Review: Moscow Rules: What Drives Russia To Confront The West – by Keir Giles

I am a new member of Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, in London. On a recent visit, I made use of the vast resources of a very well-stocked library at Chatham House and this book is the first of the loans that I have finished reading. It is apt as Keir Giles is indeed a senior consulting fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House. He is an expert on Russia and this was clear from the outset of this book, Moscow Rules.

I have read much material on Putin’s Russia in the last decade or so. I have also extensively studied the Cold War and beyond that into Tsarist Russia and the Revolution of 1917 and subsequent communism of the Soviet Union. I think that Keir Giles’ book stands out among many other titles in that he seeks to identify the difference between Russia, Russians, their leaders, and The West. Often, that there is a clear difference between Russia and ourselves, is glossed over. We see Russians as an extension of ourselves, with European, democratic, libertarian values. Russian commentators, who educate and inform Western readers on the subject of Russia, are indeed akin to us Europeans or North Americans and do in fact share our values. However, Giles is keen to point out that these Western-facing Russians are the minority, the tip of the iceberg and the extreme. Russians proper are not so European. As much as Peter the Great or Catherine the Great sought a  European home for Mother Russia; that dream has never been achieved. Russia is such a vast continent spanning Europe and Asia and containing such vast isolated resources and diverse populations  that, to consider it European. is just folly. Geographically, we are told of how the natural frontiers make defence an almost impossible task for Russian militaries to arrange conventionally. In Moscow they seek buffer states. ‘The only safe border is one with a Russian soldier on both sides’.

Giles identifies that strategically. Russia has changed little with regard to its foreign policy since Tsarist times, through Soviet Communism and into the post Soviet times of Yeltsin and now Putin. It always blows hot and cold in its foreign policy and relationship with The West. One of the biggest factors in Putin’s current stance is his concrete conviction about the fall of the Soviet Union as being the worst event in Russian history. The tumultuous topsy-turvy gangster capitalism that accompanied the Yeltsin era in a Russian flirtation with free market capitalism, brought the country to its knees. The people suffered a massive decline in living standards. Oligarchs got rich but the experiment with out and out capitalism just didn’t work. One of the main reasons for the fall of the USSR was a ‘betrayal’ by Ukraine in agreeing with Belarus to leave the Union after the Baltic States successfully seceded. In Russian, Ukraine means’ borderland’ and it is known as ‘Little Russia’ History with the ancient Rus capital of Kyiv in Putin and many Russian eyes does not separate Ukraine from the motherland. We have seen Ukrainian leaders of the USSR like Khrushchev and Brezhnev. It is the bread basket of Russia. One of the principal functions of the Ukraine borderland is to act as a territorial buffer to invading armies. This was the case when Napoleon came and also Hitler’s Nazi Invasion. It was clearly agreed at the end of the USSR, beforehand with Mikhail Gorbachev, that there be no further expansion of NATO into Russian imperial territory. This has proved a lie by The West. Whereas we see our export of Western democracy as a gift to Russia, the Russians see inequality, decadent and immoral sexual values, and an untrustworthy source of liars and values which simply are not native Russian. It’s like Christian missionaries, Western ventures into Russia.

The Russian mentality of paranoia is justified. They do accept autocracy and it works. Yes, there is brutality and State oppression but also the Russians trust their leaders. The Tsar was holy, God’s representative on Earth. Although the horrors of Stalin are obvious, his personality cult was also very real indeed. What we see in our media’s depiction of Vladimir Putin, the Russians see exactly the opposite. He has genuine popularity and represents true Russian values. Propaganda and suppression of dissidents has a long history within Russia and is an accepted part of their culture.

The whole Russian language has its peculiarities and translation into and out of Russian is not straightforward. Giles identifies an example in the difference between Pravda and Istina. Pravda is a ‘tactical truth’ and Istina is the ‘real truth’. We don’t have equivalents in the English language. So often, Western ‘experts’ on Russia do not possess lived in experience of Russia and the cultural knowledge that accompanies native language skills. One has to think like a Russian in Russia in Russian to understand the country.

