Member: emhromp2

Dear Evelyn,
Thank you for your response.
As it turns out I did spend 18 months in The Netherlands - 20 years ago now - living in Rotterdam and working in Utrecht. I spent a lot of time on trains - and even went up to Maarken, so I do have some sense - and a huge fondness for the Dutch landscape.

This will be "Coals to Newcastle" but The Twin - in tone reminded me very much of The Longing by Marcel Mooring. What is it about Dutch literature that creates that sense of 'forlorn'?

I will look for Erling Jepsen - and see how I go.

I also really enjoyed reading the collected letters of Vincent Van Gogh - I wish my Dutch was good enough to read in the original - but even in English they are wonderful.

With kind regards
David

posted by DavidBarry at 7:24 am (EST) on Jun 7, 2009

I loved "The Twin" and am certain that I will return to it again and again.
I too really appreciated the banal-ness of the story.
But also the deep interleaving of twin and singular identity.

I never understood all of the references to birds - any ideas?

The jewel for me was the day Reit and Helmer went to Henk's grave - he thought something along the lines of "She is they type that will touch the engraved letters. But she didn't" I think that is sublime writing. That the main protagonist is not omniscient - made him and Riet come alive.

I was not sure why Jaap came back into the story, it seemed a bit obvious - but I did like the water motif.

I also thought he rendered the unexpressed sexuality - the unexpressed life really, so finely.

I read it in English translation - and it was poetic in that - so it must be amazing in Dutch.

With kind regards
David

posted by DavidBarry at 8:05 am (EST) on Jun 1, 2009

I just read your review of Callisto. I've only just discovered this author and I'm quite intrigued as I understand he's believed to be a well-known author under another name. Any ideas who he's thought to be? At the moment I'm about 3/4 through The Dolphin People and it's got me right by the throat so it was really interesting for me to see what you thought of Krol's other book, especially as so few people on LT seem to have read either book. I've got Callisto on order now and can't wait to see how it compares to Dolphin.

posted by Booksloth at 1:07 pm (EST) on Apr 15, 2009

Hi, I just finished reading Callisto and I agree with your review. I wonder why so few people have it.
Happy new year!

posted by gliese at 12:39 pm (EST) on Dec 27, 2007

We hebben inderdaad dezelfde smaak! Veel boeken die in je catalogus staan wil ik nog graag een keer lezen. Helaas heb ik er zo weinig tijd voor... Mijn oplossing voor het kunnen beoordelen van alle boeken die ik lees is een blog, Librarything is mooi als catalogus :)

posted by boekenwijs at 3:57 pm (EST) on Sep 16, 2007