Original title: E-mail aan een boekverkoper
Email to a bookseller
I received your shipment an hour ago;
the books themselves were in perfect condition,
however… the packaging was so damaged
that they could have fallen out.
Now, I don’t trust An Post that much,
as the postman (also town crier)
Or perhaps it was the Celtic Customs,
who are very suspicious of Dutch parcels,
because they might contain pornography, tobacco
or the devil’s drink (which is not allowed
to be drunk or sold in the morning).
And what about other stimulants or narcotics
that The Netherlands is famous for?
But books are also very suspicious
in my country of residence;
they are permitted by law (thanks to Europe),
but behind the scenes, the cardinals
For example, there was no Irish edition
of James Joyce’s Ulysses; of course you’ve heard
about the famous last chapter.
I think any publisher, who dared to publish it,
would likely have his future releases boycotted.
Boycotting is an Irish invention,
maybe you already knew that,
if not, just google Charles Boycott.
In 1992, a cover design for Ulysses was
presented at the Dublin Writers Museum,
by the courageous Lilliput Press; I still own the poster.
The book was published in 1997
with a price tag of what is now five hundred euro,
too expensive of course for the average person.
the books themselves were in perfect condition,
however… the packaging was so damaged
that they could have fallen out.
Now, I don’t trust An Post that much,
as the postman (also town crier)
looked a bit guilty.
Or perhaps it was the Celtic Customs,
who are very suspicious of Dutch parcels,
because they might contain pornography, tobacco
or the devil’s drink (which is not allowed
to be drunk or sold in the morning).
And what about other stimulants or narcotics
that The Netherlands is famous for?
But books are also very suspicious
in my country of residence;
they are permitted by law (thanks to Europe),
but behind the scenes, the cardinals
are keeping a watchful eye on it.
For example, there was no Irish edition
of James Joyce’s Ulysses; of course you’ve heard
about the famous last chapter.
I think any publisher, who dared to publish it,
would likely have his future releases boycotted.
Boycotting is an Irish invention,
maybe you already knew that,
if not, just google Charles Boycott.
In 1992, a cover design for Ulysses was
presented at the Dublin Writers Museum,
by the courageous Lilliput Press; I still own the poster.
The book was published in 1997
with a price tag of what is now five hundred euro,
too expensive of course for the average person.