As the book draws to a conclusion, Giles doesn’t leave us with false hope that Putin will be ‘offski’ any time soon. And if he is, his replacement will have similar mentality and little will change; relationships between blocs could indeed disintegrate further. There is a certain stability and continuity in Vladimir Putin’s rule, as unpalatable as it might be at present. We seek rapprochement but we must recognise Russia’s point of view. NATO is encroaching and I personally see the argument being a double-edged sword regarding Ukraine. Both sides are equally guilty. It’s one thing Eastern European satellites signing up to NATO, but vast core areas of the Soviet Union adjacent to the Motherland signing up? It is unacceptable from a Russian perspective. You have to draw lines at some point. The whole Westphalian system is based on drawing borders and we know from other war experience that borders don’t necessarily export very well. Eg. The Middle East and Arab World. There needs to be some middle ground and it is important that politicians on both sides of the divide look at the psychology of their agreements and disputes and I think that by studying ‘Moscow Rules’, which is a very interesting, mainly psychological,  exploration of the differences between Russia and us, any potential diplomat involved in international relationships, will be wiser and better armed in their ability to succeed in diffusing the ticking timebomb. I don’t think that there are many on the planet out there that wish for a full MAD Armageddon nuclear exchange between the old Cold War rivals.

It’s the first book that I’ve read from Chatham House library: I’m off to a good start and it makes me hungry for more. The library there is alone worth the membership fee alone for anyone with just a vague interest in international geopolitics. Chatham House is a renowned think tank with leading global experts. Knowledge is the key to all survival and is the essence of civilization.

https://wezgworld.com/chatham-house-how-effective-are-the-united-states-sanctions-19-06-2023/

Review: Queens of the Crusades – by Alison Weir

I had previously read Alison Weir’s most excellent book specifically on Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine many years ago so the author was familiar to me. I chanced upon this title in my local library (Caldicot) and thought I’d give it a go. It covers the lives of several British Queens, or rather the historical period in England during which they lived. The period is one of the most interesting periods, in my opinion, in British History. During the early Plantagenet monarchs, the revolutionary changes of the early Norman invaders to our country had settled down and stability in government and the rule of these Isles meant that this period was most fruitful in terms of British power at home and abroad and may foundations were laid for the future greatness of the British Empire and the basis of our country’s modern, developed, civilised society.

The book does indeed contain a revisit of Weir’s previous work and the first part is dedicated to Eleanor of Aquitaine who was the wife of King Henry II. There are four other queens in the book, three of whom are ‘Eleanors’. Alienor of Provence, Queen of King Henry III and also Eleanor of Castile, Queen of King Edward I. The other two queens are Berengaria of Navarre, Queen of Richard I and Isabelle of Angoulême, Queen of King John. As you can see from the exotic titles of all five queens, the Plantagenets were keen on extending their ties to European Royal bloodlines.  

The whole period was rich in historic events. As the title suggests, this was the time of the crusades and many of the Kings went on crusade, most notably Richard I ‘The Lionheart’, who probably spent more time abroad during his reign, than at home in England. Wives were taken on crusade and although they were often kept safe in castles, sometimes danger could ensue, in particular during the arduous journeys to the Holy Land, usually by sea, where all sorts of perils arose.

This was a period were British dominions extended into continental Europe. One of the reasons why Eleanor of Aquitaine is one of my most favourite Queens is that during here reign, Britain was at its height in terms of land. Indeed the British crown held more territory in mainland France than the French King did. In addition to Normandy and Brittany the whole of the rich south western part of France that is Aquitaine became an integral part of our nation. Often the rulers had to spend a lot of time on the continent to deal with unruly tenants. Indeed the continental territories required more attention and management than the calmer more settled British Isles . As time passed these European dominions reverted back to French control. War, finance, marriages and deaths contributed to the erosion of British territory abroad. King John was known as ‘Lackland’ when he lost most of the European lands.

There were some very important occurrences during the Crusades period. King John was forced to acquiesce to his barons and sign Magna Carta in 1215. Magna Carta is one of the most quintessential pieces of legislation and is the cornerstone of constitutional rights in many modern Western societies, including the USA.

Some of the relationships between Kings and Queens were very lasting and very romantic. I particular King Edward I and Eleanor of Castile had a very close relationship that produced an amazing 18 children, most of whom unfortunately didn’t survive infancy. King Edward I constructed a series of huge crosses across the country to commemorate his beloved queen after her parting from this life. Religion played a crucial role in society, often the Pope was called upon to intervene in a lot of Royal matters, be it consanguinity in marriage, to taking the Cross for crusade or just settling land disputes with barons. A position in the Church was much sought after and we cross paths in the book with Geraldus Cambrensis  (Gerald of Wales) who was an ever-present in the Royal Courts and Vatican, on his ceaseless quest to obtain the hallowed Archbishopric of St. David’s in Wales.

