You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
marc129 's review for:
War and Turpentine
by Stefan Hertmans
I'm always sceptic when I start reading a much acclaimed book, because the high expectations usually turn out to be counterproductive. In this case I have to say that it is not too bad, although the book is certainly not the masterpiece that one makes of it.
"War and turpentine" is limping on different legs, and that is where my problem lies. In the first place it's a portrait of the author's grandfather, Urbain Martien, and a family chronicle. Hertmans reconstructs the life of his grandfather on the basis of personal memories, stories told in his family, but mainly on the basis of 2 handwritten cahiers that his grandfather gave him at the age of 90 (that is what Hertmans claims). We get a beautiful, colourful description of Urbain's childhood around the turn of the century (1900), in the city of Ghent and the surrounding area. Especially the mother bond of Urbain is highlighted, his pious queasiness and his (silent) admiration for the fierce creativity of his father, who is a restorer of paintings and sculptures in churches and monasteries.
The transition to the second part is quite abrupt: this part is the version of the war experience of Urbain, edited by Hertmans, as laid out in the 'cahiers' of his grandfather. We are presented with raw war scenes, but with a strong emphasis on the heroic deeds done by himself. And that courage and entrepreneurial spirit contrasts with the coarse image that we got in the first chapter of Urbain. The war description certainly is a strong piece of literature, really captivating. Of course, one has to ask to what extent the description is truthful (because the memories were written down 50 years after the war) and to what extent grandson Stefan Hertmans has contributed to the editing of it.
The third part covers the 70 years of Urbain's life after the war, and here again we see a queasy grandfather, who marries a woman whom he may barely touch, and who quietly undergoes his fate. From a literary-technical point of view this is the most interesting part, because here we see the author Hertmans at work to unravel the mystery of his grandfather, determining how the past is situated in a foreign country, and then constructs a story with small clues and own interpretations. This is the postmodern part of this book. In that way, I think the key to reading this book is already offered on page 27: "grandparents reveal more about your own identity than your parents (who you fight)". In other words: is this book more about Stefan Hertmans than about Urbain Martien?
In short: this is a fascinating and poignant novel, in several ways, but not convincing enough so that I could join the jubileering choirs. To me, [b:The Convert|45834042|The Convert|Stefan Hertmans|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565755888l/45834042._SX50_.jpg|53058091] (Hertmans' next novel) was a much more succesful book!
"War and turpentine" is limping on different legs, and that is where my problem lies. In the first place it's a portrait of the author's grandfather, Urbain Martien, and a family chronicle. Hertmans reconstructs the life of his grandfather on the basis of personal memories, stories told in his family, but mainly on the basis of 2 handwritten cahiers that his grandfather gave him at the age of 90 (that is what Hertmans claims). We get a beautiful, colourful description of Urbain's childhood around the turn of the century (1900), in the city of Ghent and the surrounding area. Especially the mother bond of Urbain is highlighted, his pious queasiness and his (silent) admiration for the fierce creativity of his father, who is a restorer of paintings and sculptures in churches and monasteries.
The transition to the second part is quite abrupt: this part is the version of the war experience of Urbain, edited by Hertmans, as laid out in the 'cahiers' of his grandfather. We are presented with raw war scenes, but with a strong emphasis on the heroic deeds done by himself. And that courage and entrepreneurial spirit contrasts with the coarse image that we got in the first chapter of Urbain. The war description certainly is a strong piece of literature, really captivating. Of course, one has to ask to what extent the description is truthful (because the memories were written down 50 years after the war) and to what extent grandson Stefan Hertmans has contributed to the editing of it.
The third part covers the 70 years of Urbain's life after the war, and here again we see a queasy grandfather, who marries a woman whom he may barely touch, and who quietly undergoes his fate. From a literary-technical point of view this is the most interesting part, because here we see the author Hertmans at work to unravel the mystery of his grandfather, determining how the past is situated in a foreign country, and then constructs a story with small clues and own interpretations. This is the postmodern part of this book. In that way, I think the key to reading this book is already offered on page 27: "grandparents reveal more about your own identity than your parents (who you fight)". In other words: is this book more about Stefan Hertmans than about Urbain Martien?
In short: this is a fascinating and poignant novel, in several ways, but not convincing enough so that I could join the jubileering choirs. To me, [b:The Convert|45834042|The Convert|Stefan Hertmans|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565755888l/45834042._SX50_.jpg|53058091] (Hertmans' next novel) was a much more succesful book!