The Angler
Interview with Professor Liebregts:
"I used to have this extremely red sort of hair."
I just don't get it...:
"The plot seems as littered with holes as the hull of the ship itself."
Christmas in England:
"You could pass the day at school happy in the knowledge there'd be a
chocolate treat waiting at home."
Year 8, Issue 2, December 2012
Colophon
EDITION
Editorial
Year 8, Issue 2
It’s Christmas time! Well, not yet, but it is soon
approaching. At the moment we are all quite busy with studying
for those pesky exams coming up, cramming in time to write
those essays, while still trying to find time to not only finish the
homework for this last week but also try and get some sleep. It
seems like a nearly impossible task, I know. Keep in mind though
that just 2 short weeks from now it is finally Christmas! As ‘tis the
season, we decided to give you a Christmas themed issue of
The Angler this time.
EDITOR
Read up on what delicious treats you’d get to eat during
a Christmas dinner in the middle ages, see what Harry Potter’s
Christmases have been like, and do not forget to watch those
classic Christmas movies we all know and love.
FREELANCE WRITERS
We also have a great interview with our very own
Professor Liebregts, be quick to find out what he was like as a
student!
James Lokas
BOARD
James Lokas
Franziska Mattler
Hanne Kouwenberg
COMMITTEE
Valerie Brentjes
Maj Hansen
Marten van der Meulen
Anne Rutten
Emily Allinson
Benny Baumann
Eric Brotchie
Ingrid van Busschbach
Marten van der Meulen
Anonymous
INTERVIEWEE
Peter Liebregts
I wish all of you good luck with the the upcoming exams
and with writing all the essays. They will soon be over
(thankfully!) and you all will be able to enjoy that well deserved
break.
PHOTOGRAPHY
& ARTS
Maj Hansen
Bas Foppen
WITH MANY THANKS TO
Have a very merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year
celebration.
Karin Hendrikse
All the best,
James Lokas, Editor
SPONSOR
Wesoby B.V.
Copyright
The contents of The Angler (online and
printed version) are copyright of The
Angler. All rights reserved. Information of
the web site and magazine, including but
not limited to, text and images, may not,
except for strictly private purposes or
where otherwise indicated, be
reproduced, transferred, distributed or
stored without prior written permission by
the board of The Angler. Modifications to
the content of the web site and magazine
are expressly prohibited.
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
1
Content Page
Content
Editorial
2
Philology: “Of Crispels and Crusage Gentyle – Medieval Christmas Dinner.”
4
Literature: “Nargles in the Mistletoe.”
6
Linguistics: “Is English Threatening the Dutch Language?”
8
Language Acquisition: “What Do You Mean ‘Jack Skellington hijacked Christmas again’
‽”
10
Interview: “Professor Liebregts: From Rebellious Student to Full Professor.”
12
Culture: “Christmas in England.”
17
All Things Albion!: “Drinks, Movies, Werewolves, and Goodbyes.”
19
All Things LEF!: “From the Director.”
20
Movie Review: “Nostalgic Noel.”
21
Going Abroad: “Part II: Money.”
23
International Students: “I just don’t get it...”
25
Creative Writing
27
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
2
Philology
Rutten
Of Crispels and Crusade Gentyle – Medieval Christmas
Dinner
Christmas is fast approaching: a time of
joy and festivities, but above all, eating.
Whether you gorge yourself on mince
pies, or sit through several three-coursedinners between Sinterklaas and New
Years Eve, food is a central part of the
celebrations. Nowadays, every kind of
meat and every sort of vegetable is
available throughout the year, and
Christmas dinner is a lavish event
comprised of the tastiest of morsels.
However, this decadence is not a far cry
from medieval eating habits. Poor
peasants would be lucky to eat twice a
day, but the English nobility feasted on
luxurious items every day! So what can
you expect, should you be invited to a
dinner at the Percy’s?
After your arrival, you will be shown to the
great hall. Your place at the dinner table is
determined by your rank: grooms, valets
and other servants sit on the far end of the
hall, but as a valued highborn friend, you
will join the lord’s table. Napkins have not
been invited yet, but you will be expected
to wash your hands – do not fret, there are
servants to pour the water and hand you
towels. As you sit down, another servant
will pour you wine. These alcoholic
beverages will have been imported from
France, the Low Countries, or even Spain.