In the later stages of the book I couldn’t believe encountering my little Welsh border home town in the text. Caldicot doesn’t get many mentions in any literature, although it does have a wonderful Castle which dates to around this period. King Edward I was very active beating back the Welsh who wouldn’t accept overlordship from London. Llywellyn ap Gruffydd, Prince of Wales, fought hard to preserve Welsh independence but ultimately died in battle against King Edward’s forces. King Edward established Caernarfon as his base in Wales with the castle there that he erected being modelled on the ancient walls of Constantinople. The Royal couple passed through Caldicot during one of the ‘progresses’ they made, visiting different parts of the country.

‘On 26 November (1284) the royal couple visited St. David’s. the Welsh capital, as guests of Bishop Thomas Bek, and attended a service in the cathedral. Then it was on to Cardiff, Caldicot and Chepstow.’ [Weir 2020:379]

Review: Turkish Awakening – A Personal Discovery of Modern Turkey – by Alev Scott

Alev Scott is a young female Brit whose mother has Turkish Cypriot roots and in this great study of modern turkey she relocates to Istanbul and immerses herself as much as possible in Turkish society Long time leader Erdogan, has done a lot to change Turkey in the past couple of decades in which he has held power. Some of it has gone down well but there has also been a great deal of controversy. At present, Turkish politics is in the headlines as Turks go to the polls to vote in a general election and it is predicted to be very close with Erdogan’s long reign very much under threat.

The book detail s a lot of the change and how on the one hand Turkish life is so radically different from the London Scott grew up in but on the other hand how Westernised and modern this bridge state between Europe and Asia is. We look at not just the political angle but also the social angle and the role of women in Turkish society, the religious aspect of life here and also more peculiar idiosyncrasies of Turkey.

It surprised me to learn how Erdogan, who stands on the political right has re-invigored Islamic values in Turkey, contrasting with the post-Ataturk secular legacy that has really been bringing Turkey much closer to Europe over the past century. This was one of the main aims of the great Kemal Ataturk’s legacy for his beloved nation. Turkish accession to the EU is, however, still on the brink, and no closer to happening with the modern politicians tending to look for other options and a closer relationship with the Middle East and Islamic World seems to be quite appetising, not forgetting ties with the controversial Russia who use Turkish tourism and finance significantly the Turkish economy. Headscarves have been allowed back in public spaces, including universities and schools and on the whole, the public are utilising the opportunity to visually demonstrate their devotion and integrating well with those remaining Turks who stick to the secular traditions.

The Gezi Park protests that filled international news programmes are covered in detail and it is quite bizarre how such a minor incident got totally out of control and the brutal response from the government seemed quite dangerously totalitarian and scarily undemocratic with police looking quite nasty lot. I’m sure that Gezi Park will still feature heavily in the minds of voters in the forthcoming elections.  

The economy is addressed and I enjoyed hearing about the cultural importance of the Turkish barber as there are many Turkish barbers in the local Welsh village where I live and I think that they are great social places and friendly and I can see why they are so highly regarded in Turkey proper. Some of the wealthy Turkish business leaders seem very extravagant and overall it seems as though business in Turkey is quite thriving although perhaps slightly different compared with business in other large states such as London or New York where a more brazen form of capitalism exists.

We look at not just life in the big city of Istanbul but also venture out to the provinces and hear about the Kurdish issue. It seems as though the future of the Armenian and Kurdish issues seems to be a bit more closer to a peaceful resolution with new generations feeling less aggrieved by historical incidents and more keenly identifying as Turks However, there is still marginalisation and tensions.. Rural life is a lot more conservative and traditional and there is a difference yet it isn’t so radically strange which pleasantly surprises the author. I lied hearing about the local vegetable sellers, challenging the supermarkets with their neighbourhood market square one man stalls, totally supported by elderly housewives and a cornerstone of the suburban communities.

We venture into the bizarre with some cultural treasures such as camel wrestling, take a look at the mobs of passionate Turkish football fans, explore transsexual prostitution in Istanbul, the dangers of the PKK and Islamic State and war in Syria and also the move towards Islam playing a more integral and open part of society.

Turkey maintains an exotic appeal to Westerners and I identify this in this exploration of Turkish culture. It is a powerful nation set in a critical geographical junction between East and West. Perhaps Ataturk would be disappointed to learn of the move away from his secular state but I don’t think that this is a problem and it could make Turkey appeal even more to foreigners and help them develop and grow their still relatively young nation. The author does well in giving a good analysis of what it is to be a Turk and to cross-examine the culture , politics and economy of a wonderful and interesting place.

