry occupies a niche on the market: since there were no Polish authors writing about controversial issues in a way that would be attractive and comprehensible for a young reader, the publisher introduced Dutch authors with braver choices of topics. Furthermore, due to the books’ content and message, promotional activities often take the form of an educational event. Finally, the awards received by individual titles and financial support of Nederlands Letterenfonds had an impact on the choice of particular books.