The Sign of Jonah

by Boeli van Leeuwen, André Lefevere (Translator)

Seamlessly mixing metafiction, magical realism, and literary allusion, van Leeuwen describes the moral and metaphysical challenges that his aging narrator faces as he seeks some assurances of immortality. A deceptively small book packed with big thoughts and big questions, all for the most part refreshingly accessible. -- Kirkus

203 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

While originally trained as a lawyer and for many years a senior civil servant in Curacao, Willem C.J. "Boeli" van Leeuwen is better know for his novels, poetry and essays.

The island of Curacao and the paradoxes between the individual and his surroundings are the main themes of his novels.

His most widely known novels are "De rots der struikeling" (1959), "Een vreemdeling op aarde" (1962) and "De eerste Adam"(1966).

In his book of essays "Geniale Anarchie" (1990), Boeli van Leeuwen provides an insightful picture of the society and the people of Curacao in the post colonial era.

Reviews

[Anne]

Hmm. I've had a pretty good year of reading. I read a lot of books I liked and loved, and not that many books that didn't speak to me at all. Unfortunately, this novel falls in the second category. I didn't understand much of what was going and therefore couldn't really engage with the story.

Edit:

And then I had an interesting lecturer whose analysis of this book really changed my opinion of this book. This is why I love studying literature, people.

[Menno Beek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dit boek herlezen, en toen toch maar in de top tien gezet: al jaren houd ik die bij, en hoe ouder die top tien is, hoe lastiger erin te komen, en toch, bij de herlezing van deze viel me opnieuw op, hoe erg goed dit is: geestig, diepzinnig, lollig, grof, melancholisch en droef. Prachtig opgebroken in vier slimme scenes. Vol idioten en vol herkenbare types. Autobiografisch, en tegelijk universeel.

De boeken van deze held Boeli ziet men nooit, of haast nooit, in kringlopen. Als ze er zijn en ik zie ze, koop ik ze en geef ze een lezer cadeaux. Zijn ze er niet omdat ze toen te slecht verkochten? Ik hoop dat wie ze heeft, ze houdt.

[JR · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diepgang. Boeiend. Niet het mooiste boek van van leeuwen