Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More


May 17

23

Institute by Vincent Bijlo: Giveaway

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on May 23, 2017
Posted in My Past Giveaways  | Tagged With: , , , , | 5 Comments

Institute by Vincent BijloInstitute by Vincent Bijlo


Thanks to Bernadette Jansen of Holland Park Press, I am giving away one print copy of Institute by Vincent Bijlo.

Description of  Institute by Vincent Bijlo


Translated from the Dutch by Susan Ridder. THE INSTITUTE is a beautifully written boarding school novel about a boy who is searching for his identity and a sense of security. It is both hilarious and moving, and paints a frank picture of the 1970s, when ‘everything had to be tried out.’

Otto Iking is an outsider, at home as well as at the boarding school for the blind, but he is also an observer. Otto looks at the world around him with an unpitying sense of humour.

He observes the other children as well as the carers and teachers, who aim to prepare their pupils for the able-bodied world which ‘can be very tough.’

He discovers his feelings for Sonia, a fellow student, and he makes plans for a rescue mission to liberate hostages in the notorious Moluccan hijacking case in Bovensmilde.

But most of all, he wants to escape from the institution for the blind to a school for sighted children. Otto doesn’t want sympathy. He can see a future: working for the radio.

In short, a novel about a boy with remarkable powers of observation. 

About Vincent Bijlo


Institute by Vincent Bijlo

(C) Jurjen Alkema

Vincent Bijlo is a Dutch stand-up comedian, columnist, musician and author. Many appearances on TV, radio and in the theatre have made him a household name in the Netherlands. He is a columnist for one of the Dutch national newspapers

Dutch publishing house De Arbeiderspers published his four novels: Het instituut in 1998, Achttienhoog in 2001, De woordvoerder in 2003 and De Ottomaanse herder in 2009.

In April 2017 Holland Park Press reissued his first novel in Dutch together with the English translation The Institute.

Vincent Bijlo was born blind.

Giveaway of Institute by Vincent Bijlo


This giveaway is open worldwide and ends on June 9, 2017 midnight pacific time.  Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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Mar 17

5

Yellow House by Jeroen Blokhuis, Asja Novak (Translator): Giveaway

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on March 5, 2017
Posted in My Past Giveaways  | Tagged With: , , , , | 5 Comments

Yellow House by Jeroen BlokhuisYellow House by Jeroen Blokhuis


Thanks to Bernadette of Holland Park Press, I am giving away one print copy of Yellow House by Jeroen Blokhuis.

Description of Yellow House by Jeroen Blokhuis


The Yellow House, by Jeroen Blokhuis, paints a fictional picture of Vincent van Gogh’s life between August 1888 and December 1889 when he lived in Arles in Southern France and where he created many of his masterpieces. 

In his debut novel Jeroen Blokhuis tells the story from van Gogh’s point of view, from inside his mind, providing a fresh and revealing look at how this intriguing painter worked.

The Vincent in this novel very much tries to fit in, but is often baffled by how people react. Almost as if he can only express himself through his paintings, which in turn flummox the public. In one scene people literally turn up to see Vincent and Gauguin paint Marie Ginoux, but he, Vincent, is just concerned about creating a good painting. 

About Jeroen BlokhuisYellow House by Jeroen Blokhuis


Jeroen Blokhuis is a Dutch author and a Communications Advisor.

He has published short stories in literary magazines including Passionate and KortVerhaal. He also wrote booklets for educational publishers and professional publications about content strategy. 

His short story ‘Vroeger’ (‘The Past’) was published in Dutch and English in the Holland Park Press online magazine in 2012. The basis for this short story was a short screenplay written ten years ago which won the Gouden Vlam screenplay prize.

In answer to the questions about his inspiration for writing The Yellow House, the author answered: ‘The protagonist, Vincent van Gogh, is an iconic painter, but I was interested in who he really was, in the actual world: soldiering on, an outsider and a dreamer. Well, that’s what I think, and that’s how, for me, he’s become a real person.’

His debut novel, Place Lamartine was published in Dutch in September 2015 and will be published in English as The Yellow House in March 2017. 

Giveaway of  Yellow House by Jeroen Blokhuis


This giveaway is open worldwide and ends on March 17, 2017 midnight pacific time.  Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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