In looking around, I noticed this quotation on another site, (boldface added by me):
Quote:
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Or to take a more recent example: late in 2007, the Dalkey Archive Press published Dutchman Paul Verhaeghen’s novel Omega Minor. Few translations would seem better-poised for success in the United States: Though literary, Omega Minor is a meaty read with a clear political subtext. Even better, the political subtext is directly applicable to everyday Americans: The plot centers around the Holocaust (a subject we seem to never tire of hearing about), and it also gives a prominent role to neo-fascism, a subject of more than a little interest over here post-9/11. The book was awarded the Netherlands’ most prestigious literary honor, and it even came with a rave from the famous and respected American novelist Richard Powers. But now, several months after its publication, it is safe to say that Omega Minor will be forgotten along with many other translations that washed up on our shores in 2007.
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1. There seems to be a fascination that eludes me, in connecting
Omega Minor and the United States. But, being American, I suppose many might say that it would.
2. I didn't especially notice that it 'centered around' the Holocaust. But, again, I suppose reactions might differ.
3. And, with respect to the book being forgotten,
that I would definitely call hyperbolic. The book has many features, but after reading the 700-page story, 'forgettable' is not one of them.
So, more than ever, I'm eager to see what others think.