by J. S. Margot
“That’s not at all what I meant. I’m trying to say that diversity, like love, is a work in progress, Mr Schneider. Diversity takes blood, sweat and tears from all parties.”
“You could get a job writing for politicians. You talk in slogans.”
“Do you think so?”
“Our friendship is unique. The bond you have with Elzira isn’t something that can be replaced. Let us not jeopardize that.”
“No, of course not!” I was shocked.
“I hope you will continue to see our children. My spouse hopes that too.”
“We regularly email each other, Elzira and I,” I said, in an attempt at reassurance.
“You can’t keep up a friendship by email. When we are in Antwerp, you can stay in our little flat in New York.”
“That’s incredibly kind of you, but—”
“Is this not the diversity to which you refer?” he asked. Then, immediately afterwards: “Have you heard the one about the Jew, the Frenchman and the Englishman who all get washed up on a desert island?”
Although I tried to bite my tongue, I couldn’t stop myself. “You, Mr Schneider, who pride yourself on being Flemish and Belgian,” I objected, mock-humorously, “why do you talk about ‘a Jew’, alongside ‘a Frenchman’ and ‘an Englishman’? As if the Jew couldn’t also be a Frenchman, an Englishman or a Belgian.”
There was a long silence.
“You are right. Thank you for your observation. Have you heard the one about the Flemish Jew, the Frenchman and the Englishman who all get washed up on a desert island?”
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GAITO GAZDANOV
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SUMMER BEFORE THE DARK
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MESSAGES FROM A LOST WORLD
STEFAN ZWEIG
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THE EVENINGS
GERARD REVE
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BINOCULAR VISION
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‘A genius of the short story’ Mark Lawson, Guardian
IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE SEA
TOMÁS GONZÁLEZ
‘Smoothly intriguing narrative, with its touches of sinister, Patricia Highsmith-like menace’ Irish Times
BEWARE OF PITY
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‘Zweig’s fictional masterpiece’ Guardian
THE ENCOUNTER
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‘A book that suggests new ways of looking at the world and our place within it’ Sunday Telegraph
WAKE UP, SIR!
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THE WORLD OF YESTERDAY
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WAKING LIONS
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FOR A LITTLE WHILE
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JOURNEY BY MOONLIGHT
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BEFORE THE FEAST
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A SIMPLE STORY
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FORTUNES OF FRANCE
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1 The Brethren
2 City of Wisdom and Blood
3 Heretic Dawn
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TRAVELLER OF THE CENTURY
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A WORLD GONE MAD
ASTRI D LINDGREN
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MIRROR, SHOULDER, SIGNAL
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RED LOVE: THE STORY OF AN EAST GERMAN FAMILY
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THE BEAUTIFUL BUREAUCRAT
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THE RABBIT BACK LITERATURE SOCIETY
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BEAUTY IS A WOUND
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BARCELONA SHADOWS
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MEMORIES—FROM MOSCOW TO THE BLACK SEA
TEFFI
‘Wonderfully idiosyncratic, coolly heartfelt and memorable’ William Boyd, Sunday Times
WHILE THE GODS WERE SLEEPING
ERWIN MORTIER
‘A monumental, phenomenal book’ De Morgen
BUTTERFLIES IN NOVEMBER
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‘A funny, moving and occasionally bizarre exploration of life’s upheavals and reversals’ Financial Times
BY BLOOD
ELLEN ULLMAN
‘Delicious and intriguing’ Daily Telegraph
THE LAST DAYS
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‘Mesmerising… Seksik’s portrait of Zweig’s final months is dignified and tender’ Financial Times
Copyright
Pushkin Press
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Original text © 2017 by Margot Vanderstraeten
English translation © 2020 Jane Hedley-Prôle
Mazel Tov was first published as Mazzel tov by Uitgeverij Atlas Contact in Amsterdam, 2017
First published by Pushkin Press in 2020
This book was published with the support of Flanders Literature
(www.flandersliterature.be)
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ISBN 13: 978–1–78227–527–5
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