Relaas van de schipbreuk van het handelsschip Mytilida
AWARD
WINNER
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GRAND PRIX
NAMI CONCOURS
KOREA
Account of the Shipwreck of the Merchant Ship Mytilida
A postcolonial shipwreck story, told from the perspective of a mussel.
A mussel clings to the hull of a ship, keeping a log of the events unfolding both above and below deck. From its position low on the bow, the mollusc has only a limited view of life on board. What's more, for a non-human narrator, making sense of something as profoundly human as the slave trade is no easy task. The mussel, for instance, calls everyone a sailor—even those in chains. This encourages readers to stay alert: what is explicitly seen, what remains unspoken, and how reliable is this narrator? When the ship sinks, the power structures sink with it, and the story shifts dramatically towards humanity and survival.
Illustrated fiction | Ages 15–115 - Available in bookstores and online: De Eenhoorn
Colab
During the creative process, a small group of fellow authors and illustrators reviewed the manuscript through the lens of their expertise in (de)colonisation and the history of slavery. Their conversations helped shape and refine the narrative. They are acknowledged in the book on the richly decorated coat-of-arms page.
The dialogue does not end with the book's publication. We have also invited spoken word artists from various collectives to respond to the story with original texts of their own—broadening its perspective and questioning its narrative.
"Astrid Verplancke captures the sensitivities of both humans and mussels in bold yet nuanced brushstrokes."
The Nami Concours jury on the illustrations:
"It's work that shows a lot of power and expression, with a wonderful palette and a
strong visual language of a combination of painterly as well as drawing techniques.
Grounded in a tradition of Flemish expression, they see the work as surprising and challenging.
It forces us to think about ourselves.”
