Abram Muller hails from the Netherlands, but as a young man he took it upon himself to promote Dutch in Slovakia. Right after the fall of communism. Which is quite an extraordinary feat.
Although I know Abram, is just like me, often depressed when he looks at the state of the world and all anti-humanist trends, he’s always friendly, always generous, both in words as in actions. He’s one of the people I would do anything for.
He’s a meticulous translator and at the moment the only person who can translate Slovak books to Dutch. He’s the only one who not only knows Slovak, but is also capable of turning the translation into literature. Where most translators fail is that they translate word per word, but don’t know how to write. Abram is too modest to admit it, but he is a writer. So when he translates the language flows, the reader forgets he’s reading a translation.
Abram could have been an outstanding ambassador, a masterful politician, an exceptional entrepreneur. But his honesty sabotaged him there. You can’t be effective in any of these fields if you are always honest. This I find very depressing.
One of the things I appreciate most about him is that he never tries to impress. He just is. He shares the most interesting thoughts, ideas and observations, practically non-stop, but never takes credit for it.
He will also always automatically find a way to support your goals.
If everyone would be like Abram, there would be no wars, no backstabbing office politics, no false friendships, no self-aggrandizing wimps, there would be authenticity in all mankind’s endeavors. Just imagine.
What depresses me is that false people whose biggest talent is to hide their own incompetence and selfishness often -not always, luckily- make more money than Abram. To me this is the world on its head…
If you are interested in any aspect concerning Slovakia don’t hesitate to contact him. I have never met anyone with such a deep love for the Slovak people. Perhaps because they have so much in common: working hard in silence, modesty, love for people, generous spirits, love of simple beauty, tolerance, love of freedom, love of harmony between people.
My mental health blog. A public diary trying to make sense of the world 
I think I have read an interview with Mr Muller couple of years ago. Basically he built a cultural bridge between Slovakia and Netherlands and that is amazing.
Good translation requires super-hard work, great amount of knowledge and talent, so I strongly agree it deserves more appreciation. I see that Mr Muller translated novels by Rudo Sloboda and Vladimir Balla and that for sure was not an easy task.
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He picked some of his favorites and those were some of the hardest. Quite courageous and authentic, but that’s Abram
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