Where is the far north? After all, there are different north poles. For author and historian Adwin de Kluyver, the north lies around and above 60 degrees north latitude “until proven otherwise.” He makes this classification in the very personal prologue to his research and myth collection “The Dreamed North,” which looks more like a wild longship than a barge.
There is far and wild travelling, rumors and assassinations in this aesthetically presented book. Whether Pytheas of Massalia in the 4th century B.C. Whether he traveled to Thule or not is a question. When the so-called Vikings arrive in Great Britain, people ask themselves whether all evil comes from the north. Is the distance between two degrees of latitude at the equator smaller than at the north? Are salamanders fireproof and where is Hyperborea? Why does the polar hero Sjef van Dongen wear pajamas and what is the very long history of the flag?
Questions upon questions based on many cards, supplemented by the short biography of the main actor in the respective chapter. Sometimes indignation and disgrace are the reward for research, sometimes also money and recognition. For some luminaries, mumbo jumbo and science go hand in hand, errors are part of it and life is very finite. De Kluyver conveys this and many fine facts in an entertaining and entertaining way.
Review: Alexander Schramm
Adwin de Kluyver
The dreamed north
mareverlag, 320 p., € 28,–
ISBN 978-3-86648-717-8