Welcome to the first edition of What Are You Reading? – where neighbors share their passion for the literary arts by writing about books. If you have read something interesting and would like to participate, email bulletin@boltonhillmd.org
Kristine Smets
Title: Antwerp: The Glory Years, by Michael Pye. Genre: Non-fiction
Why did you choose this book? I first heard about the author and this book from a review in The Guardian when it was published in 2021, and it piqued my interest. I was born and raised near Antwerp, Belgium, and still frequently visit my extensive family there. Since becoming an empty nester, I spend close to three or four months out of the year in the city. I love Antwerp and want to be better versed in its history.
What is it about? Antwerp’s glory days occurred in the 16th century when it was one of Europe’s foremost marketplaces. Its high days ended during the revolt of the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands (also known as the Eighty Years War or the Dutch Revolt), against the rule of the Spanish King Philip II. The Northern provinces united as The Dutch Republic in 1588, but Antwerp was captured by the Spanish and remained under Spanish control. Many Antwerp citizens left the city and went north, starting the Dutch Golden Age, and the rise of Amsterdam as the new trading center.
What does this book do well? What qualities does it have that are unique, interesting or exceptional? The book is rich in anecdotes that bring to life the hustle and bustle of Antwerp’s commercial, cultural, religious and social life during this time, when “money ruled, not God.” The story is told through anecdotes from merchants, bankers, speculators, printers, philosophers and scientists, and quotes heavily from contemporaneous accounts – diaries, letters, estate inventories, and court proceedings.
What is your next read, and why? Off White, by Astrid Roemer (first published in Dutch in 2019 as Gebroken Wit).
I started a “DutchLit” book club in 2017 with a few friends from the Netherlands (among them former Bolton Hill residents Michiel Van Katwijk and Sandra Stevens) that focuses on reading books written in Dutch (in the Netherlands, Flanders, Suriname, and the Dutch Caribbean) that have been translated into English. Those who want to read the book in the original language do so, and the other members (including our spouses) read the English translation. Our next book for discussion is by an author who was born in Suriname but spent many years in the Netherlands. The book is set in Suriname in 1966 when “the long shadow of colonialism still hangs over the country.”
Tell us about yourself in one sentence. I am a librarian/historian/genealogist and live on the 1300 block of Bolton Street with my husband Michael Booth. We have one daughter, Clare, who lives in Seattle.
John McLucas
Title: The Time of Your Life – Getting On With Getting On. Compiled and Illustrated by John Burningham. Bloomsbury Press, 2002. Genre: Non-fiction
I am a slow reader and usually read five to ten books at a time. Picking just one is difficult, but here goes!
Why did you choose this book? It was a gift from the mother of a former student of mine. She is about my age – that is, older.
What is it about? Its a compilation of reflections on the aging process. It includes quotations from authors as long ago as Cicero. The editor/compiler, Burningham, also asked many well-known elderly English people of the late 20th century to contribute original short essays on their own experiences. He provided some wry cartoons of his own which loosely match the content of some of these mini-memoirs.
What does this book do well? What qualities does it have that are unique, interesting, or exceptional? Burningham casts a very wide net: he finds the perfect witty snippets of classic authors and also seems to know everyone in the England of his day. There are short pieces by politicians, writers, soccer players, veterans of both World Wars, and even a long-serving prisoner (crime not described). Some sections of the books collate thoughts on particular topics, like “Keeping Warm” or “Over all that?” (about sexual attraction in maturity). One favorite of mine: Dorothy Parker’s “As I grow older and older,/ And totter towards the tomb,/ I find that I care less and less/ Who goes to bed with whom.”
What is your next read, and why? It’s probably already out on some shelf in my house, as I check through my list of current reads. Some art history (Stephen Campbell’s monograph on Mantegna), or history (often ancient), or biography, or music.
Tell us about yourself in one sentence. I’m a Boomer/Stonewall gay man, single, Professor Emeritus of Italian at Towson University, a scholar and translator of Italian Renaissance literature, an ordained Elder at First & Franklin Presbyterian Church, a trained classical singer (baritone), a lifelong dog-and-cat lover, and the author of three novels published by BrickHouse Books in Baltimore.
–Francine Marchese
