courage (4) geert van istendael
In these troubled times, we asked a number of authors we admire what ‘courage’ means to them. In the coming weeks, you can read their answers here, in the form of a poem, a memory, an anecdote or a more philosophical reflection.
KORROZJE
On 11 November, 1917 Private Egide Noppen, previously a warehouseman at the Graeffe sugar refinery, Rue de Manchester, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, lay shivering, somewhere in a sea of West Flemish mud, half buried beneath six other soldiers. They were dead, he was not.
The thunder of the German guns almost shattered his eardrums. If he crawled forwards, Fritz would mow him down. If he crawled backwards, he wouldn’t get ten metres. A bullet in the back. Or a shell. Private Noppen thought: I’ll stick the barrel of my rifle in my mouth and pull the trigger. End this misery.
At that moment he heard a voice, far off, but above all the guns. That voice rang out clearly: Korrozje, kammeroet, korrozje!
Molenbeek, said Private Noppen, or rather, Meulebeik, he yelled, scrambling to his feet and hurrying, hunched over, staggering, stumbling and crawling until he threw himself into a Belgian trench.
Private Egide Noppen made it to 11 November, 1918 in one piece. But he never discovered who had called out: Courage, comrade, courage. In his own language.
Translated from the Dutch by Stephen Smith
Geert van Istendael (1947) is a poet, prose writer, literary translator and essayist. His works include Arm Brussel (Poor Brussels), Taalmachine (Language Machine), Mijn Duitsland (My Germany) and his recent Brussels crime novels Het lijk in de boomgaard (The Corpse in the Orchard) and De danseres en het mes (The Dancer and the Knife).
how nice that you were able to take the time for some literature
Perhaps you were moved or outraged, challenged or inspired. The online magazine allows us to introduce you to texts you might not expect. It also allows us to commission authors and translators and to pay them a decent fee for their work.
We make sure familiar voices get heard, but we also actively search for writers who are exploring unfamiliar territory or telling stories that get less attention. We find it important to give a platform to a wide range of literary makers, to shoulder them where necessary in the writing process and to pay them properly. Because we believe that all good and innovative voices need to be heard. You can help us to achieve this balance by supporting us financially. Your support goes straight to writers and translators.
Whether big or small, each contribution helps us to make sure that the authors get heard.
Many thanks in advance!
yes, I support literary makers