A Deep Dive into the reading culture of the Netherlands

What makes a country’s reading culture unique? Take a deep dive with this video essay into the world of Dutch publishing and literature with me, and discover how the Dutch can use a book to travel by train, what the ‘Boekenweek’ is and why so many Dutch people read in English. ↓ All links here. ↓

This video was created as part of a paid sponsorship with the Dutch Foundation for Literature. https://www.letterenfonds.nl/en/

Info for this video came from my own experiences, several sources and research reports (link to which you can find below), interviews with people in the industry and questions posed to readers on Instagram (as mentioned in the video). If you have any other opinions and sources you’d like to add to the mix, don’t hesitate to leave a comment!

0:00 A brief introduction (and my Dutch credentials)
1:25 A flying introduction to the Netherlands
3:46 The Language of Bookshops (or how to get lost in a foreign bookshop)
5:12 What do the Dutch read?
7:42 What's in the Dutch literary canon?
13:11 Where are the Dutch Fantasy books?
16:42 Why do Dutch readers choose English?
20:11 Using a book as a train ticket (Boekenweek)
23:29 Publishing teamwork makes the dream work

Watch my video about Dutch reading recommendations for English readers:    • Where to start with Dutch Literature ...  

Thanks to Martijn, Laura, Monica, Carina, and Myrthe from Blossom Books who I interviewed for this video.

Check out some fantastic YA from Blossom Books here: https://www.blossombooks.nl/

▸ Books mentioned in this video

The Book of Children’s Books
We Had to Remove this Post by Hanna Bervoets
The Penguin Collection of Dutch Short Stories

Dutch only:
Niemand houd my tegen
Kinderen van Moeder Aarde by Thea Beckman
Een modern verlangen Hannah Bervoets

▸ Other things mentioned

The Dutch Foundation for Literature translator database: https://www.letterenfonds.nl/en/autho...
The Translator's house: https://www.vertalershuis.nl/about/

▸ (For the Dutch readers) Some contemporary and recent popular Dutch authors:

Een modern verlangen by Hanna Bervoets
Habitus by Radna Fabias
Terloops - De Groef by Maartje Wortel
Het tegenovergestelde van een mens by Lieke Marsman
Confrontaties by Simone Atangana Bekono
Mijn lieve gunsteling by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld
Hoofdzaken, Ga Gewoon wat Leuks Doen by Aafke Romijn
Charlatans by Daphne Huisden
Zee nu by Eva Meijer
Het aanbidden van Louis Claus en Antiboy by Valentijn Hoogenkamp
General zonder leger by Özcan Akyol (boekenweek essay)
De hemel is altijd paars by Sholeh Rezazadeh

▸ Source list (mostly in Dutch)

KVB Boekwerk - 2021 Dutch Book sales overview:
https://kvbboekwerk.nl/monitor/markt/...
KVB Boekwerk - 2021 Duch book sales numbers:
https://kvbboekwerk.nl/monitor/markt/...
Guardian Article about Dutch classics and the Penguin Dutch Short Story Anthology
https://www.theguardian.com/books/boo...
KVB Boekwerk - 69% of Dutch holiday goers take one or more books with them:
https://kvbboekwerk.nl/consumentenond...
KVB Boekwerk - Bookweek 2022 Stats: https://kvbboekwerk.nl/monitor/markt/...
Average Dutch readers reads 9 books per year:
https://www.lezen.nl/onderzoek/er-wor...
Almost half of Dutch readers likes reading suspenseful books:
https://magazine.bazarow.com/bazarow-...
Bestsellers in the Netherlands in 2021:
https://cpnb.nl/nieuws/cpnb-top-100-b...
(The total bestseller list contains a lot of stories about people’s lives, memoirs etc, which didn’t come up as much in the interviews!)
Volkskrant Article on Scandinavian vs Dutch thrillers:
https://www.volkskrant.nl/cultuur-med...
Interview about the Dutch translation of The Vegetarian:
https://decorrespondent.nl/5496/waaro...
Bookweek stats:
https://cpnb.nl/nieuws/boekenweek-202...
How many people use the Bookweek gift as a train ticket:
https://cpnb.nl/nieuws/250000-treinre...
John Green as Writer in Residence for The Fault in Our Stars:
https://www.letterenfonds.nl/en/entry...
Dutch set book price:
https://business.gov.nl/regulation/se...
Dutch set book price (Dutch page):
https://www.cvdm.nl/vaste-boekenprijs
Translation database from the Dutch Foundation for Literature:
https://letterenfonds.secure.force.co...
Wikipedia - The History of Bookweek: https://nl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeke...