De meester van de schaduw

My esteemed Dutch publisher, De Bezige Bij (“the busy bee”), has released its summer catalog and De meester van de schaduw (aka Master of Shadows) is in there, billed as a non-fiction thriller and scheduled for a September release.

The Dutch subtitle, “Peter Paul Rubens, geheim [secret] agent,” is a bit more provocative than its more explanatory American counterpart. The book actually warrants a four-page spread, including a full-page portrait of yours truly, which I’m not sure is going to help sell any books, but is appreciated nonetheless, as is the author’s billing on the cover: at the top, in all caps. While I’m at it, let me take this opportunity to greet my fellow members of the “meester van de schaduw” book club. I look forward to our first assembly, no doubt in some darkened alley under cover of night.