Geerten Meijsing

While Italy played a prominent role in the thoughts, and to some extent earlier works of Geerten Meijsing, mostly through his erudition and knowledge of classical languages and culture, he actually moved to live there as early as in 1979, at first in Lucca, in Tuscany and later in Sicillian Syracuse. Written in the present tense, Siciliaanse brieven (Berichten van Ortygia) was actually written over a long period. The book does not actually contain any letters, no dates or locations are mentioned. The book consists of free reflections on the author's life in Italy. The visit of his sister, Doeschka Meijsing who is also a writer is written in the style of mocking banter. Throughout their lives (Doeschka died in 2012), there was rivalry between brother and sister, although during the period described, she visited him in Italy and they worked together of a joint novel Moord & Doodslag, published in 2005. Siciliaanse brieven (Berichten van Ortygia) was published in 2023.… (more)

Geerten Meijsing is a Dutch writer whose work falls into different categories, written using different author's names. Particularly his early work was written and published by a collective names Joyce & Co. The most important co-author of that collective goes by the single name ""Kanger". Works written by this collective almost all belong to the Erwin-trilogie and some works related to this work. These novels are very erudite in a snobbish way. Other works are written under the author's own name, and it is particularly with these works that he has been fairly successful, although less in recent years. For the past ten years, Geerten Meijsing has moved to Italy, and is financially propped up by a club of fans, who support him by way of crowdfunding. Especially the recent works written in Italy are poorly received.

Under his own name, Geerten Meijsing writes a varied style of novels, often with in an easy style, which either is very intellectual in a sneering way, or pokes fun of supposedly intellectual people.

Dood meisje is such a loosely large novel with a loose structure, and a simple story that mocks an older professor. Essentially, the story is fairly simple, namely an older professor attempts to take care of a prostitute, as their sexual service relationship morphes into a relation that hangs between a fatherly-daughter and lovers'relation. Obviously, since the girl is a sex worker this costs him a lot of money. Besides, he cannot really control the girl, and the latter part of the novel reads like a rescue mission in which he tries to save her from doom.

The story is somewhat confusing as the professor uses alternating names, and is sometimes referred to as Provenier and sometimes Hovenier. Possibly, the novel hinges on references to other works, but I was not that interested to explore such developments in the story.

It was definitely an enjoyable read, but my preference for Meijsing's work is still with the more serious work written collectively as Joyce & Co.… (more)

These three books form the Erwin-trilogy, published under the pseudonym of the writer's collective Joyce & Co subsequently under the sole authorship of Geerten Meijsing. Strongly based in aestheticism and decadence, these novels explore the hedonistic lifestyle of the writer from three aspects, volume 1 in rhetorica, volume 2 in painting and volume 3 in music. Particularly volume 1 is highly contrived and very erudite if not downright pedantic. Volume 2 is by far the most readable, while volume 3, published almost a decade later is fairly bland. The artificiality of the style of volume 1 foreshadows some of the later work of Meijsing with craft and art standing above nature. The three books are the expression of a very personal writing style and an overdose of vanity.… (more)

These three books form the Erwin-trilogy, published under the pseudonym of the writer's collective Joyce & Co subsequently under the sole authorship of Geerten Meijsing. Strongly based in aestheticism and decadence, these novels explore the hedonistic lifestyle of the writer from three aspects, volume 1 in rhetorica, volume 2 in painting and volume 3 in music. Particularly volume 1 is highly contrived and very erudite if not downright pedantic. Volume 2 is by far the most readable, while volume 3, published almost a decade later is fairly bland. The artificiality of the style of volume 1 foreshadows some of the later work of Meijsing with craft and art standing above nature. The three books are the expression of a very personal writing style and an overdose of vanity.… (more)