First love is the theme of this year’s Book Week. Nice topic, almost everyone has one. It could be a sunny memory, or it could have hurt, or both. I think of the first loves of Turgenev, Nabokov, Beckett. But strangely enough, the theme does not return in the scarce TV programming about the Boekenweek.
Books on TV, that is difficult for them in Hilversum. You have every day this week Eus’ Book Club† Presenter and writer Özcan Akyol has strong opinions about books on TV. He is a populist who opposes traditional book programs that are said to be too elitist. He argues for a more light-hearted approach to selling books, with DWDD as his great example.
How does he do it himself? He has singer Lakshmi who, with her band, frames the various sections with short, moody music fragments. This immediately creates a lively atmosphere. In addition, he has a book collector every day. Refreshing. They collect whiskey books or books with a number in the title. A poet also reads a poem, and a mayor tells about his favorite book. Less refreshing.
The main difference with other book programs is that Eus’ Book Club let the readers have their say, more than the writers. Every day he chooses two readers – famous Dutch, of course – who discuss his book in the presence of the author. Good idea. His choice of readers is unfortunately stale. The most surprising are the artists Kenny B and Donnie, who listened to the discussed book while watching the semi-final darts. The choice of writer is also stale. Akyol chooses only established bestselling authors. Koch, Japin, Griet Op de Beeck, etc.
His table lord Stefano Keizers, hired for his disruptive costumes and questions, raises this stale choice a few times: ‘Why do we pay attention to successful writers all the time? Shouldn’t we pay attention to people who don’t have a stage?” Akyol doesn’t answer, dodging with: “That’s something for the evaluation.”
moped at sea (every Sunday, NPO2) takes a more traditional approach: two writers talk about their new book, with a report in between. Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer talked about his book week gift on Sunday. These are longer and deeper conversations than with Eus’ Book Club, but that doesn’t mean they’re any more exciting. It certainly wasn’t lively.
Presenter Wilfried de Jong is known for his interviews with athletes while they were being massaged. Elsewhere, Akyol interviews people while they are being cut or painted. Can’t you think of something like that for writers?
Singing, dancing, in a sleigh
Fortunately, television can also offer its own love poetry, in pictures. Like in the beautiful documentary darling† It is not about the first, but about the last love. Hetty (75) and Jeanne (91) met at a later age. Now Jeanne is rapidly deteriorating, she forgets more and more, can no longer be good alone. That is threatening and tragic, but the documentary focuses on the great love, which comes to the fore now that the going gets tough. You see them walking on the beach singing, dancing, sitting in a sleigh, lying in bed together. Hetty washes Jeanne’s hair. They enjoy chansons, Jeanne still plays the piano. These are people who know the precious power of loving and enjoying.
Director Eva Van Barneveld has known the couple since her childhood, from the campsite. She gets very close with her camera. You often think: how is it possible that she was able to film this intimate moment? A poignant moment is when Jeanne falls, and Van Barneveld quickly puts her camera on the couch to help her. For a moment she is no longer the registering eye, but a person who sees a loved one fall.
This column will be written by various authors until April 25.
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