Erdogan’s Third Term as President of Turkey and What It Means

Review: Red Notice – How I Became Putin’s No.1 Enemy – by Bill Browder

There is irony in this tale as Bill Browder was following in his grandfather’s footsteps in some ways but was also radically poles apart. Browder’s grandfather had stood for Presidential election in the USA on a Communist ticket. Bill Browder was drawn to business possibilities behind the Iron Curtain and in the post Cold War, post Soviet Union Russia, Browder’s Hermitage fund became the biggest foreign investor in Russia and also the fund, with at its peak over $1 billion in assets under its control, the best performing investment fund in the World. The start of his career was interesting. After good qualifications at Stanford University in the United States, Browder set himself up in the European financial capital of London, with a view to exploring trade in Eastern European markets, made possible by the fall of the Berlin Wall. Among early experience he worked for the notorious Robert Maxwell, shortly before his controversial yacht death just as a huge pension fraud Maxwell had been operating was being exposed and investigated. Despite this career blip, Browder went on to form his own fund, Hermitage Capital Management. He headed off to Moscow and with careful research began to take advantage of the huge available margins made in the wake of privatisation of former Soviet Industry. This was the age of emerging gangster oligarchs and widespread corruption. Browder, ever in a quest for justice and a moral code which rejects corruption began to flag the eyes of Russian potentates and in 2005 he was refused entry to Russia as Moscow airport and put back on the plane for repatriation in the U.K. Thus ends the high profit-yielding business honeymoon and the start of a quest to recover his money, keep his business afloat and expose the enemies and corruption that threatened his destruction. The whole saga spirals out of control and the Russian authorities launch a massively corrupt scheme involving police officers who tried stealing his businesses and ran a massive tax fraud amounting to about $230 million. The path led to the very top with Kremlin officials supporting every move against the Jewish American businessman. His Russian lawyer, an honest Russian gentleman by the name of Sergei Magnitsky becomes embroiled in situation and is thrown in jail and due to health complications, torture and refusal of necessary medical care, Magnitsky suffers a brutal early death in jail. Browder is deeply upset and affected by this and his role as venture capitalist businessman changes into human rights campaigner. Browder irks even the highest power in Russia and becomes the biggest public enemy of Vladimir Putin. The U.K. government were relatively unbothered in their assistance so Browder ends up campaigning with the US politicians and at the very highest level dealing with the likes of Senator John McCain, Senator John Kerry among other Washington players to take up the cause. Ultimately Browder flukes hi sway into getting President Obama to pass legislation called the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act which restricted and placed travel bans on all corrupt officials involved in the crimes and death of Browder’s lawyer and was part of a general move of sanctioning Russia and its excesses. In return Putin decided to punish sick Russian orphans by denying them access to adoptive American families. A bit sort of in tow with Vladimir’s current international reputation as a bit of an ogre…. The book is a whirlwind exploration of big business, exposes the realities of modern Russia and also in the wake of unbelievable corruption and human rights atrocities a sense of justice is achieved.

Review: World Order – Reflections on the Character of Nations and the Course of History – by Henry Kissinger

Henry Kissinger is a very famous international American statesman. This is the first book of his that I have read. I was drawn to exploring his views as I have always noticed him throughout my life as being a key figure in international politics. The book is a neat summary of global politics and its history. Divided up into the main realms or spheres of key international influence by geographic region we explore first Europe, also Middle East, Cold War, Asia and ultimately America. The facts are well presented and clear regarding history of international nation states. The whole concept of the Westphalian system is introduced early in the book and forms a key element of the author’s theoretical discussions. The position of Kissinger as a senior US politician obviously leads to much of the opinions and conclusions of the political matter being seen from a USA (imperialist) perspective with which Kissinger has obvious hands on direct experience. From such a global luminary, this book could have been much bigger in its content volume and more detailed but what is nice is that it is so concise, aimed at the general reader and it provides plenty of base knowledge whereby should the reader so desire, he can follow up in detail any of the subject matter that may be relevant. A good appetising, easy to read, neat overview of the world as it stands today.

