£20.00
Published three times a year from the Netherlands, the European Review of Books (ERB) is a magazine of culture and ideas spanning book reviews, fiction, poetry, travelogue and parody, with a distinctive print design that rewards both reading and cutting the pages.
What grabbed us about this issue...
Issue 5 opens with the question of how best to lose Eurovision and closes with philosophy at sea. The ERB earns both. We enjoyed the Hélène Cixous piece on fiery foundations. One of France’s most demanding thinkers given the space to do what she does is exactly the kind of commission this magazine exists to make. The feature on Russians in Istanbul is also worth seeking out. It’s a more revealing portrait of displacement than the obvious angles tend to produce.
Who’s the European Review of Books for?
The ERB is one for when you want a literary magazine that takes genuine risks with the form. Each issue moves between book reviews, fiction, poetry and parody without treating any one mode as secondary. The print design is worth noting. Pages can be read as normal or cut to reveal a second layer of digression beneath. You can tell this is a publication made by people who believe the magazine as an object still has somewhere to go. This would suit you if you’re drawn to ideas-led writing with a strong European cultural perspective. Think of it as a literary journal that refuses to behave like one. It’s one to reach for when you want to be genuinely surprised by what you’re holding.
Type: Mixed-length, reflective read
Pages: 192
Instagram: @european_review