Das Mag is an independent publishing house based in Amsterdam, founded in 2015. We first shook up the Dutch literary scene with our magazine Das Magazin, but a decade ago decided to take the next step: launching our own publishing house. According to Dutch newspaper NRC, Das Mag is ‘the publisher that does things differently’ in the Low Countries. In 2021, Chaos became an imprint—a small press founded by Sayonara Stutgard, Thalia Ostendorf, and Yael van der Wouden, author of the worldwide literary sensation The Safekeep (2024).
Publishing around twenty books a year, we focus on carefully chosen titles and thoughtful promotion, attracting a devoted readership. Our catalogue spans both Dutch authors—such as Lize Spit, Tobi Lakmaker, Bregje Hofstede, Tiemen Hiemstra, Aya Sabi, and many others—and translated fiction and nonfiction, including works by Yael van der Wouden, Tove Ditlevsen, Valeria Luiselli, Banana Yoshimoto, Olga Ravn, and more. Beyond publishing, we organise book club festivals and an annual summer camp for aspiring writers.
PUBLISHER Daniël
DEPUTY
Sarah Arnolds THE SHEER NERVE
Publishing details
Het gore lef
Short stories
June 2025
168 pages
30.500 words
4.500 copies sold
Rights
Cossee International Agency Stella Rieck rieck@cossee.com
English sample by Sarah Timmer Harvey available in September
Promoted by the Dutch Foundation for Literature. For translation grants visit letterenfonds.nl/en/funding
In the stories in this collection, lying is everywhere. Because a lie is a wonderful way to escape the truth – which is often too painful, or too boring. And it’s so easy. Anyone can do it. You lie to your friends, your masseur, your parents, your children, your partner, or to yourself. Stopping, however, is the hard part.
Sarah Arnolds’ debut short story collection, a spellbinding take on the art of lying, became the literary hit of the summer.
‘Sarah Arnolds’ dazzling debut shows just how delicious lying can be.’
– ★★★★, NRC
‘So good it gives you seperation anxiety: you don’t want to let go of the characters.’
– DE VOLKSKRANT
‘These stories are reminiscent of Jeffrey Eugenides and Lana Del Rey.’
– ★★★★, KNACK
‘The stories of Sarah Arnolds are remarkably good. Heart-rending yet gentle, laconic yet full of mystery. They slip quietly but with purpose into your mind, and refuse to leave anytime soon. Hard to believe this is a debut; every story hits the mark.’ – ROB VAN ESSEN, two-time winner of the Libris Literature Award
Sarah Arnolds (1992) graduated from the Rietveld School of Art & Design in Amsterdam. She wrote screenplays and published stories in De Gids, Extra Extra Magazine, and MacGuffin . The Sheer Nerve is her debut.
Maurits de Bruijn MAN MADE
Publishing details
Man maakt stuk
Novel April 2024
269 pages
63.000 words
10.000 copies sold
Nominated:
Libris Literature Prize (shortlist)
De Boon (longlist)
Boekenbon Literatuurprijs (longlist)
Rights
Cossee International Agency Stella Rieck rieck@cossee.com
Rights sold: German (Albino)
Film rights: Labyrint Film
English samples by Sarah Timmer Harvey and Fannah Palmer available
Promoted by the Dutch Foundation for Literature. For translation grants visit letterenfonds.nl/en/funding
David is a visual artist living in a manicured neighbourhood ‘ where the streets smell of diaper cream.’ He is neither productive nor successful and works a trivial job in an art gallery. His life changes when a group of rowdy youths begin hanging out outside his window every night. While the group robs him of his peace, David manages to reclaim something from them in return — with disastrous consequences.
Whip-smart page-turner about a queer artist who is inspired by a group of loitering teens.
‘This book is reminiscent of Jordan Peele’s movie Get Out and Percival Everett’s novel Erasure: satire from a marginalized perspective, all the more confronting because of its mordant wit.’
– ★★★★, NRC
‘A clever novel about identity politics that steers clear of predictability.’ – DE VOLKSKRANT
‘Few books are as delightfully gay as Man Made.’ – DE CORRESPONDENT
Maurits de Bruijn (1984) is an editor at the art magazine Mister Motley. He previously wrote, among other works, the nonfiction book My Holocaust Too (2020), in which he explores how his mother’s wartime past shaped his childhood and life. In recent years, he has been a prominent voice in the public debate on Israel and Palestine. In his essay Conscience (2025), De Bruijn invites the reader into the evolution of his views on Israel over the years, and he raises his voice against the occupation of Palestine.
