Mira Feticu in conversation with Melissa Giardina

Mira Feticu (Romania, 1973) made her literary debut in 1993 in her home country with a poetry collection. Her Dutch debut, Lief kind van mij (Dear Child of Mine), was published in 2012 and was followed by several other books. Liefdesverklaring aan de Nederlandse taal (A Love Letter to the Dutch Language), which was shortlisted for the Jan Hanlo Essay Prize, has since gone through ten printings.

Gewone Hollandse jongens
Poetic, provocative, and deeply moving. This is prose about grief. About being lost in sorrow that can only be soothed through the touch of another’s skin.
“The gentleness of Dutch boys. If you grew up around boys who treated love like bullying, you fall instantly for Dutch boys. They shave, they go to the dentist, they vacuum, and they can be unbelievably kind. I sometimes think of opening a shelter for Dutch boys; maybe that would help me stay alive.”