Anton Voloshin

Anton Voloshin (born 1983) caught the writing bug at eight, although he had already spent years disappearing into stories, inventing his own (puppet theatre with stuffed animals!) and entertaining unsuspecting audiences with them. He learned to read with Belgian comic books and first wrote in WordPerfect on an MS-DOS computer. It was a different century. He studied Language and Literature at Ghent University and eventually went into marketing, because producing dubious literature rarely pays the bills. Nobody knows when he will write his last sentence. Least of all himself.

Welcome to the English edition of Onklare taal. Most of the work linked here is in Dutch; this section is your way in.

In focus

In de vorm van een kogel (In the Shape of a Wrecking Ball) brings together 66 short prose pieces from 2018–2026, edited until they are sharp (or blunt) enough to cause physical damage. Stagnation, resistance and movement lie at the heart of these vignettes; eight appear here for the first time.

Available in the shop (in Dutch).

Cover: Anton Voloshin

Poetry

Individual poems: sometimes reflections of a state of mind, sometimes tightly packaged ideas. There are also collected volumes - eight plus two, and counting. Occasionally I record them, when time and inclination permit. You will have to put up with my Ghent accent. I am doing my best.

Photo: Brian Fouhy

Grumbling

Everyone is sick of opinions. Believe me, I would not write mine if I could read them elsewhere. Unfortunately, newspapers and magazines tend to serve up the same thin right-wing gruel, courtesy of the same arseholes. Serve cold, perhaps with a pinch of salt and plenty of crushed ice.

Art: Yoshitoshi Kanemaki, ‘Glitch in the Matrix’.

Thoughts & stories

Short on time, but still a brave reader? Try my prose vignettes and short stories. The former are collected in In de vorm van een vogel (In the Shape of a Bird), the latter in Recombinant. The latest short story is De keizer van Populië (The Emperor of Populia).

Art: Ben Meuleman.

Reviews

Since 2002, almost every book I read has received a short review. I read everything from novels and poetry to philosophical essays and autobiographies. Want me to read a particular book? Let me know!

Photo: La Bibliotheca, via thisinsthappiness

Writing & archives

Looking for a particular piece and lost in the tangle of blogs? Start with the English guide to my writing, or head straight to the complete Dutch index. A very long list awaits. You’ve been warned.

Photo: me in corporate surroundings

Follow me

You can find me on Facebook and Bluesky. I am too ugly for Instagram (but I have it anyway). I like cats, being a man of my time. I make a lot of terrible jokes on social media. I also have a SoundCloud.

Photo: Patrick.

Eisbär?

Eisbär Communications is the name of my freelance sideline: translation, copywriting and editing. I do all three. Since I also have a day job, availability comes with a few limitations.

Photo: Polar Bear Initiative