De haas met ogen van barnsteen | Edmund de Waal

Towards the end of the nineteenth century, Charles Ephrussi, a fabulously wealthy grain merchant and art lover, buys a collection of netsuke: traditional Japanese figurines carved from ivory or wood. These precious little figures become a cherished family possession. When, forty years later, the Nazis occupy Vienna and the Jewish Ephrussis are deported, the fate of the collection is also uncertain. Thanks to an unexpected twist and the courage of one woman, the figurines find their way back to the family.

In De haas met ogen van barnsteen, Edmund de Waal tells the remarkable story of his family and their extraordinary possession. Against the backdrop of a turbulent century, he follows the journey of the netsuke down the family tree: from the Ephrussis' burgeoning empire in faraway Odessa to fin-de-siècle Paris, and from occupied Vienna to post-war Tokyo.

Please note: this book is written in Dutch