Again, the quality of the wine depends on
your rank and pedigree. Before the dishes
are brought in, grace is said by the
chaplain – after all, you are in a proper
Christian household! The Church imposes
itself on dinner through other means as
well. Christians are supposed to observe
the fast days, so on Wednesdays, Fridays
and Saturdays, no meat is allowed at the
table. In addition, the periods of Lent and
Advent are traditionally fast days, meaning
that for half the year, you will eat
vegetarian.
When the dishes are brought out, you will
have to wait just a little bit longer. The lord
is entitled to the first choice, and once he
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
has sampled his favourite dishes,
they are passed around.
You might find Mortreus de Chare on your
plate, a meat dish thickened with eggs and
bread, or Leche Lombard, a sort of
medieval haggis. A real treat is the Poume
d’Oranges, which is a variety of meatballs
made to resemble oranges. Most of these
dishes are boiled or baked meat, served
with sauces or jelly, and pottages or stews
dominate this course. On fast days, you
will be served with equally tasty dishes.
The eel pie, poached mulwell or baked
lampreys are just as delicious, and the
spicy galantine sauce tops it off nicely.
Although you might be rather hungry, you
should resist the temptation to wolf
everything down. There are two more
courses coming up, and you will be stuck
at dinner for two more hours.
After the table has been cleared, some
fruits and nuts are brought in: this heralds
the intervening course. These are small
snacks, and sometimes, they are not even
meant to be eaten. This short pause might
include a marvel, such as birds flying out
of a pie. When you discuss the marvellous
surprise with one of the many Henrys
present, the second course is brought out.
These roasted animals are dressed to
impress: the heron is dismembered, the
coney is unlaced. There will be pottages,
stews and pies as in this course as well,
but the focus lies on the many exotic
animals. In the Middle Ages, you would
usually eat pork or beef, in a nobleman’s
household, you could expect to eat
peacock, woodcock or lark too! Needless
to say, these were costly meats, and
served to show off the earl of
Northumberland’s riches and good taste.
Fish was no exception: salmon, trout and
turbot are on the fast day menu, and they
are dressed as exquisitely as the meat.
The nobility can afford to buy the
expensive fresh fish, and they have no
problem presenting their wealth.
3
Philology
Dessert is comprised of many delicious
treats. While you might find sparrows and
beavers (a fish under Church ruling),
another sign of the lord’s wealth, you can
also find familiar dishes such as apples,
strawberries and pears. These were
spiced, baked or otherwise preserved to
last for a long time: fresh fruits were
believed to be bad for your health. Often
the fruit is made into a pie or pudding, as
proven by the the popular Chireseye
Rutten
(cherry pudding) and Fruays (apple
pudding). Of course, dessert depended
heavily on the season: in winter, you will
not eat cherries or grapes. During a last
drink with Henry, the servants carry out
the leftovers. They will not be thrown
away: beggars at the gate receive the
broken meats gladly. Tonight, in the true
Christmas spirit, everyone goes home with
a full belly.
Anne Rutten
Interested in daily life in medieval England? The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England by Ian
Mortimer makes for an amusing read, and it is historically correct too!
Want to make your own medieval dinner? http://www.godecookery.com/ has a ton of medieval recipes
from all over Europe!
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
4
Literature
Hansen
Is the fake tree dusted? Are the presents
wrapped already? Have you thought of a
way to escape annoying family members
at the party? You are probably not the only
one wishing for real snow, a real tree, and
in particular: an exciting way of celebrating
Christmas where unexpected events will
enchant you...Well, grab your broomstick
and travel to a remote place in the
mountains of Scotland. Cross the Loch,
evade the Whomping Willow and carefully
skid down your broom into the huge piles
of fluffy snow covering the grounds of our
favourite castle: Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry. What place is
better to enjoy a Christmas dinner than the
Great Hall, decorated with the twelve
(authentic) frost-covered trees, enchanted
snow and glittering icicles? Perhaps you
even get the chance to pop one of
Cribbages’ Wizarding Crackers and hear
some of Peeves the Poltergeist’s ‘adapted’
versions of the traditional carols.
