Short stories set in Amsterdam, plus Marco Polo tips

9th August 2017

Amsterdam Tales, edited by Helen Constantine and translated by Paul Vincent – short stories set in Amsterdam. Plus Marco Polo Guide notes on the city.

Amsterdam Tales is an eclectic collection of eighteen short stories and essays set in Amsterdam ranging from the 17th century through to the present day. The collection is expertly edited by Helen Constantine and beautifully translated by Paul Vincent. It offers a fascinating insight into aspects of Amsterdam life over the years…

The eighteen authors are very diverse – not only in time, but also in the subject matter they choose to write about. They range from Gerard Brandt (‘Joost van den Vondel goes into Hiding’: 1625) right through to Robert Anker (‘Pain in the Spleen’: modern day). The first is the story of a man who wrote supposedly subversive literature in the 17th century and the latter is the story of a night watchman conned by thieves. The sixteen in between range from a man railing against trams (W Otto’s ‘An Opponent inveighs against the Tram’ ), to a story of ice skating on the Amstel (Herman Heijermann’s ‘Amstel’), to the strange tale of a school mistress (Jacob Israël de Haan’s ‘The Black Cat’), to a story of Jewish survivors set at the end of the war (Frans Pointl’s ‘Amsterdam 1945-46’), to a commentary on Arab immigration into Amsterdam (Pieter Olde Rikkert’s ‘Who’s Afraid of Allah Akbar’), to man living opposite, and with an unhealthy fascination for, a massage parlour in the red light district (Thomas Herman van Voss’ ‘Massage Parlour’). I have picked only eight of the eighteen stories to mention. The rest are just as interesting and just as diverse. A truly fascinating collection. Before each story in the book there is a full page black and white picture to illustrate it – they in themselves make fascinating ‘reading’.

Amsterdam Tales says a lot about the type of city that Amsterdam was and is. It is a city with a strong immigrant tradition – Jews fleeing from various waves of persecution through to more modern immigration from the Middle East. It is a city full of tolerance (as, indeed, are most Dutch people) and diversity. The book is great way to cover part of its history in a very human way.

A book you can dip in and out of. Highly recommended.

Tony for the TripFiction team

Over to Marco Polo Guides who will tempt you with places to see and culinary delights in AMSTERDAM…..

MULTICULTURAL LIFE AT THE MARKET

Especially on Saturday, it seems that half of Amsterdam is out shopping for fish and vegetables at the street markets – or to eat some fresh syrup waffles or crispy loempia spring rolls. The largest market with the greatest cultural mix is the Albert Cuypmarkt; things are somewhat more tranquil at Noordermarkt and on neighbouring Lindengracht. It is part of the market tradition to end the visit with a slice of apple pie and a koffie verkeerd in Café Winkel.

TEMPTING CHIPS

Crispy, hot chips with a decent portion of creamy mayonnaise wrapped in a paper cone: the very thought is enough to make your mouth start to water. The best chips in Amsterdam are served at small street stalls at the markets or at established locations. The popular Vleminckx chip shop on Voetboogstraat even offers 20 varieties of mayonnaise. As an alternative, the locals sometimes eat their frietjes with Indonesian peanut sauce but never with tomato ketchup.

AND NOW, LET’S CROSS THE IJ…

When Amsterdammers feel the need to escape from the hustle and bustle of the inner city, they just take the ferry across the IJ. The five-minute boat trip to the shore on the other side is free of charge and you are sure to enjoy the wonderful view across the water. There, you will be able to choose between a visit to the futuristic Film Museum and EYE Film Instituut (IJpromenade 1, daily 10am–1am) or a cycle tour through Nieuwendammerdijk; what was formerly a dike village is now a piece of picture-book Holland on the outskirts of town. You can pause for refreshments at the idyllic harbour Café ’t Sluisje (daily from midday, Nieuwendammerdijk 297.

PROOST!

The literal translation of borreluur is “cocktail hour” and describes the period after office hours when colleagues like to get together in one of the “brown cafés” just around the corner. There, those in the convivial groups drink a beer accompanied by a couple of bitterballen – round croquettes. Quite a few of the pubs are completely full at that time and people just have to take their beer and stand outside. The Café Brandon (Keizersgracht 157) is one of the most popular watering holes because it even has its own landing stage on the canal.

CREATIVE SCENE AT THE SHIPYARDS

Amsterdam is famous for its liberal creative scene and you can immerse yourself in it when you take the twenty-minute free ferry trip from the main railway station to the NDSM-Werft. An art community has now settled where ship hulls used to be welded. There are several cafés, an urban beach and artists’ studios, and a gigantic flea market is held once a month in an old wharf warehouse. The dates of the flea market vary. (Neveritaweg 15).

AN EVENING SPENT STROLLING AROUND THE CANALS

The canals, with their picturesque bridges and magnificent mansions, are very beautiful during the day. But an evening stroll also offers many rewards: hardly any of the houses have curtains and it is therefore possible to see into the well lit rooms on the lower floors. The people living there are aware of this and they have their best furniture on display there. You will see designer furnishings or high-quality antiques beneath stucco ceilings and centuries-old beams and get an insight into life along the canals.

LONG LIVE THE KING!

Collective madness is de rigueur at the annual King’s Day celebrations. Until recently Queen Beatrix was honoured but now attention is officially focused on her son Willem-Alexander on 27 April. In reality, it is all about the typical Dutch party spirit coupled with business acumen: the entire city is turned into an enormous flea market in the morning and bands perform everywhere in the afternoon. Make sure you have some cash with you to buy some trinkets and head off to the Jordaan district where the festivities are the most social.

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Lots more literary wanderlust AMSTERDAM

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