Thomas Heerma van Voss
THE ARCHIVE
Publishing details
Het archief
Novel
August 2024
274 pages
50.500 words 12.000 copies sold
Nominated:
Boon Literatuurprijs 2025 (shortlist) Libris Literatuurprijs 2025 (longlist)
Won:
Book of the Year 2024 (Royal Academy of Dutch Language and Literature)
Rights
Cossee International Agency Stella Rieck rieck@cossee.com
English sample by Michele Hutchison available
Promoted by the Dutch Foundation for Literature. For translation grants visit letterenfonds.nl/en/funding
When he is asked to become an editor at Arabesk, a literary magazine with a rich history, the young poet Pierre accepts without a second thought. He grew up in a family of readers, with a father who, as a former editor-in-chief, experienced the glory days of the written word. But while Pierre finds his place at Arabesk, subscription numbers plummet. Only his father still seems to appreciate the magazine’s charm, yet he retreats further and further into his study, surrounded by stacks of paper, obscure DVDs, and a radio that never stops playing.
The unexpected bestseller about the decline of a literary magazine. A touching portrait of a father, and an ode to the niche.
‘A beautiful ode to tinkering on the margins.’ – DE VOLKSKRANT
‘The most gripping, profound, and hilarious father–son novel we’ve read in ages.’
– ★★★★★, KNACK
‘The attention we give to the things that matter to us – however fragile or useless they may seem – is what makes us human. Thomas Heerma van Voss has written a magnificent book about it.’ – TROUW
Thomas Heerma van Voss (1990) has written several novels and story collections, including the acclaimed Conditions (longlisted for the Boekenbon Literature Prize and the Libris Literature Prize) and Passengers/ Stragglers (nominated for the BNG Literature Prize). He also contributes to publications such as De Groene Amsterdammer and was an editor at the literary magazine De Revisor for seven years.
Lieselot Mariën
THE ANIMALS WITHIN
Publishing details
Als de dieren
Novel April 2025
312 pages
32.000 words
2.000 copies sold
Rights
Cossee International Agency Stella Rieck rieck@cossee.com
English sample available soon
Promoted by Flanders Literature. For translation grants visit flandersliterature.be/grants
In this inventive, poetic debut, Lieselot Mariën tells the story of a young mother who, after giving birth, becomes estranged from her new reality and struggles to inhabit her role. Drawing on mythology and the animal kingdom, Mariën weaves form and content into an exploration of language and meaning, in an attempt to capture an experience that resists both.
A stylistically daring debut, Lieselot Mariën’s novel gives words to the darker, unspoken sides of motherhood—rarely has it been portrayed with such force.
‘Exquisite despair.’– ★★★★★, NRC
‘An impressive debut.’
– ★★★★ ½, KNACK
‘A confronting, essential, and profoundly moving book.’ – ★★★★, HUMO
‘A formidable achievement.’
– ★★★★, DE STANDAARD
‘A dazzling work of linguistic art.’
– DE TIJD
‘Brave, crystal-clear, and razor-sharp.
A rich book that lingers under your skin.’
– LIZE SPIT, author of The Melting
Lieselot Mariën is a trained philosopher and lawyer. She has worked in theater, in the kitchen, and as an attorney. Today, she creates audio dramas and documentaries. The Animals Within is her debut novel.
Maarten Inghels HANNIBAL & GIDEON
Publishing details
Hannibal & Gideon
Novella
March 2025
136 pages
23.000 words
2.000 copies sold
Rights
Cossee International Agency
Stella Rieck rieck@cossee.com
English sample by Jonathan Reeder available
Promoted by Flanders Literature. For translation grants visit flandersliterature.be/grants
Maarten Inghels, artist and writer, sets out to follow in the footsteps of Hannibal Barca, who in 218 BC crossed the Alps with thirty-seven elephants to strike the Roman enemy from behind. Scholars have debated for centuries which Alpine pass Hannibal took, and countless adventurers have sought to relive this mythical trek. What drove these men to lead elephants into the mountains in the wake of the famed general? And is not adventure itself a privileged form of escape? Picking up the elephant Gideon from the Lyon Zoo, Inghels embarks on the extraordinary crossing himself, blending imagination, history, and artistic vision along the way.
