Petry's fifth novel, De maagd Marino (The Virgin Marino), is based on the true story of the "cannibal of Rotenburg", who caused a media frenzy in Germany in 2001 when he emasculated and ate his consenting partner. "I haven't met anyone who doesn't recall the event," Petry says, "and what makes this incident particularly shocking is the willingness of the victim, which plays a vital role in the novel. It makes the murder not a cannibalistic killing but a suicide, as the victim endured it voluntarily and also planned it with his killer, Marino." (Petry has changed the names of the real- life pair.)

Don't be put off by this seemingly gruelling novel. Petry isn't trying to scare you with his detailed yet distant descriptions; he is merely trying to get to the heart of the matter. He was "predominantly interested in their thoughts," he explains. "What drives them? The victim is actually the catalyst in this case; the murderer merely acts out the victim's wishes. He is in fact a bystander because he doesn't particularly take pleasure in the murder."

While trying to make the incomprehensible plausible, Petry also manages to turn these conflicted characters into flesh-and-blood people with genuine depth. De maagd Marino delves straight into the action with the novel's most chilling chapter, in which Marino chains his lover to a wall, amputates his penis and slits his throat. Petry's certainly right. The rest of the novel combines the events leading up to this bloody scene, as well as their consequences for Marino.

The novel's most striking feature, however, is the narrator - the recently deceased Bruno, who is now speaking through Marino, after having been consumed by him. "As a writer, I was able to maintain the perfect balance between involvement and distance using this perspective," Petry continues. "Only the first chapter is written as a third-person narrator because I thought it would be too confrontational to portray Bruno's thoughts as he was being killed."

"Ideas" is a four-letter word
Petry studied mathematics and philosophy before becoming a writer and is often accused of writing a "novel of ideas", a label that has frequently been stamped on De maagd Marino. "My characters think about who they are, what they are doing and where they are going, but most people do this, so I wouldn't particularly call my novels philosophical," says Petry. "Characters who just act without considering the consequences don't really appeal to me. The only thing philosophy taught me is that you shouldn't be scared of where your thoughts might take you. You shouldn't be afraid of what you are able to imagine."

De maagd Marino is indeed Petry's most accessible work to date and is often considered his breakthrough novel, which is why his nomination for the Libris Prize isn't that surprising. "The importance of such a prize is that the winning book - and author for that matter -acquires more readers," he says. "But on the other hand, I think it's a shame that the winner gets all the glory because all the nominees are worthy contenders. Winning is purely a matter of chance."

Although Petry would love to receive the prize, he is also aware of the downside. "When you win such a prize, the pressure is on to create an equally grand novel as soon as possible. The danger of course, is that you'll start repeating yourself, which is a death sentence for every writer. Writing should be a quest, not a prescribed formula."

Libris winner or not, De maagd Marino is a character- driven novel that tries to examine how people are capable of such depravity. Both characters are products of their environment, and, due to Petry's clever narration and clear style, a gruesome tale in infused with compassion, making it almost delicate instead of a gratuitous horror fest, which it might have become in the hands of a lesser writer. www.yvespetry.com

FRESH FICTION

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Willem Elsschot was without a doubt Antwerp's most famous writer during the first half of the 20th century. An advertising executive who published under a pen-name, he has not only created some of Flanders' most iconic characters but also captured the zeitgeist of Flemish emancipation. His work is still widely read and very relevant. Dutch publisher Vic van de Reijt was the first would-be biographer to get at the wealth of elaborate correspondence Elsschot left behind and has uncovered the man (Alfons De Ridder) behind the legend (Willem Elsschot) in Elsschot, the first - and still ultimate - biography.

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Ik noem Roger
(I Name Roger)
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