|
|
|
On the Water tells the poignant story of Anton and David, two oarsmen trained by a mysterious German coach in the golden Amsterdam summer of 1939. On the Water is quietly enormous, capturing a moment so precise and exact it is as if caught in amber -- a rowing club in Amsterdam and two of its competitors from very different backgrounds, set against the backdrop of the oncoming war. The menace of tragedy to come is subtly woven into the story of the two boys whose only concerns are practices, races, and themselves. In the end, all that is left for Anton is the memory of his supreme happiness that summer. |
|
On the Water will be produced by Rik Visser and Jolies van Emburg, who previously produced The Butterfly Tattoo, a moving modern tragedy based on the novel by Philip Pullman. Stephen Potts, who adapted Pullman’s book, and who has published six novels of his own, will be the screenwriter. Philip Pullman has stated about The Butterfly Tattoo: "I'm impressed with the enthusiasm and professionalism of the team at Dynamic Entertainment." and "It shows a side of Oxford that `His Dark Materials` doesn`t. I like the script very much (the writer is Stephen Potts)". |
|
If you wish to stay in touch with On the Water, please enter your email address to receive regular newsletters:
|
|
"Rarely have sport and literature combined so seamlessly to produce such an absorbing and satisfying novel as this small miracle of a book." - Daniel Topolski, The Guardian
"...this new European novella traces the clouds of war back to a time where illusions were the order of the day, giving a tragic cast to the indifference of youth and the anxiety of remembrance." - André Aciman, Author
"The word "cinematic" comes to the reader's own mind repeatedly over the course of H.M. van den Brink's slender novel about a young rower's magical summer in prewar Amsterdam." - Chris Solomon, New York Times
"Van den Brink describes the grace, ecstacy and agony of rowing, the miracle of its teamwork harmony." - Carmela Ciuraru, The Washington Post |
|
|
