gerbie

I knew I had to buy this book, when I first read a review, back in 1999. I only bought it a couple of months ago. Talma is very talented. Up until this book, I knew he was a musician. He tours with his band 'The Negroes', a name deliberately provocatively chosen. His music is experimental; he has made a few CD's. But he also writes. Columns every Saturday in the Leeuwarder Courant, in the Frysian language magazine 'De blauwe fedde' and in this book. It is a collection of stories about his hometown in the seventies and eighties. His hometown being in Friesland, parts of the stories are in the local language, Frysian, as it is the bi-lingual part of the Netherlands. Not as easy to read, but as I lived a couple of years in that province, I understand enough to get by at least.

The stories are very recognisable, it made me look for his age. He is a year older than I am, hence the flashbacks to my own youth, whenever I read another story. Meindert is your typical not very popular guy, but he is funny when he looks back at those years. Writers who dare make themselves look ridiculous always score points with me. Talma does. He uses quotes from his own songs as an introduction to his stories. It makes me want to run out and go and find a CD. It must be worth listening to.