When one thinks about great Dutch artists, the mind is cast to the likes of Rembrandt, Harry Mulisch and the flying Dutchman himself, Dennis Bergkamp. The Penguin Book of Dutch Short Stories, edited by the late Joost Zwagerman, is a crystallisation of the eclectic world of short stories that have come out of the Netherlands; a world quite seldom explored in popular literary culture. “The world knows about our windmills, our footballers and our drugs policies,” Zwagerman states in his introduction [translated by David McKay] to this collection of short stories, which offer a quirky mix of the quaint, the bizarre and everything in between.

The introduction establishes the editor’s prerogative. Zwagerman curates an anthology which presents some of the most treasured pieces of Dutch literature in a way that overcomes the difficulties of translating the Dutch language, which has changed dramatically in the last 200 years. Zwagerman succeeds in providing us with a rich array of tales that will surely pique one’s interest.

The opening story, An Eccentric (Marcellus Emants), is one of a ‘philosopher’ named Z, and acts as an anthropological exploration of life and love. The protagonist laments the fallacy of human emotions yet falls prey to its appeal in a way Zwagerman believes typifies the protagonist of Dutch literature, “excuse the contradiction in terms – contemplative arch-romantics, reserved iconoclasts.” Funeral Rights (Belcampo) concerns itself with the preciousness of moments through the depiction of the internment and treatment of a tribe of prisoners. Poop (Manon Uphoff) presents us with the story of a ‘nice, tall man’ with a modest living and explores the allure of riches in what is quite a comedic tale involving the aforementioned poop.

This anthology is sure to have something for everybody and serves as an affectionate love-letter to the Dutch short story which deserves to be cherished by all.