Karel van de Woestijne’s novella, ‘The Dying Peasant’, was originally published in Dutch in 1918. It is now available for the first time in an unabridged translation by Paul Vincent, published by Snuggly Books. The book concerns an elderly farmer, Nand, who lies on his deathbed and is visited by five figures, each representing the one of the five senses. As the fragmentary reflections occasioned by these sensory avatars tell the rich story of Nand’s life, van de Woestijne evokes a deep reverence for the surface of things, and the simplicity and beauty of ordinary life.