Born in 1945, Sus van Elzen studied German philology at university. He made his literary debut in 1989 with ‘Hoog boven de blauwe stad’ (High above the blue city) – three stories about revolution and war. His 1994 novel ‘Rina’ is set against the backdrop of war in Beirut.

Foreign affairs
For some 20 years Van Elzen has been the foreign affairs editor of the Belgian weekly magazine Knack. He has written several books about the conflict in the Middle East, the latest being ‘De Palestijnen: de toekomst van een droom’ (The Palestinians: The future of a dream).

He most recently published a book about China which he first visited in 1976. ‘De draak en de rozentuin’ (The dragon and the rose garden) investigated the transformation of the country leading up to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, with a particular focus on the role of artists and architects.

Portuguese plain
“The plain lay stretched out like a green blanket across the world, pinned down here and there by lone trees, not stretched tight like a snooker table as in Holland, but more as if it was thrown onto the grass, to bleach. On the whole the blanket is flat, but seen in detail it's undulating, full of dents and bulges, folds and wrinkles.”

A changing landscape is an important element in Van Elzen’s story for Radio Books. Joana has left the noise of a crowded city behind and arrives in a small rural village in Portugal. Most of the twenty residents are “ancient, black-clad women” who enjoy gossip. But can Joana unlock a secret they are unwilling to talk about?

‘White patches lost on the plain’ by Sus van Elzen was translated by Michael O’Loughlin. It’s read by Jacky Spears.