An afternoon in one of the biggest bookstores in The Hague, the book signing and the interview were pleasurable, then I asked one of the employees: "Could you check if the Dutch translation of 'Dora Bruder' by Modiano is available? I need a copy?"
He checked. "No, is not available."
Then I asked: "Could you check what else is available by Modiano?"
He checked.
"Nothing," he said, "but we could order a few books secondhand."
So much for the Nobel Prize, and a fairly recent one for that matter (2014).
Commerce is as merciless as nature, probably even more merciless.
I said: "Thank you for your help."