Literary summer in Krefeld
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A Dutchman in search of freedom
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Author Toine Heijmans: “I write about things I know.”
Photo: Merlijn Doomernik /Literarischer Sommer/Merlijn Doomernik
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Krefeld The Dutchman Toine Heijmans opened the Krefeld Literary Summer with “Prstina”: a stimulating and beautiful evening in the courtyard of the Old City Baths.
For the first Krefeld reading of the Literary Summer, the Mediothek and the Literaturhaus have found a new and special place: the Dutchman Toine Hejjmans and his translator Ruth Löbner read in the courtyard of the Stadtbad, which many saw for the first time.
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Literaturhaus manager Thomas Hoeps moderated the evening with almost 70 guests and introduced Heijmans and Löbner. Published in Dutch in 2014 and recently translated into German, Pristina is the second novel by journalist Toine Heijmans. The translator and children’s book author Ruth Löbner lives in Mönchengladbach.
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Toine Heijmans first read from the first chapter in Dutch, then his translator took over and whisked the readers away to the island of Texel. That’s where Albert Drilling arrives – or does he have a completely different name? – and does not want to show his passport under any circumstances. mysterious. Opposite him at reception Manja, who also has something to hide.
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“I needed two people, but both very nice,” says Heijmans of the main characters with the changing names, “both are good at playing the game.” Albert/Anton has carte blanche from the Ministry – he has money to Convince immigrants to return. “There really are such officials,” says Heijmans, who has researched and published many reports on immigration. “I write about stuff I know,” he says. This comes out clearly from the passages he has read: his characters and their characters, nature, the change of scenery to an insurgent Cairo, which is surprising for the listener – all of this breathes power of observation, love for people and rich pictorial language. “It’s always about freedom and the search for it,” Heijmans summarizes his major theme.
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Ruth Löbner then spoke about the art of translation: “You have to find the right tone”, and revealed: “You never start with the first chapter.” The passages she read very beautifully gave the impression that she had this tone and always struck a chord with the style – there’s no other way to put it.
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In the end, the cool wind made the audience shiver and not everyone had thought of a woolen blanket. The audience thanked her for reading and telling, very satisfied and with lots of applause.
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“Pristina” by Toine Heijmans was published in 2022 by edition amikejo in the Euregio Kultur eV. His latest novel, Oxygen Debt, also translated by Ruth Löbner, is published by Mairisch Verlag in Hamburg. The next date of the Krefeld Literary Summer, Heinrich Steinfest on July 14 in the Mediothek, is sold out.
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