Reading Amsterdam: A Traveler's Literary Companion

I read several stories from this collection- my first (and perhaps favorite so far) is “Amsterdam” by Cees Nooteboom. It contains strikingly beautiful words offering a physical description of the land and water so essential to Amsterdam’s identity. I love the concept that a city consists of “everything that has been said there, dreamed, destroyed, undertaken...A city is all the words that have been uttered there, an unceasing, never-rending muttering, whispering, singing...” (p. 3) On page 4, “The city is a book to be read; the walker is the reader”...it really speaks of this almost spiritual experience of walking around a place with an awareness and understanding of the history, culture, people- an experience I hope to have while I’m wandering around Amsterdam.

Another favorite-“The Light at the End of the Tunnel” by Gerrit Komrij- a coming of age story about a boy named Jacob who journeys to Amsterdam There he discovers suede shoes, glowing cafes, face powder, and comes to terms with his gay identity. I really liked the imaginative description of the “light-up bookcase” and his struggle to find others he could relate to in the city. One of the best sentences is at the bottom of page 132, it made me giggle...

“A Pounding Heart” by Marion Bloem is about a small-town “good girl” who visits her Aunt Sissy in the Jordaan, and gets to know a restless, alive, vibrant Amsterdam while adventuring around the city with her badly behaved cousins. The image of the boys pushing the unlocked bicycles into the canal was entertaining; but the underlying theme that travel opens one up and forever changes your perspective and identity resonates deeply with me. The girl ends up buying a home in the Jordaan and ends her story by saying “I can’t live any longer without a pounding heart”. Some of the most transformative life experiences are ones that have been challenging or scary and new. But to push through that fear is so valuable and necessary.

Finally, “Rambling Around Centraal Station” by Geert Mak connected me to the same issues of poverty and homelessness here in America. It reminded me that some things are the same no matter where you go. The mention of condescending charitable services surprised me- I just assumed that it is more common in America. It will be interesting to directly face some of these subtle assumptions I have made about the culture and society there. I look forward to reading more from this collection.