In the 60's I read with enormous pleasure the novella 'The uitvreter' (The Sponger) partly perhaps because I was also young and could not work out why people make themselves so busy and we had so many better ideas. But also I grew up opposite Veere, where many parts of the story unfolds. I have not taken many Dutch books with me on my further journey through life, but the 'Uitvreter' I have always kept and read it quit often. When I miss Holland? It is such a typical Dutch book. Language is simple, straight, open and without pretensions. However it is also deep!
A few month ago I discovered his Collected Works, but also saw his 'Natuurdagboek' (Nature Dairy). It seemed to me to be a bit boring to read somebody else's dairy. However when I read his Collected Works, I realised that many descriptions of the landscape are very significant. It became clear that the way Grönloh saw things is not the way we normally look. I will come back to that later.
During my period in Holland a few weeks ago (October 2010) I ordered the 'Natuurdagboek' (Nature Dairy) and so that I could read it when I was in Holland.
First I stayed with some friends in Kamperland and on a beautiful Sunday we cycled to Veere. The weekend after I stayed with a friend in Amsterdam and again, on a beautiful Sunday we cycled for 5 hours (!) around the area where Grönloh cycled or walked often.
Here are some pieces about and from Grönloh.
"Veel fietsen. Veel stilstaan. Veel praten. Veel om ons heen kijken. Hij keek, hij kon ontzaggelijk goed zien, observeren, hij zag de dingen zoals een schilder zou ik zeggen, en mischien nog dieper als een schilder" volgens Kees Zwolsman (in 'Over Nescio' ed; Lieneke Frerichs)
Translated; "Much cycling, much standing still, much talking, especially much looking around. He looked, he could see an enormous lot, watching, he could see things as a painter I would say, and perhaps even deeper as a painter " according to Kees Zwolsman (painter)
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| Gaasp |
"Ik ben nu 65 jaar. En een half. Ook de weinige jaren die mij wellicht nog resten hoop ik door te brengen in stil verkeer met onzen Lieven Heer en zijn velden en boomen en waters zonder bemiddeling van priesters en hoogepriesters" (Belijdenis; 22/12/1947)
Translated; "I am now 65 years old. And a half. Even the few years which will be left to me I hope to pass in quiet company of our Dear Lord and his fields and trees and waters without a go-between of priests and high priests." (Confessions; 22/12/1947)
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| Veere seen from Kamperland; Left the Hospital (Large Dome) |
In zijn Natuurdagboek noteerde hij op 18 juli 1951: "Bus naar Veere en meteen over naar Kamperland. Os bleef in den toren achter om ons na te wuiven. Donker en winderig. Gezicht op Veere. Met hetzelfde bootje terug omtrent 3 uur in Veere terug. Met Louis op het Hospitaal (Groote Toren) geklommen. Beperkt zicht: Schouwen nauwelijks, Zierikzeee twijfelachtig, Goes niet, Vlissingen nauwelijks, Westerschelde niet.
Maar het Veersche Gat heel blank en Zandkreek met hoog water en een prachtige bocht. Op de balk gezeten met opgetrokken knieën en tegen de balk als in 1908 zoo te zeggen haast bij God (tusschen half 5 en kwart voor 5). Veere vol touringcargedoe.’
Translated; In his Nature Dairy he wrote on 18 july 1951; "Coach to Veere and then straight over to Kamperland. Os stayed behind in the tower to waive us goodbye. Dark and windy. View on Veere. With the same boat back arrived back in Veere at around 3 o'clock. With Louis climbed on top of the Hospital (Great Tower). Limited view; Schouwen barely, Zieirikzee doubtful, Goes not, Vlissingen barely, Westerschelde not.
But Veersche Gat (waters) totally blank and Zandkreek with high water and a beautiful bend. Sat on the beam with lifted knees and against the beam as in 1908, so to say nearly by God (between 4.30 and 4.45). Veere full of touring car happenings."
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| Veere, Campveersche toren |
"Twee dagen sjouwden Bavink en Japi in Veere rond en toen jijden en jouwden ze elkaar al. Urenlang zaten ze samen op 't dak van 't Hospitaal en keken over Walcheren, over de Kreek en 't Veergat en den ingang van de Oosterschelde en de duinen van Schouwen. En daar had je de dikke Jan ook weer, den toren van Zierikzee, nu in het Noorden. En daar had je Goes en Lange Jan, den toren van Middelburg, de spil van Walcheren, het hart dier wereld.
En 't tij kwam in en 't tij ging uit: 't water rees en viel..... "( De Uitvreter 1911)
Translated; "For two days Baving and Japi trampled around Veere and they jelled and shouted at each other. For hours they sat together on the roof of the Hospital and looked over Walcheren, over the Kreek and Veergat and at the entry of the Oosterschelde and the dunes of Schouwen. There you had again the 'Dikke Jan', the tower of Zierikzee, now in the north. And there you had Goes and Lange Jan, the tower of Middelburg, the centre of Walcheren, the heart of that world.
And the tide came in and the tide went; waters rose and fell...." (The Sponger 1911)
Here it becomes clear that the many descriptions in his novellas were from his own experiences.
