De omweg naar Santiago (1992)

"A Espanha é brutal, anárquica, egocêntrica, cruel; a Espanha é capaz de cavar a própria sepultura por razões absurdas, é caótica, sonha,é completamente irracional. Conquistou o mundo e não soube o que fazer com ele, está arraigada a seu passado medieval, árabe, judeu e cristão, e continua ali, com suas cidades teimosas, engastada nessas paisagens infinitas, vazias, como um continente ligado à Europa sem ser a Europa. Quem percorreu apenas os circuitos obrigatórios não conhece a Espanha. Quem não não tentou se perder na complexidade labiríntica de sua história ignora o país por onde anda."

Caminhos para Santiago não é tanto sobre a peregrinação para Santiago como sobre os desvios que o autor toma para discutir a cultura e a história do país pelo qual é há muito tempo apaixonado. ( )

My first acquaintance with Cees Nooteboom is via this bookk. I already was curious about his work and then I got this book as a present. That was one-and-a-half year ago, just before my first trip to Spain. Now my third trip is planned and I finally read this book.

Unfortunately I don't know a lot about the history of Spain and that makes this book sometimes complicated, as I have to fill in some gaps. The same applies to the many architectural descriptions of small churches. A topic I'm not too interested in.

But that does not mean I didn't like this book! I loved the writing style of Nooteboom. But I also found out that you need time for it (which wasn't a problem at all). Tthe book is divided into about 25 separate stories, that can be read in one sitting and are not really connected, so I read the book over a couple of months. And I had the version of the book with pictures, so there is plenty to watch.

I can imagine that I will read this book again as I've been more in Spain and I when I have deepened my hirstorical knowledge. I definitely want to read more by Nooteboom. Although he makes a lot of detours it is very interesting. And I'm also curious for his novels.

http://boekenwijs.blogspot.com/2012/02/de-omweg-naar-santiago.html ( )

Cees Nooteboom's book Roads to Santiago describes his winding travels through Spain towards his final destination, Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain, the place where the remains of St James the Great are supposedly buried. Santiago de Compostela attracted pilgrims as far back as the middle ages. Also called the Way of St James the route has existed for over a thousand years. It was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during medieval times. St James the Great was one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus and perhaps his cousin as his mother was probably the sister of the virgin Mary.
Cees pilgrimage however was not of religious nature, what moved him was his love for Spain in particular for its landscape, in which he finds a reflection of his own personal character.
Cees explores medieval Spain in the present country, searching for old churches and monasteries along his travels, and exploring the many contrasts between the two societies. Sometimes Cees flashes back to a more recent history of Spain to offer the reader modern connections with the events of the medieval times. Connections that reveal a logic and a symbolism already present in a land where Christianity and Islam sustained a long battle for supremacy more than a thousand years ago.
Cees often reflects on the similarities of the past and present Spain making the reader wonder to what extent the world has changed in regards to what really moves human beings.
Roads to Santiago as a travel book presents the approach of understanding the culture of the places that the traveler visits; something rarely seen these days when tourists rush through a countries’ iconic places and popular attractions. On the other hand Cees avoids those common places and delves deep into the geographical and time dimensions of Spain to reveal its secrets.
Roads to Santiago engages the reader, who will be left with a desire to know more. For that purpose Cees has provided plenty of references for anyone to continue his research adventure. The readers will be probably tempted to gather some old books, a couple of maps and travel to Spain to see for themselves the country which Cees fell in love with. ( )

This is an excellent travel book by a Dutch novelist who deserves to be more widely read in English. I got it, I have to confess, for the conclusion, his description of Santiago de Compostela, which is my favourite place in Spain. If you are going to visit Spain this is one book that is worth reading, much more than the average guidebook. ( )

less absorbing than his novels ( )