Embark on a daring literary adventure with a writer and his elephant, Gideon, as they retrace Hannibal Barca’s legendary journey across the Alps.
‘You’ll read this little book in one breath.’
– FRIESCH DAGBLAD
‘It’s a delight to walk alongside the writer and his animal, with reflections on the decline of the very notion of adventure in our time, vivid images and metaphors, humor, and playful asides.’ – ★★★★, NRC
‘An ode to misfits, to eternally young spirits in an adult world. With Hannibal & Gideon , Maarten Inghels has captured the adventure novel he has wanted to write since childhood.’ – ★★★★, HUMO
Maarten Inghels (1988) is a poet, writer, and visual artist. In 2021, his novel The Miracle of Belgium was published, based on his experiences with the world’s greatest con artist. From 2016 to 2018, he served as City Poet of Antwerp.
Tiemen Hiemstra
W.
Publishing details
W.
Novel May 2023
224 pages
37.500 words
6.000 copies sold
Won:
Anton Wachterprijs
Debutantenprijs
Inktaap
Nominated:
Boekenbon Literatuurprijs (shortlist)
Hebban Debuutprijs
Bronzen Uil
Beste Boek voor Jongeren
Rights
Cossee International Agency Stella Rieck rieck@cossee.com
Rights sold:
German (Kein & Aber) Turkish (KaplumbaA) Italian (Adelphi)
English sample by Fannah Palmer and full German MS available
Promoted by Flanders Literature. For translation grants visit flandersliterature.be/grants
What drives a person to escape to another life? How well can we truly know another person? Is there a place where people can become lost? These are the questions that torment Olaf after W.’s sudden departure. The only thing W. left behind is a laptop containing ‘Thee Sarcophagus of Fun’ – a folder full of memes, haiku’s, and reflections that might help Olaf solve the puzzle of his best friend’s disappearance. When W. is sighted again after three years, Olaf digs into his digital footprint in an attempt to grasp his friend’s vanishing and their shared past.
A prize-winning, original debut novel about the void left by a best friend’s disappearing act.
‘Concrete, down-to-earth, directly written, and cheerful to the core. An excellent novel that captivated me. Hiemstra takes different paths from what is currently customary in literature. His sentences burn with longing for the ordinary and the elusive.’
– DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER
‘Hiemstra skillfully switches between the present and the past, in a naturally flowing, dreamy, and imagery-rich language, where submarines sail through the streets and walking sticks symbolise the doppelgänger motif. A gripping story about the void left by a disappearing act. Tiemen Hiemstra is a name to remember.’ – HUMO
‘Heartbreakingly tender. Uncannily real.’
– ★★★★, NRC
Tiemen Hiemstra (1991) grew up in Groningen, in the north of the Netherlands. He moved south to study literature in Antwerp, where he resides again after a brief stint as a postman in Leipzig. He is currently working on a second novel.
Tobi Lakmaker
THE HISTORY OF MY SEXUALITY
Publishing details
De geschiedenis van mijn seksualiteit
Novel
February 2021
224 pages
51.500 words
35.000 copies sold
Won: Hans Vervoort Prize
Nominated: Boekenbon Literature Prize, De Boon, De Bronzen Uil
Rights
Cossee International Agency Stella Rieck rieck@cossee.com
Rights sold: German (Piper Verlag), Norwegian (Aschehoug), Swedish (itlit), World English (Granta), Serbian (Treći trg), Italian (Mondadori Libri), Bulgarian (Janet 45), Greek (Nisos), Spanish (Aristas Martinez), Finnish (Kosmos), Slovak (Okraj), French (La Peuplade), Hungarian (Vince Books)
Film rights: ManUp (Halina Reijn – Baby Girl)
Available material: Full English/German/ Norwegian/Swedish/Italian/Finnish/ French MS upon request.
Promoted by the Dutch Foundation for Literature. For translation grants visit letterenfonds.nl/en/funding
Meet Sofie. She feels she’s wrong about pretty much everything: ‘About the boys and the girls, the right answer and – much more importantly – the right question’. Will she ever untangle the impossible knot of sex, love, loneliness, learning, family relationships and grief that constitutes a life? Does it even matter?
