AMONG PROFESSORS​

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• Response from PROF. DR. CEES RIJNVOS (economics and philosophy) professor of general economics and public finance, dean of the faculty of law and rector magnificus of Erasmus University in Rotterdam, now Erasmus School of Law, member of the Senate and Scientific Council for Government Policy:

'An ambitious plan, such a historical novel about 'money, power and sex in the Middle Ages'. But I know your sharp analytical research and tenacity as a lawyer in combination with your frivolity as a fabulist and your clear columns from the time. And that gives me confidence in a thorough and at the same time pleasantly readable book'...

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• Response from PROF. J.TH. VAN HECK, classicist, professor at Leiden University, Rome expert and tour guide par excellence there, advisor to the Vatican:

'After the Vatican Council, everything would change permanently in the church of Rome. I know that church intimately, and I don't think those changes will survive in the long run...

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• Response by PROF. MR. CAREL ADRIAANSENS - professor at Maastricht University, Private Law section, and lawyer - to part 1, 'The Horse of Rome':

'Finished your book. This is breathtakingly good! Read in one go. Very special! Fascinating lecture on law, old and new history, philosophy, psychology, sexology and so much more than I learned in all of my education. Moreover, it is written in a tasty and accessible manner. Every teacher of history and classical languages should read this. My sincere compliments!'...

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• Response to part 1, 'The Horse of Rome', by PROF. MR. ELTJO SCHRAGE (professor of Roman law at the Free University (VU) and Private Law at the University of Amsterdam (UvA), Honorary professor at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth in South Africa, and deputy justice at the Amsterdam Court of Appeal):

'The period you describe is somewhat familiar to me, albeit from a completely different perspective. Your frequent change of perspective keeps me thoroughly on my toes, and that makes the reading all the more exciting. You make extensive use of - sometimes by me well-known, sometimes not - quotes, which makes reading very lively for me.

For example, in my inaugural lecture at the VU at the time, I paid the necessary attention to the Franciscan Struggle for Poverty, so that the distinction you mentioned between Conventuals and Spirituals brings back many memories for me.

I see another fascinating memory, for example, on page 56: "Dum calidum fuerit, debetur cudere ferrum". Your own aphorisms are of a considerably higher level and often provide food for discussion. I saw something similar with your poignant metaphor on page 138. Could it be a coincidence that Theodoric invites Odoacer to the dinner that would prove fatal for his guest on the Ides of March? Or could there be an association with the anniversary of Caesar's death (also the Ides of March)?

Anyway, your text raises material for discussion on many points. Hopefully we will find the opportunity to do so...’

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• Compilation of extensive correspondence with PROF. GER GROOT philosopher, writer and reviewer, about part 1 'The Horse of Rome':

'I have now read a large part, somewhat overwhelmed by the enormous diversity of voices, text forms and perspectives that emerge there. The book is clearly based on an enormous amount of knowledge, which emerges from a multitude of perspectives. That makes reading an ever surprising experience, which keeps the curiosity going about what is yet to come... Point by point:    You point out – including in your interviews – that history repeats itself in a number of respects. That is undoubtedly true. “By relating and comparing these phenomena over the centuries,” you write, “recurring cycles in a 'material continuity' become visible; and it is precisely these ever-updated patterns that make history interesting for the reader; he then oversees the mess of facts and dates, and gets a grip on history.' I don't know whether you can also foresee the future, as you say in the same interview. In addition to general long-term developments, chance elements also play a role in history. Historians have now returned to the idea that, against an undeniable background of long lines, the actions of individuals can also give history a more or less decisive turn. And individuals are always singular. You rightly remark that history does repeat itself, but 'never exactly the same, but as in rhyme'. You refer, among other things, to climate change, which also occurred in the 14th century (warming), and later turned into its opposite. That is certainly the case. In the novel 'Orlando' Virginia Woolf (who, among other things, consulted botanists) also elaborates on this.'

