In Defence of Communism (VERZET 5)

Book 5 of Strangers Press' chapbook series, VERZET.

This arresting poetic essay explores how capitalism subverts society and our individual and collective welfare. Gustaaf Peek has crafted a moving and passionate call to arms, rich in topical and unexpected metaphors, to inspire a new generation to reconnect with the founding principles of a political philosophy concerned with collective good as opposed to individual greed; of the needs of the many, instead of just the few.

Freshly relevant in light of recent global upheavals, and keenly aware of a sense of fresh possibility in the air, there is plenty of food for thought here for the reader concerned or wanting to be inspired towards how we might begin to take our first reforming steps.

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VERZET (tr.: Resistance) is the latest of our ground-breaking and highly collectible sets of translated short stories from around the world. This time we teamed up with the amazing Manchester-based agency Office of Craig to bring you a new hit of beautifully designed chapbooks to get stuck into. The VERZET series showcases the work of eight exciting, new -- to the English language -- writers from the Netherlands and they are available NOW! 

This new list encompasses an impressive array of award winners and nominees including Jamal Ouarichi, Karin Amatmoekrim, and Sanneke van Hassel, as well as newer voices all long overdue or dearly deserving of English language translations. It's a bit like taking a short visit home, for us: our name, Strangers Press, comes from The Strangers of the 16th century -- a group of migrants from the then Spanish Netherlands who enriched the culture and technology of the East Anglian region and whose architectural style even informs our own logo. We like to think this set is a kind of symbolic re-tracing of that journey and one that is fittingly timed.  Order yours now, Strangers, and here's to a more diverse Europe and finding our way to being a kinder, more welcoming place.

VERZET was made possible by generous funding from the Dutch Foundation for Literature.