An "intelligent, incisive" (Washington Post) parable about order and chaos by "one of the greatest modern novelists" (A. S. Byatt), Rituals tells the story of Inni Wintrop, a dabbler who floats comfortably on the open possibilities of life and in the flow of time meets two men who do not. Winner of the Pegasus Prize for Literature. Translated by Adrienne Dixon. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book. Harvest in Translation series
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Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Originally published in this country in 1983, Dutch writer Nooteboom's short novel contrasts ways in which people cope with the pressures of time.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
Originally published in this country in 1983, Dutch writer Nooteboom's short novel contrasts ways in which people cope with the pressures of time.
(Publishers Weekly)
(Publishers Weekly)
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Customer Reviews
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Format:Hardcover
This book gives you something to chew on on every level. The prose is good, (the English translation can not capture some of the idiosyncrasies of Dutch, but is very good overall) right from its opening sentence "The day Inni Wintrop committed suicide, Philips shares stood ..." All of the characters in the book are memorable and wonderfully sketched. (As an introverted person, I'm always amused by the walk through the woods scene. Taats asks Inni a question which spurs a two-page train of thought, but he answers only in a mono-syllable.) And it goes up to the structure of the book: the first of the 3 parts is called "Intermezzo". Plenty of ideas here.
By G. Merritt
Format:Paperback
"Read Cees Nooteboom," a German acquaintance recommended. "You'll remember his RITUALS." Nooteboom is a Dutch poet and novelist. Set in Amsterdam during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, his sparse, 145-page novel opens with "the appalling news" of President Kennedy's assasination (p. 17), and his protagonist, Inni Wintrop's attempted suicide after his wife, Zita, leaves him for an Italian. The novel then follows Inni as he wanders the streets of Amsterdam alone, looking for meaning in a "wonderful, empty universe" (p. 113). Along the way, he encounters Arnold Taads and his estranged son, Philip, by chance. All three characters have lost their faith in God, and attempt to create their own meaning in life through rituals. Arnold Taads is rigidly tied to time. "Time," Inni learns, "was the father of all things in Arnold Taad's life" (p. 46). Philip Taads, on the other hand, attempts to escape time through Zen-like rituals. And as for Inni, "women had become his religion, the center, the essence of everything, the great cartwheel on which the world turned" (p. 60). Intelligent and poetic, RITUALS is ultimately a parable about the importance of learning to ride the inconsistent waves of life in a universe devoid of God.
G. Merritt
Format:Paperback
This book is also in my top five books of all time. I did a search under the keyword "rituals" and it did not pop up (I had to find it a backwards way), and I had a moment of profound sadness thinking that this most wonderful book could be out of print. "Rituals" truly does inspire me. I haven't read it in four years, but it still is one of the best books I've ever read. I loved the intoxication of love and the meaning of life search of the main character. What can induce you to get off of the floor and live? I've wondered that many times in my life, and Inni (the main character) explores what REALLY matters - if anything. It's not to say that this book is a dour questing life meaning book - rather it is a rich, bravado, humorous, cleansing book that has many many rewards. The part of this book that I often think about (and I hope this wouldn't be a spoiler) is the correlation of Inni's mad, chaotic city (Amsterdam if I remember correctly) with monks in Japan. Very funny and important book. I almost feel akin to all the other reviewers who have read this as if we're in a special club.
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Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Human Rituals in Godless World
This small splendid book is full of ideas. Which is the main one? What is this novel about? A Bildungsroman.An import of human sexuality. Read more
Published on Jan 24 2000 by Andrew Karbovsky
5.0 out of 5 stars
Human Rituals in Godless World
This small splendid book is full of ideas. Which is the main one? What is this novel about? A Bildungsroman. An import of human sexuality. Read more
Published on Jan 18 2000 by Andrew Karbovsky
5.0 out of 5 stars
I recommend this to everyone!
I first heard of this book on the happyrobot.net site. This wonderful book starts with a selfish but valid love and ends with understanding of the world. Read more
Published on Dec 15 1999 by Kristine Flavino
5.0 out of 5 stars
In the elite top-five books ever
This book amazes me. It definitly was a solvent on my life. It is a book whose world will accompany me forever. Read more
Published on Jan 30 1998 by slaw235@aol.com
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