During a radio-interview this morning about The Consul General’s Wife, I was asked whether my main character (Melchior) was based on a real person. My answer to this is that Melchior is archetypal. He is your typical white, male, baby-boomer who was worked for a prestigious institution all his life and has always been adored […]
moreThe producer eats a muffin. Blueberry, I think. He wouldn’t know either because he’s eating it without really tasting it. The same way I’m eating a salad. Food is simply a welcome distraction, for now. A going through motions that are aimed at saying we’re all fine and comfortable and not in the least tense. […]
moreThe man who lives across the street opened the door. He has two children and a wife. I felt awkward meeting them. Often, I catch myself staring mindlessly into their home while I’m on my small balcony thinking over a few things, or watering plants, or smoking. His daughter is always on their balcony. She […]
more“I was perfectly content in my world, and then she left it,” said the author of a novel to me this morning. Not just any novel, but a novel I am turning into a film. It all started out a few years ago as a collaboration with a well-known Dutch actress. Then, life got in […]
moreThe mussel. Would you ever consider it to be a main character in a film? I definitely wouldn’t. And still, yesterday evening I went to the premiere of one of the more intriguing documentaries I’ve ever seen.L’Amour des Mouleswas about exactly that: the mussel.The mussel’s shell is a blueish-black, the inside of it shines. It […]
moreYesterday, I was at a dinner. It was themed ‘Brazil’ for the guest of honor who came from Sao Paolo. I know the guest of honor from the past. He worked in Amsterdam, I worked in Brazil. And so our worlds kept crossing.When you separate, the web called life falls apart. Threads spread out over […]
moreMy dad wasn’t the only diplomat in our family. An uncle of mine was too, not for the Dutch but for the Americans. Somehow, my uncle always managed to get posted in war-torn countries.Children do not want to be separated from their families. When my family moved from London to Ghana, my parents gave me […]
more“You have to understand how tired I am,” I tell him, “really, very tired. I wish it to be otherwise. Some people can handle only a few hours of sleep, I -unfortunately- can’t.” He looks at me, teary-eyed. His eyes droop when he looks at me that way. Not only when he’s about to cry, […]
moreI look straight into the future that no longer exists. My little boy stands in it, with dad. They are messing around. Back then, what I saw was an older version of dad sitting at the round kitchen table eating a sandwich with his teenager son. I was around too. Probably giving the roses some […]
moreEvery city reminds you of another city. Climb the old city wall that separates the past from the present. Look as far as your eye can see, past the ruins, towards the horizon that connects the world to the skies. He is there, somewhere. As much a part of you as he is of the […]
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