Optical illusion Roman Giant stamps: literally depict and figuratively visualize the game

Ten portraits of ten prominent Dutch novelists appear on the RomanReuzen stamp sheet (graphic designer Lex Reitsma), which was issued on April 22, 2025. The title of this stamp issue is derived from the previously launched RomanReuzen project. This was an initiative by journalist Frénk van der Linden and photographer Fjodor Buis to combat declining reading habits in the Netherlands, particularly among young people. Issue details: designer Lex Reitsma, quotes Frénk van der Linden, photography Fjodor Buis, issue date Tuesday 22 April 2025, 10 stamps per sheet, edition 95.000 sheets, printer Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé BV in Haarlem. Ten literary icons depicted 1) Abdelkader Benali (born 1975 in Morocco) is primarily known as a writer for his literary work, in which he explores themes such as identity, multiculturalism, and migration. 2) Bregje Hofstede (1899) is a versatile and highly acclaimed writer and activist. She is active within XR and is a co-founder of the feminist action group De Bovengrondse and the National Witches' Monument Foundation. 3) Writer Tommy Wieringa (1962, holding a chicken from his recently escaped chickens) debuted with the novel 'Dormantique'manco. He wrote articles for magazines and newspapers, including Rails, Spits, and Volkskrant, and was editor-in-chief of the magazine 0/25. 4) Mensje van Keulen (1946) has been writing about felines from the very beginning in poems, stories, cat correspondence, witticisms, journalistic reporting, and contributions to De Poezenkrant. * Chicken and feline greatly enhance, literally and figuratively, the life and liveliness of both authors! 5) Adriaan van Dis (born 1946 in the Dutch East Indies) is a novelist and essayist. In 2015, he received the Constantijn Huygens Prize for his entire oeuvre and the Libris Literature Prize for his autobiographical novel *Ik kom terug*. 6) The main source for Kader Abdolah (born 1954 in Iran) seems to be the exotic frame of reference of his books. His stories and novels are called modern fairy tales that breathe the atmosphere of *1001 Nights*. The publication 'Between Two Cultures' (nvph 1957/66) draws attention to both writers in 2001 through statements. 7) The literary themes of Jessica Durlacher (1961) are violence, family relations, the persecution of Jews, the aftermath and processing of the Second World War. She won the Opzij in 2011. 8) Manon Uphoff (1962) has an eye for a hint of madness and disruption. In her attempt to describe the intangible, one regularly gets the sensation that every life is very fragile, vulnerable, and temporary. 9) Astrid Roemer (born 1947 in Suriname) publishes novels, plays, and poetry. In 2015, she received the PC Hooft Prize. 10) Peter Buwalda (1971) has been a journalist and editor at various publishing houses. He was a co-founder of the literary magazine Wah-Wah and wrote stories and essays for publications including De Gids, Vrij Nederland, and Bunker Hill. Design in word and image an alienating transition effect 1) On the vertical 2D stamp (with length & width) with text and perforation, a writer is positioned frontally in a parallelogram-shaped opening. On closer inspection, the opening turns out to be the front of a 3D book image (with length, width & depth). Incidentally, the cover of the green book was not designed by Reitsma. The title merely served as the namesake of the issue (see introduction). 2) The 3D books offer a view through to the photographed authors (full-length busts, 5 male and 5 female), who have been photographed alternately indoors and outdoors (with landscapes such as dunes, water, forest, and meadows). As a viewer, you look, as it were, through the parallelogram shape of the 3D books at the photographs of the authors, who look directly at you. 3) The combination of the flat 2D stamp and the spatially depicted 3D book corresponds to the stamps on the RomanReuzen stamp sheet. 4) The viewer focuses on the opposing 2D and 3D images with varying eye movements, which have an image-distorting influence on every stamp image. The photographic image by authors Kader Abdolah and Bregje Hofstede is fully visible and stripped of the parallelogram's frame, causing the alienating effect to disappear immediately. 5) Literally, the named author is present behind the book illustration on the stamp image. Figuratively speaking, through his presence as the author, he represents himself in a compelling manner within the text and style of his novel. 6) This shift in focus is certainly not clarifying, but rather derailing and alienating. Through the use of the optical illusion, a lively and captivating stamp sheet is created, corresponding to those of the authors' novels. Maurits Escher also plays with the optical illusion of 2D and 3D, with its unique execution. 7) With the two rows of stamps on the sheet, designer Lex Reitsma, as usual, presents not only the ten stamps but also aims to convey the feeling that these books are displayed on a table in a bookstore, viewed from eye level. 8) The softly colored tones on the tabs correspond to the nuanced gray tones / lighting of the black-and-white photographs. 9) With the continuous effect in the top right, the designer aims to make clear that these ten books represent all the books by numerous authors. RomanReuzen stamp with counterpart: one title – many titles per stamp Every letter of the text '75th BOEKENWEEK' on the 2010 Book Week stamp (designed by Richard Hutten) consists of a 3D arrangement of stacks and stacks of Book Week gifts (from the period 1932 – 2010), among which author Joost Zwagerman sits reading busily. This unique stamp (250.000 copies) has been issued in the form of a booklet (6 pages) containing a short story by Joost Zwagerman, 'What is worse...'. The unperforated stamp can be used as a standard postage stamp. The addressee can open the booklet by peeling the stamp off the pre-printed adhesive strip.