Guus Bosman

software engineering director


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Books & literature

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Een ontgoocheling / het dwaallicht

Two short stories from Willem Elsschot. Depressing, sure -- but gorgeous.

Willem Elsschot
Dutch
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Morten

This book was a bit too much,a little over the top. Wasn't a bad read but not continuing with parts two and three of the trilogy. I don't typically read thrillers, maybe beach vacations excepted.

Dutch
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Nederland leest de mooiste korte verhalen

As I was going through the list of Dutch books I want to read, the 2015 book of Nederland Leest came up. Short stories -- not really what I wanted. It was a good collection, with some real gems in it, but I really wanted to read a longer novel. Anyway, as always, the stories by Nescio were amazing and I should reread his work: "Ik zit op den berg en kijk in het dal der plichten."

A.L. Snijders
Dutch
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Het Zwijgen van Maria Zachea

Beautifully constructed family history about a family after World War II and all the changes that happened. It's breathtaking for me sometimes, to read family histories like these, with the happy and sad moments of life, and the passage of time.

Judith Koelemeijer
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Dutch
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De Wandelaar

A nice book about a Dutch retiree living in Paris, who comes into contact with refugees and poor people during a tumultuous time in the city. The Parisian atmosphere is present from the first page. The mysterious dog and the priest are interesting characters, as is the main character.

It was a good read but not as strong as, for example, Publieke Werken.

Adriaan van Dis
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Dutch
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Het leven is vurrukkulluk

This was an okay book for me. Nihilistic, hedonistic, without much hope, it gave a fairly depressing view of live in Amsterdam in the 1960s. I reminded me a bit about Dubbelspel, in the way the characters go through live.

Remco Campert
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Dutch
Topic: 

Dubbelspel

Story of a the lives of four men, and their women, who are playing a game of domino in a yard in Curacao.

I like the structure of the book -- well organized -- though the ending was a bit abrupt. But a pleasant read. The book deals with differences in rich/poor, white/blank, and racial relationship on an island with a long history. It wasn't always pleasant to read about the lives of the lower-class people, which surely was the point of the author.

I read this just a week after coming back from St Maarten.

Frank Martinus Arion
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Dutch
Topic: 

Publieke Werken

What an incredible book. The structure and the composition and the language... just beautiful.

I actually started reading this book a few years ago and couldn't get past the sad passages about a young woman in the Bennemin family. The book is that compelling -- it makes you feel for some of the characters, deeply.

The main characters Vedder and Anijs are complicated figures, not very sympatetic most time and definitely very flawed men. The author described their inner thinking so well.

The book turned into a real page turner for me. I was so curious to see what happened at the end, and if the immigrants would make it to America.

Loved this book.

Thomas Rosenboom
Dutch
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Oeroeg

A beautiful book about the friendship of two boys, and the political changes and liberation of Indonesia.

I have known the title of this book for along time and it always intimated me. I was worried it would be as difficult as Multatuli. But in fact this was a quick and easy read.

Hella Haassen
Dutch
Topic: 

Erik of het klein insektenboek

I've had a copy of this book in my bookshelf for years, and finally found some time to read it a few months ago. It's a short, nostalgic sort of book. My father read it to me when I was little. I had forgotten the story line but the atmosphere I had not. Beautiful.

Godfried Bomans

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