VAN ESSEN TRANSLATIONS

Issue number 4 of 2.3.74, Lebowski Publishers’ literary magazine for grounded sci-fi from the Netherlands and Flanders, is out now. The term ‘grounded sci-fi’ is generally taken as referring to speculative fiction that is set in a near, technologically conceivable future (this, as  opposed to space operas and the like). This issue features two stories I translated: Tomorrow I Will Kiss You by Bertram Koeleman and Island Y by Anne Moraal. The first is set in a world where speech is prohibited and people communicate solely through a  form of telepathic technology. The plot centres on a divorce, and Koeleman explores how it is that we cope with grief and loss when there are no words. In Moraal’s story, global warming has resulted in melting glaciers and rising sea levels. When an island off the coast of Africa is swallowed by the sea, Ken Butter, the climate scientist who predicted the event, gains a mass following and becomes a messianic cult figure for those hoping to survive the coming flood. His motives, however, turn out to be less than benevolent. 2.3.74 is available in print and can be read online. The stories in 2.3.74 #4 can also be listened to in spoken form, voiced by Joshua Baumgarten, and streamed from the website or most podcast platforms.