As Yahn Lovelock notes in his introduction, were it not for the fact that his language is Dutch, Bert Schierbeek would have been noticed a generation ago. With this translation of Betrekkingen, the second volume of Schierbeek's latest trilogy, the English-speaking audience is introduced to this literary pioneer.
Schierbeek found his true voice in the 1950s, when he began writing his "compositional novels" — energy constructs of shifting inspirational and information streams. In them, Schierbeek's theoretical point of departure is that a life-like presentation of the facts in fiction is, itself, fiction.
Schierbeek identifies the barriers we erect and the consequent ignorance they bring. In Cross Roads, he concentrates on overcoming these barriers through his theme of personal independence. The dominant image is the new sense of richness Eulalia gains from being taught to read.