533 Days (The Margellos World Republic of Letters)

The noted Dutch poet and novelist Cees Nooteboom reflects upon the life of the mind through a reexamination of books, music, art, travel, and gardening Though a tireless explorer of distant cultures, for more than forty years Cees Nooteboom has also been returning to Menorca, “the island of the wind.” It is in his house there, with a study full of books and a garden taken over by cacti and many insects, that the 533 days of writing take place. The result is not a diary, nor a set of movements of the soul organized by dates, but “a book of days,” with observations about what is immediately around him, his love for Menorca, his thoughts on the world, on life and death, on literature and oblivion. Every impression opens windows onto vast horizons: the Divine Comedy and the books it generated, Borges’ contempt for Gombrowicz, the death of David Bowie, the endless flight of the Voyagers, the repetition of history as a tragedy, but never as farce. 533 Days is a meditative rhapsody that would like to exclude the noise of current events, yet must return to them several times, and skeptically contemplates the threat of a disintegrating Europe. Reading these pages is like having a conversation with an extraordinary mind. The noted Dutch poet and novelist Cees Nooteboom reflectsupon the life of the mind through a reexamination of books, music,art, travel, and gardening Though a tireless explorer ofdistant cultures, for more than forty years Cees Nooteboom has alsobeen returning to Menorca, "the island of the wind." It is in hishouse there, with a study full of books and a garden taken over bycacti and many insects, that the 533 days of writing take place.The result is not a diary, nor a set of movements of the soulorganized by dates, but "a book of days," with observations aboutwhat is immediately around him, his love for Menorca, his thoughtson the world, on life and death, on literature and oblivion. Everyimpression opens windows onto vast horizons: the DivineComedy and the books it generated, Borges' contempt forGombrowicz, the death of David Bowie, the endless flight of theVoyagers, the repetition of history as a tragedy, but never asfarce. 533 Days is a meditative rhapsody that would liketo exclude the noise of current events, yet must return to themseveral times, and skeptically contemplates the threat of adisintegrating Europe. Reading these pages is like having aconversation with an extraordinary mind "Though a tireless explorer of distant cultures, for more than forty years Cees Nooteboom has also been returning to Menorca, "the island of the wind." It is in his house there, with a study full of books and a garden taken over by cacti and many insects, that the 533 days of writing take place. The result is not a diary, nor a set of movements of the soul organized by dates, but "a book of days," with observations about what is immediately around him, his love for Menorca, his thoughts on the world, on life and death, on literature and oblivion. Every impression opens windows onto vast horizons: the Divine Comedy and the books it generated, Borges' contempt for Gombrowicz, the death of David Bowie, the endless flight of the Voyagers, the repetition of history as a tragedy, but never as farce. 533 Days is a meditative rhapsody that would like to exclude the noise of current events, yet must return to them several times, and skeptically contemplates the threat of a disintegrating Europe. Reading these pages is like having a conversation with an extraordinary mind."-- Dust Jacket Cees Nooteboom reflects upon the life of the mind through a reexamination of books, music, art, travel, and gardening.Born in The Hague in 1933, Cees Nooteboom is one of Holland’s most renowned authors & has received a German Order of Merit & the Aristeon European Literary Prize, among others.