{"id":139359,"date":"2026-09-27T12:21:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T10:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/?p=139359"},"modified":"2026-09-17T13:55:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T11:55:06","slug":"geestige-tweede-van-merijn-de-boer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2026\/09\/geestige-tweede-van-merijn-de-boer\/","title":{"rendered":"A witty second from Merijn de Boer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fiction | <strong>Rolling stones<\/strong> | Merijn de Boer | Querido, \u20ac21.99 | 192 pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ole Bakker, the protagonist of Merijn de Boer\u2019s new novel <em>Rolling stones<\/em>, is willing to be the number two so that his girlfriend can pursue her career. But that turns out to be easier said than done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2018If I were asked, \u201cWhat do you want to achieve in life?\u201d, I would answer, truthfully and with satisfaction: \u201cNothing.\u201d Ole Bakker, the first-person narrator of <em>Rolling stones<\/em>, decides at an early age that he wants to organise his life in such a way that he can spend most of his time reading, watching films, playing table tennis and spending time with friends. In Amsterdam, he manages this perfectly well, with simple jobs that don\u2019t demand too much time or energy. It\u2019s at one of these jobs that he meets Dani\u00eblle, and they fall head over heels in love. Now he is absolutely certain that he wants to follow the example of a romantic character from a Turgenev novel, who believes that the purpose of life is to make yourself second best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Daantje gets a job in Tunisia, everything seems to be going swimmingly: she can build a career, and as an expat husband, all he has to do is run the household, do the shopping and cook; he has the rest of the day to himself. The other Dutch diplomats\u2019 husbands that Ole meets all seem to have settled into their roles perfectly and are happy to share their best household tips with Ole at their weekly pizza lunch and partners\u2019 get-together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As strong as, for example, the award-winning <em>The Solidarity Group<\/em> (2020) is <em>Rolling stones<\/em> No, but the new novel by Merijn de Boer \u2013 who himself lived in New York, Jerusalem and Tunis as a diplomat\u2019s husband \u2013 is certainly witty. Take, for instance, the endless conversations his characters have about cleaning products, kitchen roll, loading the dishwasher and other utterly tedious domestic matters. And their coquettish little phrase: \u2018Nothing beats a Dutch boterham\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But whilst they, like \u2018rolling stones\u2019, have shaken off the \u2018moss\u2019 of the past \u2013 their old lives \u2013 Ole is increasingly overcome by homesickness for Amsterdam and a life with a little more substance.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fictie | Rollende stenen | Merijn de Boer | Querido, \u20ac 21,99 | 192 blz. Ole Bakker, de hoofdpersoon van Merijn de Boers nieuwe roman Rollende stenen, wil grootmoedig de nummer 2 zijn, zodat zijn vriendin carri\u00e8re kan maken. Maar dat blijkt makkelijker gezegd dan gedaan. \u2018Als mij werd gevraagd : \u201cWat wil je bereiken [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":330,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":3,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"anyone","activitypub_status":"federated","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[16518,4763,11687],"tags":[15632,58],"class_list":["post-139359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured","category-literatuur-2","category-donatie-gevraagd","tag-expat","tag-recensie"],"featured_image_url":[],"post_author":"A Quattro Mani","assigned_categories":"featured, LITERAIR, WAARDEER &amp; DONEER!","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":54397,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2017\/12\/rollende-stenen-gillende-keukenmeiden-rookbommen-en-edelpunk-waarom-beginnende-makers-theater-kikkers-wintercollectie-zo-verrassingen-opleveren\/","url_meta":{"origin":139359,"position":0},"title":"Rolling stones, screaming kitchen maids, smoke bombs and noble punk: why the upstarts in Theatre Frogs Winter Collection offer so many surprises.","author":"Wijbrand Schaap","date":"10 December 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Two men. Not even very muscular, not even very tough. But what dockworkers. And what simplicity to tell something really beautiful. One rolls himself up like a stone and the other rolls that stone up a mountain. That mountain consists of stage parts...","rel":"","context":"In &quot;PODIUMKUNST&quot;","block_context":{"text":"PODIUMKUNST","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/podiumkunst\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Scene uit The Place To Be. 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Maar kom bij Lex Paleaux (49) niet aan met bewondering of medelijden. \u2018Ik zou z\u00f3 graag eens waarachtig blij willen zijn.