Composed as a prayer to an absent figure, Edwin Fagel’s debut collection of poetry, Uw Afwezigheid (Your Absence), traverses vital themes of love, intimacy, fear and death. An elderly man searches for his cigarettes but finds only a handkerchief; figures dressed in black wait at a zebra crossing for a tram to pass. Characterised by sparse and penetrating lines, his poems describe quotidian scenes that are nevertheless imbued with the divine. Influenced by his Catholic upbringing, Edwin is drawn to mystical theology, incantations, numerology and the eternal cycle of rebirth. In his short story for Extra Extra no. 19, ‘A Passion,’ an unnamed protagonist submits to acts of sadomasochistic devotion, including being tied to a St. Andrew’s cross.