His first year at Hogwarts is also the very
first time that Harry receives Christmas
presents. His pile of packages contains a
Weasley Jumper – hand knitted of course
– Chocolate Frogs, and the Cloak of
Invisibility. This special garment is the
beginning of Harry’s roaming the corridors
at night and discovering secrets such as
the Mirror of Erised (desire spelt
backwards). In fact, the Cloak will prove
of great value throughout his adventures in
all of the books. Another significant
present is the early Christmas gift of the
Weasley twins in his third year: the
Marauders’ Map. This map enables Harry
to visit Hogsmeade, the nearby village
where all kinds of shops dealing in magical
merchandise are located. While
eavesdropping on some teachers in the
Three Broomsticks, Harry discovers how
his parents were betrayed by their best
friend, which sets quite an important part
of the plot in motion.
Of course, Christmas is a special time
anywhere around the world, but Harry
Potter in particular experiences marvellous
days in this period of the year. The
grounds of Hogwarts are lit by fluttering
fairies, portraits are getting tipsy of too
much liquor, and eager house elves
prepare a myriad of dishes and puddings.
It is probably the only place where
mistletoe is a threat, as it might be
inhabited by Nargles – if you are willing to
trust Luna Lovegood. Hogwarts’
Christmases are not only unique because
of the decorations and feasts however.
Without the presents and opportunities
Christmas provides, Harry would never
have been able to go through all of his
adventures. The Dursleys might send him
‘generous’ gifts such as a toothpick, but
what would he be without the Marauders’
Map, or his Invisibility Cloak? Let’s have a
look at the aspects of the consecutive
Christmases of the ‘boy-who-lived’.
Indeed, for Harry and his friends
Christmas is not a quiet period at all. In
many of the books an opportunity for
something, or important turn in the story,
seems to be created by the festive
circumstances. The Polyjuice Potion, for
instance, is drunk at Christmas day by the
companions to try to discover more about
the heir of Slytherin. No comfortable
digesting for the friends after tea, but
straight unto solving another mystery.
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
Or the Yule ball; Harry’s fourth year at
Hogwarts proves to be an unconventional
one, as everything is accommodated for
the Triwizard Tournament. Naturally, with
two sister schools (Durmstrang and
Beauxbatons) on the grounds, a traditional
Christmas is not enough. When Harry and
Ron are tired of dancing, they discover
quite some secrets: the discussion of
Snape and Karkaroff about death-eaters
business, Hagrid confessing to be a halfgiant in the gardens, and a way of dealing
with the enigma of the golden egg.
5
Literature
From Hogwarts in the first four books the
setting of Christmas shifts to other places
in the following parts. First of all, in book
five Harry visits the headquarters of the
Order of the Phoenix. However, the
gloomy atmosphere of Grimmauld Place
does not prevent him from having a merry
time altogether. After surviving a kiss with
Cho Chang in the Room of Requirement, a
vision of Voldemort’s snake attacking
Ron’s dad and the subsequent idea of
being possessed by his enemy, Harry can
finally be cheered up by Sirius’s songs. He
does not know that lessons of Occlumency
await him after this.
Secondly, in Harry’s sixth year Christmas
is spread over different places: Hogwarts
and the Burrow, the cosy house of the
Weasleys. With Lord Voldemort officially
returned, Harry is trying to figure out what
role Draco Malfoy plays in his plans.
Professor Slughorn’s Christmas Party
unexpectedly provides an opportunity for
this: when following Snape and Malfoy,
Harry’s suspicions of both Slytherins
increase. A more comforting thought is his
stay at the Burrow with his friends in yet
another Christmassy atmosphere.
Especially the memorable sight of the
garden gnome, painted gold and dressed
up in a tutu to represent an angel, is only
possible at the Weasleys’.
Unfortunately, Harry neither spends
Christmas Eve in a decorated castle nor at
his second most favourite place in the
world in the last book, but in the extremely
cheerful ambiance of a graveyard. In their
search after Horcruxes Harry and
Hermione (as you probably remember Ron
left them after a row) resort to visit
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
Hansen
Godric’s Hollow, the place where Harry’s
parents lived before they were murdered.
They hope to find Gryffindor’s sword with
Bathilda Bagshot, the author of A History
of Magic. It proves to be a more
disastrous Christmas than ever, as Harry
finds himself in a precarious trap; Bagshot
is possessed by the snake of Voldemort.
Both he and Hermione escape in the nick
of time, at the cost of Harry’s wand.
Luckily, a few days later Ron returns: he
rescues Harry from drowning in an icecold pond in the forest of Dean. A late
Christmas present is the discovery of
Gryffindor’s sword in the same pond. In
any case, there is an abundance of snow.
