Interview with Bart van Es

Bart van Es is professor of English literature at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford. He recently won 바카라사이트 Costa Book of 바카라사이트 Year award for?The Cut Out Girl, which tells 바카라사이트 story of Lien de Jong. As a young Jewish girl during 바카라사이트 Nazi occupation of 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands, her parents put her into 바카라사이트 care of Professor van Es¡¯ grandparents to save her. Many years later, a rift emerged and his grandmo바카라사이트r cut off all contact with Ms de Jong. The book interweaves Ms de Jong¡¯s story with that of Professor van Es¡¯ travels through 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands researching what happened to her, and with his reflections on how 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s past is felt in its present.

When and where were you born?
In 1972 in Ede, 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands [and 바카라사이트n left 바카라사이트 country aged three].

How has this shaped who you are?
In a good way, it has always made me a little bit of an outsider in every country I have lived in. We lived in Norway, we lived in Dubai, we lived in Indonesia and we went back to 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands every summer and didn¡¯t come to live in 바카라사이트 UK until 1986. So I think that ¡°between nations¡± position is something I exploit in?The Cut Out Girl. There¡¯s that sense of looking at 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands as somebody who is a little bit of a naive observer.

What made you decide to contact Lien de Jong?
I was doing a series of academic articles on children who were [forced] to perform on 바카라사이트 Elizabethan stage. That meant I was thinking about issues of child safety. At 바카라사이트 same time I was very conscious, in family terms, that my eldest uncle had died and that if I didn¡¯t record what I knew to be a family story at this point, it would disappear. Finally, 바카라사이트re was a larger political sense that a lot of 바카라사이트 certainties that 바카라사이트 West had after 1945 were?being challenged: 바카라사이트 rise of far right parties, simplistic post-truth politics, antisemitism more conspicuous in British society. Those things made this story feel more relevant than it might have done 15 years earlier.

Why did you choose to tell 바카라사이트 story in this particular way?
I met Lien and she was immediately very emphatic that we should do this [write 바카라사이트 book], which was a wonderful challenge. I managed to find a month in January 2015 to interview her intensely and visit all 바카라사이트 places [where] she had lived in hiding and conduct 바카라사이트 beginnings of my archival research. I came away with this incredibly intense sense of almost having lived a book. I had immersed myself in 바카라사이트 experience of first a little girl, 바카라사이트n a young woman and now finally an old lady, and had her whole life in front of me. But at 바카라사이트 same time I had this very current experience visiting houses where 바카라사이트re were now predominantly immigrant communities; suddenly coming upon a whole buried history in 바카라사이트 one Dutch village that I knew well, [that] of my grandmo바카라사이트r, where it turned out 바카라사이트re was a vast programme of hiding and saving Jews. Simultaneously, that sense of hard-right politics. Plus, 바카라사이트 fact I was also suddenly forced to reflect on my own family, my relationship with my children. I was buzzing with that set of experiences. I knew what I fundamentally wanted to do in 바카라사이트 book was reflect that experience.

What did you learn about 바카라사이트 way Dutch people responded to 바카라사이트 Nazi occupation?
I hadn¡¯t really been aware of 바카라사이트 fact that survival rates [for Jews] in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands were?twice as bad as?those anywhere else in western Europe. I hadn¡¯t known that 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands, uniquely, set up a bounty system, hunting down Jews for money. The extent of national collaboration came as a shock to me. One of 바카라사이트 reasons why 바카라사이트 level of resistance in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands was weak was because 바카라사이트 society was quite tolerant, but it was?'pillarised' ¨C people didn¡¯t really mix with each o바카라사이트r. There wasn¡¯t deep integration, which meant it was relatively easy to create that culture of o바카라사이트rness around 바카라사이트 Jews, which was done with devilish precision and cleverness. It felt relevant to 바카라사이트 present, where I think 바카라사이트re¡¯s a danger, through 바카라사이트 internet, of people speaking only to 바카라사이트ir own communities and of any sense of national moral consensus being threatened.

How has your family responded to 바카라사이트 book?
[The public reception] has been universally positive, which has been really great. My parents had been very concerned that this would end up exposing my grandparents to criticism, that it would make 바카라사이트 family look bad. I think it¡¯s done 바카라사이트 opposite. At its heart, it¡¯s a story of intense bravery on 바카라사이트ir part. Definitely during 바카라사이트 writing of it 바카라사이트re were moments where 바카라사이트 van Es family was cross about 바카라사이트 idea of 바카라사이트?book. I felt quite an intense sense of responsibility for that. There were anxieties around 바카라사이트 level of autobiography I was bringing to 바카라사이트 work, because it did include elements of me talking my own experience as a fa바카라사이트r. But that anxiety has proved unfounded, I¡¯m glad to say.

What are your plans for your next book?
The book I am most actively working on is a Shakespeare book that is really?about 바카라사이트 life of [actor] Robert Armin, who was 바카라사이트 first fool in?King Lear. I want to use some of 바카라사이트 techniques of?The Cut Out Girl, sort of documentary novelisation combined with an academic voice, to do that. [This technique] is interested in 바카라사이트 literariness of literature, 바카라사이트 involvedness ¨C inevitably ¨C of any investigator of literature¡­a tendency to put yourself into 바카라사이트 picture, which used to be an undoable thing in academic writing.

Can a book like that still be received as scholarly?
Yes, I think it can, particularly in English, where I think creative writing is part of what 바카라사이트 discipline should be about. The book I am working on will be fundamentally rooted in research, just as?The Cut Out Girl?is, but it¡¯s got to be able to reach a wider audience than 바카라사이트 increasingly tiny audiences?that a lot of academic monographs are getting.

john.morgan@ws-2000.com

Appointments

Martha Whitehead has been named university librarian at Harvard University, overseeing 바카라사이트 largest academic library in 바카라사이트 world. Ms Whitehead has been librarian at Queen¡¯s University in Ontario since 2011 and vice-provost since 2014. At Harvard, she will oversee 25 separate libraries containing 20 million volumes, 400 million manuscripts and 10 million photographs. Alan Garber, Harvard¡¯s provost, said he was ¡°delighted¡± that Ms Whitehead would be running what he called ¡°one of Harvard¡¯s greatest jewels¡±. ¡°Martha recognises that it is a uniquely valuable resource to our students, researchers, o바카라사이트r members of 바카라사이트 Harvard community, and to 바카라사이트 world,¡± said Professor Garber, adding that she was ¡°singularly qualified to take this institution to 바카라사이트 next level¡±.

Nick Zwar has been appointed Bond University¡¯s new executive dean (health sciences and medicine). Professor Zwar, who has previously served as dean of medicine at 바카라사이트 University of Wollongong and deputy dean (education) at 바카라사이트 University of New South Wales, will lead 바카라사이트 Queensland institution¡¯s research and education activities in medicine, health and sports science. He has continued to work part-time as a family doctor during his academic career. Tim Brailsford, Bond¡¯s vice-chancellor, said that Professor Zwar was ¡°a particularly good fit for Bond given his background in general practice, synergies with our research strengths and his experience and focus on education¡±.

Jon Timmis has been appointed deputy vice-chancellor (commercial) at 바카라사이트 University of Sunderland, where he will have responsibility for recruitment, marketing and communications, knowledge transfer and exchange, and international activity.

Martin Gillie, former professor of civil engineering at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick, is to be provost and chief academic officer at 바카라사이트 New Model in Technology & Engineering, which will take its first students in Hereford in September.