ANNE-GINE GOEMANS worked for Volkskrant Magazine as a journalist. Gliding Flight was awarded the Dioraphte Literary Prize and the German M Pionier Award for new literary talent (previously awarded to Herman Koch). Gliding Flight was longlisted for the prestigious Libris Literature Prize. NANCY FOREST-FLIER is a New Jerseyborn translator who moved to Europe in 1982 and has worked in the Netherlands since 1988. She lives in Alkmaar. Her literary translations include The King by Kader Abdolah, Dissident for Life by Koenraad de Wolf, Gliding Flight by Anne-Gine Goemans, We and Me by Saskia de Coster, Mr. Miller by Charles den Tex, Departure Time by Truus Matti, Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt, and The Story of Shit by Midas Dekkers. Nancy also translates children's literature and has translated for numerous Dutch museums and institutes, including The Anne Frank House and the Krller-Mller Museum (home to the world's second largest Van Gogh collection).
It's a funny, tenderhearted book reminiscent of Little Miss Sunshine--it has a similar cast of lost, confused, and eccentric characters. The novel is a wonderful mix of humor and gentle melancholy. Gieles is a compassionate boy, and he seems to draw wounded people toward him in the same way that he draws forward his geese. We'd be lucky to have more like him in this world. A sweet, sympathetic novel with a sense of humor. --Kirkus Reviews A well-balanced, complete novel that stands out because of its many themes and quirky, eccentric characters whose tragicomic traits are movingly identifiable. --Jury Dioraphte Literary Award A book you feel homesick for as soon as you've closed it. --Peter Buwalda, author of Bonita Avenue A hip regional novel that is every bit as good as Joe Speedboat. --P.F. Thomese, author of Shadowchild Anne-Gine Goemans has written a very special and beautiful book. --de Volkskrant An up-to-date and historical book, an adventurous boy's book and a moral sketch, a regional story and a development novel. --NRC Handelsblad A book you do not want to leave...and finish with a sigh of pleasure. --De Telegraaf An enjoyable read with captivating characters, well-paced plot, and the right amount of tension to keep the pages turning. Highly recommended --Dutch News Goemans shows, once again, how agile a narrator she is. --Trouw A lively, exciting and funny novel, which is told with great energy and momentum. A completely convincing picture of the bizarre fantasy world of a lonely adolescent. --Dutch Foundation for Literature I am particularly enthusiastic about this novel that's both an adventurous boy's book and a historical novel. The writing style is accessible with lots of humour. --Inge Leest The Dutch Annie Proulx --Opzij