Synopsis
Maarten, a Dutch immigrant and a survivor of the Nazi invasion of Holland, finds senility gradually robbing him of his identity.
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Reviews
Bernlef, whose more than 50 books are well known in his native Holland, makes his first appearance in English translation with this view of illness and aging as unsentimental as it is sympathetic. His intimate and affecting story of the dramatic decline suffered by an elderly man afflicted by Alzheimer's disease draws its strength from the first-person narrative voice of the man himself. Initially lucid, if fatigued, 71-year-old Maarten Klein lives with his wife Vera in Gloucester, Mass. Dutch-born, they endured with difficulty the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands before emigrating to the U.S., where Maarten worked as a secretary for the Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization. While Maarten has long considered himself a socially "marginal figure," in other respects the Kleins' lives are unremarkable but for his intensity of perception, sustained in sharply convincing fragments even as his faculties disintegrate. "I seem to lose words like another person loses blood," he observes helplessly, and resolves to "invent a life for myself from minute to minute," but ultimately becomes the sole and poignant "survivor of my own language."
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Out of Mind: A Novel
Published by
David R. Godine, Boston, MA, 1989
ISBN 10: 0879237341
ISBN 13: 9780879237349
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Fahrenheit's Books, Denver, CO, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good+. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good+. First Edition Thus. First US edition, hardcover, has a slight lean to the binding, light bumps to the spine ends, a touch of smudging to the edges of the text block and end pages, and a brief pause to page 73. Overall, a solid, Very Good+ copy in a like, unclipped dust jacket, which has mild bumps to the spine ends and cover corners, slight wear to the edges, and rubbing to the covers. Seller Inventory # 207245
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Out of Mind
Seller: -OnTimeBooks-, Phoenix, AZ, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: very_good. Gently read. May have name of previous ownership, or ex-library edition. Binding tight; spine straight and smooth, with no creasing; covers clean and crisp. Minimal signs of handling or shelving. 100% GUARANTEE! Shipped with delivery confirmation, if you're not satisfied with purchase please return item for full refund. Ships USPS Media Mail. Seller Inventory # OTV.0879237341.VG
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Out of Mind
Seller: Ezekial Books, LLC, Manchester, NH, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: Good. No Highlighting or underlining. Some Wear but overall good condition. Foxing on one or more of the fore-edges. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # 51UTKD0001H3
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Out of Mind
Published by
David Godine, 1989
ISBN 10: 0879237341
ISBN 13: 9780879237349
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: zenosbooks, San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: Very Good in Dustjacket. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Boston. 1989. David Godine. 1st American Edition. Very Good in Dustjacket. 0879237341. Translated from the Dutch by Adrienne Dixon. 150 pages. hardcover. keywords: Europe Netherlands Literature Translated Dutch World Literature. DESCRIPTION - A gripping tale of mental disintegration, from one of the premier writers of the Netherlands. MAYBE IT IS ON account of the snow that I feel so tired. Even in the morning.' Thus begins a remarkable account of disorientation, narrated by an old man whose stability is being shaken ever more often by forgetfulness. Maarten's life has not been easyhe survived the Nazi invasion of Holland and later adjusted to a difficult move to Americabut he does have his loving wife Vera, many interests, and memories that make him feel young. Gradually, though, his confusion and anxiety deepen; familiar objects become unfamiliar and, strangely, even Vera seems somehow upset by his very presence. The chilling effect on the reader is the growing realization that Maarten's thoughtsmirrored in the novel's prosebecome increasingly disjointed as his sanity slips away. Maarten's inability to remember with any clarity the life he has spent with his wife, and his confusion over events (is he being confronted by doctors and why would they want to see him? Or are his tormentors German soldiers?) and people (is it Vera who puts him to bed? Isn't it that beautiful young girl, his first love?) leads tragically towards complete oblivion. Bernlef, who has long been interested in perceptions of reality and the self, here explores with the intensity of a surgeon a specific form of personal disappearance: the process and progress of senility. It is a remarkable voyage of discovery and fear. inventory #12654. Seller Inventory # z12654
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Out of Mind
Published by
David R. Godine Publisher, Boston, 1989
ISBN 10: 0879237341
ISBN 13: 9780879237349
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Steven Edwards, Coalmont, TN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hard cover. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 150 p. Audience: General/trade. Translated from Dutch. Clean, tight unmarked copy. Very good in very good dust jacket. Seller Inventory # Alibris0013837
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Out of Mind
Seller: SHIMEDIA, Brooklyn, NY, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: New. Satisfaction Guaranteed or your money back. Seller Inventory # 0879237341