Parallels and contemporary concepts: 'Perhaps you intend to draw the reader's attention to the parallels, much like Pé Hawinkels deliberately smuggled in contemporary concepts in his translation work in order to nudge the reader (In his translation of Antigone he left Haemon once not buried 'outside the city' but 'outside the built-up area': a master find, I think). With your abundance of footnotes you almost seem to want to link the novel to a text genre that is foreign to it, or - otherwise said – to want to rehabilitate a rather scientific text-specific novelesque. Perhaps a bit like Joyce did in Ulysses... Between all that, the reader can easily become lost and disoriented. That may of course have been the intention of the book (there are also other examples of this, such as the intoxication-inducing novel 'The Invention of the World' by Olivier Rolin).

It remains that I admire your simultaneously broad and profound knowledge of the period you describe, and the steadfastness with which you remain standing amid your kaleidoscopic narrative'.

 

• Comments from MR. BAUKE GEERSING, lawyer and historian, former KMA professional officer, former lecturer at the Faculty of Law of the University of Groningen, commissioner at KLM, among others, business advisor and former director of the national NOS broadcaster, opinion maker and author of two historical books, and co-author of a third historical book:

Reaction after a first reading:

I think I discover the parallel with the present tense. I have been browsing the internet about Clement V and I increasingly get the impression that you are busy writing down the truth about this pope. I think it's wonderful when someone doesn't let themselves be distracted by a 'prevailing' opinion and starts looking for the truth...

Later, after rereading:

I am re-reading your first book to review some parts, now that I wanted to go back through a bit after reading the second book.

I summarize my findings as follows:

“I like the chosen structure:  the confessional as narrator; the development of the relationship between Eletta and Pietro, with implications for their family history; the way Pope Clement V is described in his family context; his relationship with his confidante, his dear friend McCullerne, in the historical context and the broader description of the social developments of the time, a wonderful find.

Both of your books have many philosophical layers that connect with the present tense. As a result, the crazy 14th century becomes a mirror for the crazy 21st century. You are constantly working on that connection and you do not hesitate to formulate opinions about it yourself, which are always thoroughly substantiated.

I find your use of aphorisms compelling, illustrating that the lessons from history, from so many centuries ago, are still relevant.

Sometimes I felt uneasy, because this insight also illustrates how thoughtlessly people act and how no lessons are learned from that history. Although Voltaire must have once said that history never repeats itself, man always does, I still think that you illustrate that Voltaire could have been more precise.

In your books you make it clear that man contributes to the fact that lessons from history are not sufficiently learned and in that sense history does repeat itself, namely that the fundamental mistakes that appeared at the time would not have had to be repeated now if lessons had been learned from them. and that lesson was passed on. Your description of climate developments then and now illustrates this.

Your books demonstrate in-depth research as the basis for these historical novels. The way you describe Clemens V's consideration and decision-making process with regard to the position of the Roman Catholic Church shows that you offer more than a historical description, and also of how such a far-reaching project is tackled, developed and can be completed and soon implemented. (p. 178, 'The Cardinal Question').

The psychological descriptions of the main characters enrich the books considerably. Here the writer himself is the narrator, or so it seemed to me.

The books also have great value as philosophical works because of the elaborations they contain. I especially found the description of duality and the logic associated with it beautiful and illuminating. I will limit myself to a few passages in your second book:

'The truth lies in the nuance, as with everything,' I read approvingly on p. 22 ('The Cardinal Question'). 'Everyone wants to feel affirmed' (p. 46). 'Everything comes to those who know how to wait' (p. 47). 'After all, everything is subjective and cannot be objectified' (p. 95). 'That amounts to a distortion of the original texts; therefore simply falsification of history and forgery' (p. 142). “…to sow despair and distrust, especially under the guise of defending certain values” (p. 144). 'If someone tells you 'the truth', look for the truth behind that truth; it is always there” (p. 334). 'When the shepherd goes astray, the sheep go astray; if he takes a wrong turn, the herd follows.” (p. 358).

I have not touched on many aspects now.

What struck me was your call to rehabilitate Clement V (P. 303). There is a connection here with my book about Captain Raymond Westerling, who, according to my research, also deserves rehabilitation.

Apparently I missed something: Who is this Quirinus who can wait a while? (p. 317).

In short, your books are a quest for the truth, which is more than your truth; the truth about the history of that crazy 14th century.

I read both books with great pleasure, they have enriched my thinking and therefore my life.

I think they are masterpieces that anyone interested in history, philosophy, the great challenges of a crazy era, should read. Were that to happen, then a better fate could await us.

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