A Peasant Farmer's Psalm

One of the best in the Dutch literary canon. nn nn A Peasant Farmer's Psalm is one of Felix Timmermans' most renowned novels. In it, a farmer recounts the story of his life: his connection to the soil which he works, his relationship with God (and pastor), and his natural acceptance of his and his family's fate. The story, written in the first person, echoes with this simple man's love for life. nn nn Timmermans' language breathes soil, air and light, and his surprising sensory metaphors are tiny electric shocks that keep the reader on their toes. They create laughter and wonder and occasionally make your head spin. And sometimes they're so beautiful, I play a game with myself and try to smuggle them into conversations. (...) The vitality of A Peasant Farmer's Psalm comes to us from an unspoiled, lost Flanders. That's partly why, in this day and age, Timmermans' sentences feel like a medicine that provides a detox for our hectic lives-just keep taking it all in, bit by bit, until the novel is finished. He generously gives us some much-needed grounding. nn -Bart Van Loo, author of The Burgundians nn n nn