Hello Gentle Reader,
It
is difficult to imagine any contemporary writer whose shadow cast as long and
as deep as Cees Nootebum, who for decades was considered a mountain of Dutch
literature and a towering figure in European literature at large. One of those
great literary statemen. As a writer, Nootebum approach literature with an insatiable
sense of curiosity, fueled further by his love of travel. His work maintained a
continuous drive for adventure. This sense of momentum is first grasped with
his debut novel “Philip and the Others,” recounts an adventurous young man traveling,
drifting and hitchhiking through Europe, until one day he spots a beautiful and
mysterious woman in Paris. What follows is an odyssey into the ethereal. The pursuit
of locating this mysterious woman, and while he finds her once more, he soon
looses her once again and this time forever. The novel already showcased the
hallmark themes, specifically the poetics of momentum; the importance and
sensuality of travel; and being led by curiosity, open to new experiences and
new lives. As Philip is advised early on, so to does Nootebum to his readers,
you must evade and avoid everyday life, use the time available to you look
outwards and experience all the physical wonders of the world. Only then do you
live life, but also find and lose love. As one of the last in the fading
European vanguard of literary statesmen, Cees Nootebum was not a writer devoted
specifically to prose or poetry or theatre, but whose bibliography swelled
beyond these traditional definitions, encompassing a great many prose pieces
which included short stories, novels, essays, travelogues, and personal works
which defy clean definitions, to also poetry. All of Nootebum’s work remains
defined by a unyielding spirit of adventure infusing his work with an erudite
understanding of history, mythology and other cultures, showcasing the complex
world we live in, but also the beauty of human beings in their ability to maneuver
between borders, be it national, linguistic, or cultural in origin and forge
new found relationships and understandings. Cees Nootebum is one of the great
writers whose themes are eternal, capturing the passage of time, the poetry of adventure
and wandering, while lacing it with existential questions. Despite being called
one of the most remarkable writers of the time, only a sampling of his works has
been translated into English at this time, but what is available should be
considered a real treat and only a taste of the writers completely work.
Rest in Peace Cees Nootebum.
Take Care
And As Always
Stay Well Read
M. Mary
No comments:
Post a Comment