Novel · A way to begin
Zuid-Zuid-West
Not translated into English
Albert Helman · 1926
Synopsis
A man in his twenties, far from his country, pieces together fragments of his childhood memories in Suriname: the beauty of the rivers and forests, the peoples who live there, solitude. In flowery language, the song of nostalgia is matched by an indictment of what colonisation has done to the country: indigenous people driven out, slaves brought from afar, communities set against one another, immigrants stripped of their rice fields, land plundered and religion misused by those who govern it.
Context
The text first appeared in four instalments in the journal De Gemeenschap, from July to November 1926, then in volume form from the journal's publisher. The epilogue addresses the “excellent Dutchmen” and blames them for the ruin of the country; a critic in 1927, charmed by the song of memory, judged it violent and unjust. The book was well received in the Netherlands as in Suriname and reprinted as early as 1928. Anton de Kom placed two passages from it as epigraphs to chapters of his own book on slavery, and this first novel is still counted among its author's best.
Who it is for
For those who like the poetic prose of exile and the restrained anger of a native son before the ruin of his land.
Prizes and reception
Acclaimed by the press on its publication and cited by Anton de Kom, it remains regarded as one of its author's best books.