Review: Gommorah – Italy’s Other Mafia – by Roberto Saviano

Roberto Saviano is the Italian Salman Rushdie. After writing his exposé on the Neapolitan mafia that is the subject of this book, Gomorrah, Saviano had serious death threats from organised crime and had to go into hiding and lives under security protection to this day. He is only a young man and is a patriotic native of Naples, in southern Italy. One often hears of the Sicilian Cosa Nostra or Ndrangheta as the two main Italian mafias. Less known and possibly more powerful and brutal is the Gomorrah or Camorra. Saviano gives us a geographical tour of the Neapolitan region, exploring many of the often forgotten villages where rival clans are in control or that form key locations for the wide-ranging both legal and illegal business interests of the Camorra. About one third of their money comes from the global fashion industry, one third from cocaine-trafficking and another third from waste disposal. This subject area of Italy has over the past 30 years the highest homicide rate in Europe. Internecine conflict between clans has erupted into full-scale military like atrocities, scarring the whole community. Naples is a massive port city and is the de facto entrance into Europe for Chinese freight. Materials for the Italian fashion industry are sourced in China. The global attraction of ‘Made in Italy’ garments has led to the Camorra running a huge cottage like industry throughout the small towns and villages of the Napoli periphery where high fashion is created. The textile industry replicates almost exactly the products of big Italian fashion houses such as Gucci, Armani and Versace. There is a global distribution network for the sale of these marked-down fakes and in high stores in Chicago malls to London’s Carnaby Street, these Naples Camorra fashion products end up often on the same shelves as the authentic originals. It’s a big money-roller and relatively risk-free. The Cammora act as agents for the Latin American Colombian and Mexican cartels for the European franchise for cocaine distribution. In local open air drug markets cocaine retails at half the price it does elsewhere in Europe. Gangs with lookouts openly sell and drug tourists come from all over to score. The Camorra test the cutting quality of new heroin batches with junkie guinea pigs who get a free dose and report the quality of the product after they inject. The book zigzags across all elements of the Cammorese networks. The clan wars are very violent and brutal and tit for tat murders have wiped out entire families. When Camorra fall foul of the authorities and end up in jail, their spouses or family are given a social security style cash payment on the condition of omerta and loyalty. I found one of the most interesting aspects of the total dominance of the are’s enterprise in the waste disposal business. Landfills are sought out in every possible nook and cranny in the local countryside and some very dodgy environmentally-damaging, highly toxic rubbish heads down towards the boot of Italy for reprocessing or incineration. This former centre for agriculture is seeing more and more disruption to the natural world and farmers are steadily disappearing. High cancer rates are a byproduct of the pollution.
The book is full of Italian names of local towns and characters. The influence and reach of the Camorra is impressively grand and they are a permanent state like organisation. The book has been made into a film and there is also a spin off tv series. I can understand why Saviano has been threatened but ultimately by exposing the Cammora he may have inadvertently given their mafia prestige a lot more ultimate power.

Review: Black Russian – by Vladimir Alexandrov

This is an exciting tale from the turn of the twentieth century of an eccentric man of the world who encountered directly some of the most important global events of that era. It is a biography of Frederick Bruce Thomas or Fyodor Fyodorovich Tomas. He was born to former plantation slaves in Mississippi, USA in 1872. His parents overcame prejudice and in an age of abolition became successful farmers until ultimately the still underlying racial inequalities and injustice drove them away and led to the murder of Frederick’s father. Frederick sought pastures new and headed for the cities of Chicago and New York before ultimately setting out on an Atlantic voyage across to European waters where he disembarked and settled in London. From there he quick-footed it around the continent and seeking ever more exotic locations finally made his way to Moscow. Initially his career had been as a highly mannered waiter in top restaurants or in hotels or a a domestic aid to wealthy businessmen. In Moscow he learnt the Russian language although he never perfected it but his entrepreneurial adventure allowed him to set up successful nightclub / theatre businesses across the city in some of its most exclusive locations. He toured Europe bringing in successful stage acts and entertainers from all over, including many early Black Jazz musicians from his homeland. The nightclubs he ran often appealed to the Russian and foreign elites and were widely recognised as being some of the most successful venues in the city. Often they had manicured gardens and served high class food in fancy restaurant spaces although sometimes they could be quite seedy with many of the female entertainers expected to provide additional private services in private rooms to paying clients a symbol perhaps of the age and the lack of women’s rights. Frederick married twice and had several children. For many years he was attached to the nanny of his children with his first wife who had died. In Moscow Frederick, most probably as a business incentive, adopted Russian citizenship. He had ongoing disputes with jumped up US Embassy employees who were always chasing him over bad debts and went out of their way to disrupt his application for a new USA passport most probably down to their underlying racial attitudes. Business swung to and fro between success and failure but by the time of the Russian Revolution in 1917, Frederick had built a successful theatre empire and was a famous celebrity due to his public work. The Rise of the Bolsheviks ultimately made it dangerous for him to remain in the city and eventually he luckily fled down to Odessa on the Black Sea where he also had some businesses. White Russians failures and the advance of the Soviets made him flee again to the relative safety of Istanbul (Constantinople). The fall of the Ottoman Empire in the post World War 1 period had left the French military protecting the city. It was a cultural hive of creativity and Frederick rebuilt from scratch another nightclub / theatre / restaurant empire. The rise of Ataturk and the return of Istanbul to the new Turkish state led to problems for Westerners and disrupted Frederick’s businesses. Ultimately he ran up some serious debts and ended up fleeing and dying in a debtor’s jail.
This book challenges many of the racist stereotypes from that period. Frederick felt much less prejudice on European shores and suffered no discrimination in Moscow. The Bolsheviks were fighting a class war unlike the anti-abolitionists in America. There is much entertainment and the story is a blistering read, an adventure of a brave and joyful character at a time and in exotic places during which many significant interesting major historical events occurred. Well-researched and well written.

