POETRY

You could place Ten Napel on the list of authors who have shaken off their Christian environment. But his voice, with the language of the Bible as an undercurrent, is remarkably new at the same time. Words, images, Biblical histories, Ten Napel molds them in such a way that it becomes his language, his story. […] The Book of Fury will inevitably move you. — Trouw

The poetry debut of a promising young novelist, which was nominated for several Dutch poetry prizes

What do you do with the words of your ancestors when you break with their customs and traditions, and with their God? Can you really break with them, when the words keep revolving inside of you? Or could tradition – even if you wanted to – be the one thing you cannot break with? Because you would have to break who you are.

The Book of Fury is about belief and unbelief, resentment and hope. A confident voice lays bare his own impotence without mercy.

Roelof ten Napel (1993) is a novelist and essayist. His debut, Constellaties, was published in 2014, and the year after he became laureate of the C.C.S. Crone-stipendium. The novel Het leven zelf was issued in 2017. His work has been published in several Dutch literary magazines, i.a. Revisor, Het Liegend Konijn and Tirade. After completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics, he has currently finished a Research Master in Philosophy of Science at the University of Utrecht.