Razor-sharp and unconventional, this dazzlingly witty debut novel – a sensation on publication in Europe – challenges, surprises and entertains.
‘Funny, joyous and wholly irreverent... a breath of fresh air... and incredibly moving.’
– IRISH TIMES
‘No subject is out of bounds for the book's enjoyably zinger-packed candour. It's winningly upfront. You suspect there's a lot more to come from Lakmaker – and I can't wait.’ – DAILY MAIL
‘The History of My Sexuality fearlessly tells of the contradictions of one’s own identity. Lakmaker brilliantly depicts the protagonist’s ongoing back and forth movement between gender identities. A humorous and profound novel.’
– BERLINER ZEITUNG
‘As far as I’m concerned he knocks Sally Rooney off her throne, and is the one and only J.D. Salinger of the Snapchat generation.’
– JOZEFIEN VAN BEEK in De Standaard
Tobi Lakmaker (1994) studied Philosophy in Amsterdam and writes columns for de Volkskrant. He is currently working on a second novel.
THE MELTING
Debut novel, 2016
250.000 copies sold
Rights sold: Host (Czech), Fischer (German), Planeta (Spanish), Rosinante (Danish), Cappelen Damm (Norwegian), Actes Sud (French), MacMillan (World English), E/O (Italian), Marginesy (Polish), Madarek (Saudi Arabian), Ara Llibres (Catalan), Janet 45 (Bulgarian), Tchelet (Hebrew), Metaichmio (Greek), Hena Com (Croatian), Jelenkor (Hungarian), it-lit (Swedish), Casa Cartii (Romanian), Ungu Foroyar (Faroe Islands)
Film rights: Savage
Stage rights: Fischer
‘Spit writes with ease and grabs you by the throat. The Melting sizzles. It is a debut you would wish for all authors. Familiar, surprising, imaginative, and merciless. The Melting is like a long-range missile, that only seems to cast a dark shadow and flies by without causing damage, but then it hits with calculated precision.’
– DE STANDAARD
Lize Spit, the Belgian literary phenomenon
Rights
RCW
Laurence Laluyaux
l.laluyaux@rcwlitagency.com
Promoted by Flanders Literature. For translation grants visit flandersliterature.be/grants
I'M NOT HERE
Novel, 2020
80.000 copies sold
Rights sold: Gutkind (Danish), E/O (Italian), Fischer (German), Actes Sud (French), it-lit (Swedish)
‘I’m Not Here is a marvellous, breathtaking oppression of a book. Deftly, Spit spreads information, story clues, keys. She grabs you by the throat. An unputdownable novel.’
– NRC
THE RIGHTFUL FINDER
Novella, 2023
700.000 print-run
Rights sold: Fischer (German), Actes Sud (French), Siren Kitap (Turkish), it-lit (Swedish), Shogakukan (Japanese)
‘Thrilling, touching, engaged, literary but approachable, and with a tension that is tightly stretched over ninety pages. If this does not get you to read, then just quit trying.’ – DE VOLKSKRANT
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MY BODY
Novel, 2024
40.000 copies sold
Rights sold: Fischer (German), Actes Sud (French)
‘Spit places her primal book in the reader’s hands. It contains everything—the entirety of Lize. Both powerful and fragile, it strikes like a hammer of porcelain.’
★★★★★, DE STANDAARD
Lize Spit (1988) lives in Brussels. She has a MA in Screenwriting and has taught writing at the LUCA School of Arts in Brussels. Her debut novel The Melting was published in 2016 and sold over 250,000 copies in The Netherlands and Belgium. It was chosen as NRC Book of the Year and translation rights sold in nineteen countries. A film adaptation followed. Her second novel, I’m Not Here (2020) was nominated for the Libris Literature Prize and the Jean Monnet European Literature Prize. She was chosen to write the 2023 Boekenweekgift, the prestigious Dutch Book Week gift book which was published in March 2023. Autobiography of My Body (2024) is her fourth book.
Das Mag’s recent international acquisitions:
Tove Ditlevsen THERE LIVES A YOUNG GIRL IN ME WHO WILL NOT DIE
