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Comment by Vinnl | Hacker News Reader

In the Netherlands the colonial period is mentioned, but referred to as 'the Golden Century', and atrocities committed aren't really mentioned. There has been public debate about this in recent years, so this may have changed, and the debate in general, in addition to eg museums and documentaries paying attention to it, will probably have contributed to slightly more widespread knowledge about it. It's how I learned a bit about it.

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I recently read "Nathaniel's Nutmeg" and it talks in some detail about the atrocities carried out by the Dutch in the spice islands. It isn't something I had been aware of before.

I also wasnt teached about this in school when I was a kid 3 decades afo. My history knowledge came selftaught from nul-tot-nu comics, where colonialism, slavery and holocaust definitly where touched upon. These so called `zwarte bladzijden` (black pages, doesnt translate nicely) are more common in education nowadays after lively debates the last decade(s).

Must be said the knowledge/interest of historical knowledge among my fellow Dutchies isn`t all that great.

https://www.historischnieuwsblad.nl/slavernij-en-kolonialism...

> figures from article above: percentages of total history subject matter: colonialism 9% Slavery 4 % Holocaust 2 %

>`zwarte bladzijden`

We have the same expression in Russian.

I heard sometime the best language to read Russian literature in (besides Russian) is Dutch, you know anything about this?

No, I haven't heard about that, but that's interesting.

Russia learned a lot from Dutch during Peter the Great's time, but I can't make a connection to literature from that.

Perhaps, just similar national characters?

Directness is definitly part of both national characters indeed.

I asked the toasters, they said this about it:

Yes, Russian literature tends to translate well into Dutch, and there are a few reasons for that:

1. Linguistic Similarities in Syntax and Tone – While Dutch and Russian are from different language families, both can handle long, complex sentences without losing clarity. Dutch, like Russian, allows for a mix of formal and informal tones within a single text, which helps maintain the nuance of Russian literature.

2. Cultural Compatibility – Dutch readers appreciate introspective, philosophical, and existential themes, which are common in Russian literature. Authors like Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov resonate well with Dutch audiences because of their deep psychological exploration and social critique.

3. Strong Translation Tradition – The Netherlands has a long history of translating world literature with high quality. Dutch translators often work directly from Russian rather than relying on intermediary languages like English or French, preserving the original style and meaning.

4. Directness and Emotional Depth – Russian literature is known for its raw emotional depth and directness, qualities that align well with Dutch communication norms. This makes Russian novels feel more natural in Dutch than in some other languages that might soften or rephrase certain expressions.

Many Dutch readers have a strong appreciation for Russian classics, and some Dutch authors have even been influenced by them.

Hmm, is there some Dutch book you'd recommend to a Russian?

Gerard Reve - De avonden (Вечерa)

Arnon Grunberg comes to mind as a more contemporary writer, but couldn`t find a Russian translation.

Sadly, I've failed to find[0] that Russian translation even though Russian wikipedia mentions it (albeit saying it's a partial translation) and provides an ISBN[1].

There are Russian translations of some books by Arnon Grunberg[2][3], namely De heilige Antonio, Fantoompijn, Tirza, De geschiedenis van mijn kaalheid and a few very short stories. Which one of these would you recommend?

[0] https://annas-archive.org/search?q=Герард+Реве

[1] https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Реве,_Герард#Избранная_библиог...

[2] https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Грюнберг,_Арнон#Публикации_на_...

[3] https://annas-archive.org/search?q=Арнон+Грюнберг

And Peter the great is just an amazing interesting chracter, must be said. I still intend to collect a beardtax coin one day.

Be careful, they are quite expensive and sometimes forged: https://www.m-dv.ru/catalog/id,6524/prohod.html

Just to let you know, the past tense of teach is taught; so you would say "I wasn't taught this at school". Other than that, your English is great (better than some of my fellow English people lol). Well done.

You are right, and thanks. Typing on mobile with alternative keyboard without spelling correction is a challenge. I was fortunate enough to be on a part Dutch/English primary school. That helped a lot with getting a lot of assumptions corrected. For instance as a kid I assumed the English word for "monkey" is "ape", because the Dutch word is "aap".

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