Het boekje met alle columns die Jeroen van Merwijk schreef voor het Utrechts Nieuwsblad, begint aldus: Boek Jeroen van Merwijk — Dit lees je nooit Eerste zin Is dat nou moeilijk, een column schrijven? Waarop het antwoord luidt, Nee, hoor. Een column schrijven is het makkelijkste dat er is. Toen ik na afloop van zijn… Read more »
Posts Categorized: First Lines
First Lines: Tales of H.P. Lovecraft
In my CD collection there are quite a few bands who have delved deep into Lovecraft’s work to find inspiration for their art: Iron Maiden (look at the covers of Life after Death and No Prayer for the Dying), Metallica (“The Call of Ktulu”, “The Thing That Should Not Be”), The Vision Bleak (they’re pretty… Read more »
First Lines: The Ladies of Grace Adieu and other stories
As it is said in the preface, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and other stories, aims to throw some sort of light on the development of magic in the British Isles and create a sort of primer to Faerie and fairies. As she shew us in her novel recounting the history of the (Glorious) Revival… Read more »
First Lines: Rose Madder
Bookstores are literally littered with books. Finding a book to read within such confines requires some sort of approach. There is one theory by Marshall McLuhan (he of “the medium is the message” fame) that says you should take a book, turn to page 69 and read it. If you like that page, take the… Read more »
First Lines: The Light Fantastic
In Terry Pratchett’s The Light Fantastic the Discworld is on a collision course with a humongous red star, and the only one who can (and eventually does) save the planet is a cowardly wizard, last seen falling over the edge of the world. I’m still not fully converted to the Church of Pratchettism, but I… Read more »