Review: Franco and The Spanish Civil War – by Filipe Ribeiro de Meneses

This book is a nice, concise look at the Spanish Civil War. I used it for revision purposes, to remind myself of some of the details of heavier tomes that I have encountered on this subject. The author’s analysis of the causes of the War are precise and factual, without noticeable bias. The account of the war itself focuses on the political changes and has an underlying reasoned account of why events transpired and their implications on the outcome of the wider conflict. There is an inevitable tragedy to the Spanish Republic, with bitter infighting plaguing all their attempts at retaining democracy. The lurch to the left from within is seen as an inevitable result of the lack of full international support and the Republicans’ heavy reliance on Soviet Aid. Franco’s luck and expert conciliation of his own individual powers can be seen as gifted by not only the over Italian and German military aid but also the insistence on non-intervention by the Allied powers of Britain and France. The different policies of either side, especially in relation to the peasants and working classes and the depth of internal conflict and terror is a shock to any reader’s system. This book covers the principal details of the gruesome conflict that was the Spanish Civil War very well and is a good guide to the key events and a nice summary of the causes, conflict and its outcomes.

Review: Men Without Women – by Ernest Hemingway

Men Without Women by Ernest Hemingway
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My journey through Hemingway’s works continues and ‘Men Without Women’ was no let down. The testosterone is flowing in this collection of short stories and the author’s narrative is constantly catching the macho emotions amid the standard Hemingway vivid scene description. We move from bullfighters, to gangsters, to boxers, to road trippers. Often the stories are based in the romance of continental Europe, a place for which, it is clear, Hemingway has a special affinity. very often we leave the story abruptly with a typical open-ended cliffhanger, allowing us to ponder the future development of the characters. Each of the stories could quite easily become a novel in themselves and in that sense ‘Men Without Women’ leaves us thirsty for more.

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Review: Roads To Santiago – by Cees Nooteboom

Roads To Santiago by Cees Nooteboom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Dutch author is, most certainly, an admirer of Spain. He writes passionately about his travels across the land, traversing history, culture, and the role of Spain in the modern world. The style is erratic and it takes a while to get used to the author’s jumpiness, but it all seems to weave together nicely. There are deep forays into the world of art and I found the detail on Velasquez most interesting and it is clear that Nooteboom holds a special place in his heart for the work of Zurbaran. There is a constant flicker of images of old rustic villages and a barren landscape as the author makes his undulating way in a series of neverending detours in his quest to reach Santiago de Compostela. I think one of the giveaways in the book is when our Dutch narrator reveals how he almost joined a monastery. He obviously has deep religious feelings and these manifest in his detailed depictions of the art and architecture of the religious buildings which seem to dominate the direction of his meanderings. The history of Spain can be detailed in the construction of these temples. From the deep antiquity of the Romans through to the Visigoths and Arabs and on into the post-reconquista emergence of a unified state under Ferdinand and Isabella and future Habsburg monarchs up to the tragedies of the Civil War and Francoist Spain and its post-Franco entrance into modern Europe. I think that the translator from Dutch has done a wonderful job and the book reads most freely. It has a deep elegant manner, is of the most floral and descriptive prose and it never fails to produce a deep impression on the imagination of the reader. This genuine work of literary art embeds the image of Spain on the mind and one can feel and breathe the deep-seated knowledge and embracing love that the author has for this mysterious land.

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