VDM on Mauritius
Mauritius . . . ? Isn't that the island somewhere to the right of Madagascar way off the east coast of Africa, about which the Nobel laureate J.M.G. Le Clezio enthused so much in his literature . . ? Anyway, Le Clezio made Mauritius the stage for his unusual stories, elevating it into the nobility of world literature. So when you look at in this light, the Mauritius connection to books is not really so strange after all.
But a publishing house on Mauritius . . . ? Some will ask, "What on earth are they doing there? Is there any place for a company at all on this isle, on this tiny speck in the ocean? Or is there only enough space there to place an offshore PO box for a shell company?"
Well, we can calm all the sceptics down. Mauritius is somewhat larger than the famously rare Mauritius "Post Office" stamps and concerning economics and modernity, it is one of the most advanced of all the African states. Also it is multicultural: the official languages are English and French, besides Chinese and Hindi which are all the fashion. There are also English schools with internationally recognised qualifications and universities. These are simply not to be found in the travel guides . . . yet!
Whoever locates English-language books here has landed in the right place. As you have probably noticed, we are serious about publishing. Really! VDM has over 30 staff working in the Beau Bassin office producing more than 1000 new titles per month.
And as for all those who just want to have a convenient address in an exotic country, we leave you: Panama, the Bahamas, or The Cayman Islands. But on Mauritius we at VDM are actually working quite busily . . . and now back to publishing!
