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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
In recent years, Dutch writer Cees Nooteboom has developed a reputation as a major European author and, in this magical evocation of 1,000 years of Spanish history, this is shown to be more than critical hyperbole. Through his erudition and graceful writing, Nooteboom has produced the definitive work on one of the most over- worked literary pilgrimages of our times, the journey to Santiago de Compostela.
The book is never a straightforward journey, but instead distils Nooteboom's lifelong fascination for Spain through some remarkable meditations on life, art, history and religion. There is scarcely a page which is not thought-provoking. The passages on Velazquez and Seville-based artist Zurbarán are wonderful, as are the author's meditations on the paradoxes and discords within Spain, his thoughts on the effects of the barren plains on the Spanish soul and his ruminations on the history of conquest and loss which the country has undergone. Most remarkable of all is Nooteboom's ability to convey the sense that, though time has progressed, it is people, attitudes and customs which have stayed still: "Sometimes it is as if Spain is out to preserve the past for the rest of Europe."
Roads to Santiago is a book which everyone with more than passing interest in Spain ought to read. --Toby Green
Review
"Invites the reader to share the excitement, experiences, even food, that the author has encountered while weaving his way through [Spain] slowly and deliciously . . . Mr. Nooteboom lingers in out-of-the-way places most tourists miss."-The New York Times Book Review
"Nooteboom plunges fervently into the fabric of Spain itself."-San Francisco Chronicle
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
"Nooteboom plunges fervently into the fabric of Spain itself."-San Francisco Chronicle
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Nooteboom is a beautiful writer, well versed in the history, culture, language and art of Spain through its many manifestations. This is no ordinary piece of "travel" writing. It is an education in art history, music, arabic, terrorism, 11th century architecture and the meaning of history.
If none of the above appeals, then, don't worry. It did not appeal to me before I picked up this book. Nooteboom will engender in the reader a positive experience that will linger with them for many years to come. Now, I want to go to Spain.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It took me quite a while to finish this book, and I tended to dip in and out of it while reading other books. It is not a book you can hurry through, and indeed a leisurely approach, savouring the elegant prose, will reward the reader with lessons in history, culture, and much more. Perhaps the authors interest in church architecture is too much the backbone to his travels, at least for me, but that did not detract too much from what is a travelogue of exceptional merit. Given that this is a translation to the English language, much respect is due to the translator for capturing the style of the author's linguistic abilty and making this book such a worthwhile addition to my library.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I imagined this might have something to do with the Camino.
Not so. The author - it seems a poet and presenter in The Netherlands, has used Compostella as a vehicle on which to hang an account of his lonely meanderings throughout Spain - and Teneriffe- and Portugal. The meanderings are geographical, historical, personal and about art history, architecture and philosophy, also politics and literature, and as such are usually well written and interesting.
But: they are accompanied only by a basic map of Spain, showing places, but not his route; and a few poor b/w photos. The meanderings are random and poorly organised; its often hard to establish what century and province he might be in.
The Camino crops up occasionally, and he gets out of his hire car and walks a bit of it one day; and resolves one day to do it all. He should.
He is obviously good friends with a number of ancient sculptures, but alive human beings are kept well clear of. In fact he has little time for anything less than a few centuries old.
He does succeed in conveying something of the mystery and dark side of Spain, no mean achievement, but the underlying facts are swamped by waffle and thus, for this reader, failed to stick in the memory.
A great pity - a tough editor could have made this a classic.
Not so. The author - it seems a poet and presenter in The Netherlands, has used Compostella as a vehicle on which to hang an account of his lonely meanderings throughout Spain - and Teneriffe- and Portugal. The meanderings are geographical, historical, personal and about art history, architecture and philosophy, also politics and literature, and as such are usually well written and interesting.
But: they are accompanied only by a basic map of Spain, showing places, but not his route; and a few poor b/w photos. The meanderings are random and poorly organised; its often hard to establish what century and province he might be in.
The Camino crops up occasionally, and he gets out of his hire car and walks a bit of it one day; and resolves one day to do it all. He should.
He is obviously good friends with a number of ancient sculptures, but alive human beings are kept well clear of. In fact he has little time for anything less than a few centuries old.
He does succeed in conveying something of the mystery and dark side of Spain, no mean achievement, but the underlying facts are swamped by waffle and thus, for this reader, failed to stick in the memory.
A great pity - a tough editor could have made this a classic.
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