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https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2023/04/14/babs-gons-wordt-de-nieuwe-dichter-des-vaderlands-a4162099
Like a poet laureate, and in classic Dutch fashion, named by an unexpected array of organizations including the NRC.
This is really great!
“Ik wil een taal waarin/ ‘gewoon’ en ‘anders’/ hun langste tijd hebben gehad/ een zachte dood sterven/ en niemand ooit meer/ onzichtbaar kunnen maken.”
Obviously, I totally agree with the desire expressed (wanting a language in which the dichotomy between normal and other has been gone a long time and no one can be made invisible anymore) and “een zachte dood sterven” is a delightful phrase that translates really well — “and die a soft death”.
I don’t know if my Dutch is up to it, but what an opportunity this is to listen to Dutch at a pace I might actually be able to keep up with, but material that I care about and am interested in. Babs Gons is primarily a spoken word artist; I’ll go in search of YouTube or whatever soon.
Like a poet laureate, and in classic Dutch fashion, named by an unexpected array of organizations including the NRC.
This is really great!
“Ik wil een taal waarin/ ‘gewoon’ en ‘anders’/ hun langste tijd hebben gehad/ een zachte dood sterven/ en niemand ooit meer/ onzichtbaar kunnen maken.”
Obviously, I totally agree with the desire expressed (wanting a language in which the dichotomy between normal and other has been gone a long time and no one can be made invisible anymore) and “een zachte dood sterven” is a delightful phrase that translates really well — “and die a soft death”.
I don’t know if my Dutch is up to it, but what an opportunity this is to listen to Dutch at a pace I might actually be able to keep up with, but material that I care about and am interested in. Babs Gons is primarily a spoken word artist; I’ll go in search of YouTube or whatever soon.