\u2019 \u2018Ik doe het niet\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;featured&quot;","block_context":{"text":"featured","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10643,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2013\/01\/inktspotprijs-2012-voor-naieve-burger\/","url_meta":{"origin":139359,"position":2},"title":"Inktspot award 2012 for 'naive citizen'","author":"een van onze leden","date":"15 January 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"No offensive prominent, well-known world citizen or tricky topic, but ordinary people play the leading role in the print that was awarded this year's Inkstspot Prize. The prize for the best political cartoon published in the national and regional press in the past year goes to","rel":"","context":"In &quot;ACTUEEL&quot;","block_context":{"text":"ACTUEEL","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/nieuws\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Inktspotprijs-Geenen-Dardevils.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Inktspotprijs-Geenen-Dardevils.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Inktspotprijs-Geenen-Dardevils.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Inktspotprijs-Geenen-Dardevils.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":70692,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2021\/07\/minister-verbiedt-kunst-hoe-in-komkommertijd-gevaarlijke-propaganda-een-kans-krijgt\/","url_meta":{"origin":139359,"position":3},"title":"'Minister bans art!' - How dangerous propaganda gets a chance in cucumber time","author":"Wijbrand Schaap","date":"27 July 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Up to and including the union, the message was shared: outgoing culture minister Ingrid van Engelshoven had allegedly gone overboard with her diversity policy and now wants to ban non-diverse art from universities. It was big in the Telegraaf and former cabaret artist Hans Teeuwen got a few hundred thousand likes with it on Instagram. Meanwhile,...","rel":"","context":"In &quot;ACTUEEL&quot;","block_context":{"text":"ACTUEEL","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/nieuws\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/parool.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/parool.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/parool.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/parool.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":65875,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2020\/07\/steen\/","url_meta":{"origin":139359,"position":4},"title":"stone","author":"Ingmar Heytze","date":"6 July 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Een schoolvriend was bergbeklimmer. Hij kon het goed, hij deed in vakanties nooit iets anders. De schoolvriend was lang en zo sterk dat hij zichzelf aan \u00e9\u00e9n vinger omhoog kon trekken. Op de eerste dag na de herfstvakantie vertelde hij dat een andere klimmer van zijn groep onder zijn ogen\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Alleen voor leden&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Alleen voor leden","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/service\/members-only\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Facteur-Ferdinand-Cheval-01.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Facteur-Ferdinand-Cheval-01.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Facteur-Ferdinand-Cheval-01.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Facteur-Ferdinand-Cheval-01.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Facteur-Ferdinand-Cheval-01.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39631,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2016\/10\/moraal-of-goede-grap-hollandse-schilders-uit-britse-royal-collection-in-het-mauritshuis\/","url_meta":{"origin":139359,"position":5},"title":"Moral or good joke: Mauritshuis shows Dutch painters from British Royal Collection","author":"Frans van Hilten","date":"2 October 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Dutchers in huis is the name of the new exhibition at the Mauritshuis, which makes you scratch your head: surely the Mauritshuis always focuses on painting from the Netherlands? This time, however, it is about Dutch masters from the British Royal Collection. The choice fell on top-quality genre pieces, including famous...","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BEELDEND&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BEELDEND","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/beeldende-kunst-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bezoekers bij Vermeers Dame aan het virginaal met een heer (\u2018De muziekles\u2019)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Dame-aan-het-virginaal-met-een-heer-%E2%80%98De-muziekles%E2%80%99.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Dame-aan-het-virginaal-met-een-heer-%E2%80%98De-muziekles%E2%80%99.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Dame-aan-het-virginaal-met-een-heer-%E2%80%98De-muziekles%E2%80%99.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Dame-aan-het-virginaal-met-een-heer-%E2%80%98De-muziekles%E2%80%99.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3yKke-AfJ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/330"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139359"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139359\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":139363,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139359\/revisions\/139363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}