Jacob Haafner – Exotische Liefde

Book coverJacob Haafner – Exotische Liefde
Book coverJacob Haafner – Exotische Liefde
Book coverJacob Haafner – Exotische Liefde
Book coverJacob Haafner – Exotische Liefde

In the general reading category this year’s panel, like many of their predecessors, were struck by a beautiful cover by Anneke Germers that stood out by its colour sense and composition. A new recasting of Jacob Haafner’s gripping and colourful tale of his travels in India in 1808, the book is in every respect superbly presented.

In its Feniks series publishing house Athenaeum–Polak & Van Gennep is breathing new life into Dutch classics by bringing the language up to date and where necessary abridging or rewriting them for modern readers. All Feniks volumes come complete with an informative introduction and an explanation of the thinking behind them.

In this case the interior was designed by Hannie Pijnappels, who also drew the four maps of the Indian coastline on the endpapers showing the places Haafner visited in his palanquin or litter.

On the dust jacket, which with its chromatic contrasts and dotted line ties in with the design of other classic Athenaeum series, we see a devadasi. This dancer in a Hindu temple – an engraving after a drawing by Haafner – is at the same time a reference to the love that the author conceived for one of them. Besides being a portrait of Indian mores and customs, however, the book is also an indictment of European colonialism.

Edition: 2011
Language: Dutch, adapted by Thomas Rosenboom
Final editor: Erica van Boven, Olf Praamstra
Publisher: Athenaeum-Polak & Van Gennep, Amsterdam
Designer: Anneke Germers (cover), Hannie Pijnappels (interior)
Printer: Offizin Andersen Nexö Leipzig, Zwenkau (D)
Binder: Offizin Andersen Nexö Leipzig, Zwenkau (D)
Dimensions: 134 x 215 x 24
Amount of pages: 284 p.
Number of copies: 2,500
Price: € 24.95
ISBN: 978 90 253 6886 9
Font and foundry: FF Scala (interior), Bodoni Old Style (spine and jacket)
Binding style: sewn hardback
Material: 100gsm Fly 05, cream (interior), 130gsm Fly 05, cream (endpapers), Finesse linen 66017, turquoise (binding), 135gsm Optigloss (jacket)