ABSTRACT

This chapter details the migratory journey of a Dutch non-fiction book to Spain. Its main objective is to reconstruct the production and reception of the Spanish version of Melancholie van de onrust by Joke J. Hermsen (De Arbeiderspers, 2017), translated by Gonzalo Fernández Gómez and published by Ediciones Siruela in 2019 as La melancolía en tiempos de incertidumbre . Drawing on six interviews and a corpus of paratexts associated with the Dutch and Spanish versions, this chapter examines the roles of all agents involved in the process: the Dutch and Spanish publishers, the literary agent, the author, the translator, and the Dutch Foundation for Literature, which co-financed the publication. Their experiences and responsibilities are compared, and the collaborative ties that ensured the book's entry into the Spanish market are analysed. Special attention is devoted to the branding of non-fiction, a genre that is widely published and translated but remains under-researched. Finally, the chapter uses insights from the agents involved to identify possible policy improvements.