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| Polder south of Amsterdam |
"Een weidsch gezicht, weidsch genoeg vooor mij, mijn hart zwelt en het landschap zwelt mee, de lucht is zoo hoog en 't is of ik daar zoo zou kunnen leven, zonder vriend, zonder bakker, zonder melkboer, zonder kruidenier, zonder vuilnisvat, zonder kleren, zonder sigaren desnoods en zonder pijpje tabak en dat zegt heel wat." Insula Dei 1942 (in 'Boven het Dal')
Translated; "A wide view, wide enough for me, my heart swells and the landscape swells with (me), the sky is so high and it is as if I can live there (in the landscape) without friend,without baker,without milkman, without grocery man, without dustbin, without clothes, without cigars if necessary and even without smoking a pipe and that says a lot." (Insula Dei 1942)
'Twee maanden na mijn terugkomst kwam-i me heel kalm vertellen, dat-i zijn gezicht op Rhenen in stukken had gesneden. Enzo was 't. De rivier, den berg, den Cuneratoren, de bloeiende appelboomen, de roode daken van Rhenen, de kastanjes met hun witte en roode bloemen, de bruine beuken en 't molentje ergens in de hoogte, 64 gelijke, rechthoekige brokken van 15 bij 12 1/2 centimeter hatti er van gesneden, met een bot knipmes. Een heel werk was 't geweest. 't Ding had hem geërgerd. 't Was niks, totaal niks, vodden. Hij wou van mij weten, waarom iemand schilderde. Hij begreep zelf niets meer. Hij stak z'n arm uit en wees in de ruimte. Dáár waren de dingen. Hij sloeg met z'n vuist tegen z'n voorhoofd. En daar waren ze. Er uit wilden ze, maar ze deden 't niet. Stapel gek werd je ervan."(Titaantjes 1915)
Translated; "Two months after my return, he came to tell me calmly that he had cut his view on Rhenen in pieces. And so it was. The river, the mountain, the Cunera tower, the flowering apple trees, the red roofs of Rhenen, the chestnuts with their white and red flowers, the brown beeches and the small mill somewhere high-up, 64 equally, rectangular pieces of 15 by 12 1/2 centimeters he made of it, with a blunt boneknife. It had been a lot of work. The thing had infuriated him. It was nothing, totally nothing, rubbish. He wanted to know of me why somebody painted. He himself didn't understand it anymore. He lifted his arm and pointed out into space. There were the things. With his fist he hit his forehead. And there they were. They wanted to come out, but they didn't. Crazy you became of it." (Titaantjes 1915)
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| Cloud and light show with cows and all |
"Hoe kan iemand 'diepzinnig' willen zijn, als zulke werelden zoo maar je ogen binnenkomen, met koeien en al." ( Natuurdagboek 10/11/1953)
Translated "How can one want to be 'profound' when such worlds enters you eyes just like that, with cows and all" (Nature Dairy 10/11/1953)
"En heb je ooit twee maal hetzelfde gezien? Nooit."
Translated; Have you ever seen the same twice? Never"
"God leeft in mijn hoofd. Zijn velden zijn er onmetelijk, zijn tuinen staan er vol schoone bloemen, die niet sterven, en statige vrouwen wandelen er naakt, vele duizenden. En de zon gaat er op en onder en schijnt laag en hoog en weer laag en 't eindeloze gebied is eindeloos 't zelfde en geen oogenblik gelijk. En breede rivieren stroomen er door met vele bochten en de zon schijnt er in en ze voeren 't licht naar de zee.
En aan de rivieren mijner gedachte zit ik stilletjes en genoeglijk en rook een steenen pijpje en voel de zon op mijn lijf schijnen en zie 't water stroomen, voortdurend stroomen naar 't onbekende. En 't onbekende deert mij niet. En ik knik maar eens tegen de schoone vrouwen, die de bloemen plukken in mijn tuinen en hoor den wind ruisschen door de hooge dennen, door de wouden der zekerheid, dat dit alles bestaat, omdat ik 't zoo verkies te denken.
En ik ben dankbaar dat dit mij gegeven is. En in ootmoed pijp ik nog eens aan en voel mij God, de oneindigheid zelf."(Titaantjes 1915)
Translated "God lives in my head. His fields are unmeasurable, his gardens are full of flowers, which don't die, and stately women walk naked, many thousands. And the sun rises and sets and shines low and high and then again low and the endless fields is eternally the same and no moments are the same.
And wide rivers stream through with many bends and the sun shines in them and they transport he light to the sea.
And on the rivers of my thought I sit quietly and pleasantly and smoke a little pipe and feel the sun shine on my body and see the waters flow, continually flowing to the unkown. And the unknown doesn't bother me. And sometimes I salute the beautiful women, who pick the flowers in my gardens and hear the wind murmuring through the high pine trees, the forests of certainty, that this all exists, because I choose to think so.
And I am happy that this is given to me. In humility I have another puff of my pipe and feel my God, the eternity self" (Titaantjes 1915)
"Weer eens het gevoel gehad dat Amsterdam van mij was en dat ik 't zelf had gemaakt (wat ook waar is want niemand ziet 't zoo)" (Natuurdagboek 10 juli 1954)
Translated;"Yet again had the feeling that Amsterdam belongs to me and that I had created it myself (What is also true as nobody sees it so)" (Nature Dairy 10/7/1954)
