Doeschka Meijsing (1947–2012)

De kat achterna, published in 1977, was Doeschka Meijsing's third novel. The novel loosely tells the story of a young woman's youth, particularly the tug-and-pull relation with a schoolfriend, another young girl. Parts of the story do not seem to fit so well together, at some stage I was wondering whether it is a novel or a collection of tied-in short stories. Perhaps the first part of the story, about the young woman's return from Canada, her ease and luck finding a new home, and her show more reminiscences about children's toys are a reflection that set her off to think about her childhood.

The title of the book (running) "After the cat" De kat achterna seems to suggest that the main character is very impulsive, as her Canadian adventure was a good example. However, the story of her relation with the other girl has a compulsive element in it. Inexplicable anger, and unstoppable attraction, suggest that this relation was much more than a simple children's friendship. show less

Een briljant verhaaltje over de relatie tussen een filosofische beer en een pacifitische jager. In krap zeventig pagina's weet Meijsing een fantastische droomwereld op te bouwen: simpel en geloofwaardig maar ook ontroerend en metaforisch. Ze analyseert op kinderlijke wijze de rollen die mensen aannemen en als verantwoording voor hun gedrag gebruiken - hierin zie ik sterk een verwijzing naar de theorieën van Sartre. Beer is een innemend figuur, Jager is werkelijk meelijwekkend. Heeft Jager show more de kracht om verantwoordelijkheid te nemen en Beer niet te doden? Het is de vraag die boven alle vredige conversaties hangt en die op grappige en ontroerende wijze wordt uitgewerkt. Een pracht boekje, dat zeker het half uur waard is dat het duurt om te lezen. show less

Doeschka Meijsing is the older sister of Geerten Meijsing, and both are Dutch novelists. Doeschka is three years older than Geerten. Their relationship is marked by mutual irritation and rivalry, although it isn't clear whether this is serious at all or just mockery before their readership. The omnibus edition brings together two novels Moord, written by Doeschka Meijsing and Moord en doodslag by Geerten Meijsing.

The novel written by Doeschka was composed while she visited her brother, show more Geerten, in Italy, where he resides. Her novel mostly describes this visit to Italy, and the background of their lifelong rivalry. In the novel she ponders on murdering her brother, but this does not happen. The tone is that of irony and mockery.

in Moord en doodslag Geerten describes an Italian murder case, a book reminiscent of Capote's In cold blood. In between chapters, Geerten considers his relation with his sister, the irritation and inconvenience it gives him. The same tone of mockery. To this, Geerten adds some insight into the professional legal opinios of their father about the softening effect of circumstances in most murder cases.

The two books are vastly different. Nothing of consequence happens. The only thing that serves as a tie between these two novels are the lives of their authors as brother and sister, while thematically, both novels describe some form of their rivalry and mocking irritation. Nonetheless, they bring their work together, they succesfully cooperate, although no love is lost between them.

The novels themselves are not very interesting. What is interesting are their little mockeries. show less

Een vrouw wordt verlaten, haar derde liefdesrelatie is stukgelopen, zonder dat zij weet waarom. Dan overkomt haar een ernstig ongeluk, waaraan ze een gaatje in haar geheugen overhoudt. De zoektocht naar wat haar hersens voor haar versluierd willen houden, leidt haar terug naar haar jeugd, toen ze voor de allereerste keer verliefd was.