Indeed, Hogwarts does provide the
ultimate atmosphere for a marvellous and
charming Christmas party. The
decorations, the feast, the white snow
instead of the watery black slush generally
seen around here; that is an admirable
example. So, if you want a Christmas
worthy of Hogwarts, dress your little
brother or sister up as a house elf, drag
along some snow cannons and confiscate
a heap of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. But
do not expect a relaxed party, because a
combination of Harry Potter and Christmas
often seems to end up in drinking
disgusting potions, having terrifying
nightmares, removing Christmas baubles
in the shape of your own head or even
fighting a deathly snake. Maybe a
traditional, yet boring feast with your family
under a fake tree is not that bad after all...
Merry Christmas!
Maj Hansen
6
Linguistics
v.d. Meulen
Is English threatening the Dutch language?
Recently I have come into contact with a
group of people called “Stichting
Nederlands”. This is a group that actively
resists the increasing number of English
loanwords in the Dutch language. This
organization was created in 1998 by
people who were aware of the “English
craze” (from their website), and tries to
both dam in the amount of new English
loanwords and come up with “good” Dutch
alternatives. They are not alone in their
opinion: OnzeTaal, a popular magazine
about language, has a whole file on the
anglification of Dutch. They feel that if
something is not done, Dutch will be the
second language in the Netherlands by
2060, after English. But is this fear
justified? Will Dutch disappear in fifty
years?
There is something to say for
people who fear that Dutch will disappear:
the number of languages in the world is
declining rapidly. An often-heard estimate
is that of the 6,000 languages used today,
90% will be lost within the next 100 years.
However, it is (at this point) very and
extremely unlikely that Dutch will be a part
of these dying languages. The reasons for
this are manifold. Dying languages usually
have declining numbers of speakers, but
Dutch speakers are only increasing in
number. Nowadays there are more than
ever with more than 23 million speakers. A
language is severely threatened when it is
not the official language of a nation, or
when children aren’t taught in the tongue
anymore, or when another language takes
over the original language. None of these
factors apply to Dutch. But there is of
course language contact, and new words
do appear.
New words are created all the time:
they can for example be made from
existing words by derivation (an NCIS-like
show)
or
compounding
(a
mothergoosefucker), or they can come
from
other
languages.
This
last
phenomenon is called borrowing, or
loaning words. It is certainly true that in the
last decades we have borrowed quite
extensively from English. Before that,
there were periods when Dutch borrowed
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
heavily from French and German. In fact,
of the total number of loanwords in Dutch,
the majority is still from French and Latin.
Even words like kaas ultimately derive
from Latin. Latin used to have a lot of
influence in Roman times and in the
Middle Ages. Later, the Dutch borrowed a
lot of words from French, especially in the
16th to 19th century when French culture
was dominant in Europe. Lastly, German
was influential as a language, supplying
many words that we today would hardly
recognize as being German (such as the
word leenwoord, meaning loanword)
English words have only really started to
appear in Dutch after the Napoleonic wars,
when French influenced waned.
Two other things are very
important to realize about the distribution
and life of loanwords. Opponents of
English in Dutch often say that there are
many thousands of English words seeping
into every part of Dutch. That is not strictly
speaking true: a lot of the English words
are restricted to very specific fields, such
as business management. Your Average
Joe won’t use any of these words.
Furthermore, it is vital to understand the
notion of fashion words. As I said earlier,
Dutch has loaned words from many other
languages in the past, but these words
also disappear again. A good example of
transitoriness of loanwords comes from a
Dutch book I recently read, called
Eenzaam Avontuur. This book was written
in 1948 and has an inordinate amount of
French words in it, words that must have
been quite readily understood at the time.
Reading this book now it strikes me as
distinctly odd and old-fashioned to read
words such as désavoueren (see how the
word is bastardised with the Dutch verb
marking suffix –en), or an embarras de
choix (an expression which I didn’t even
readily understand). These expressions
have (as far as I’m aware) disappeared
from our language use.
Finally, evidence has seldom been
found that borrowing would hasten
language death. Language death often
goes through various stages, but there
must always be a replacement language.
7
Linguistics
In other words, language death is almost
always preceded by bilingualism. There is
a type of language death called sudden
death, where the last speaker of a
language dies without there being a
bilingual period, but this is very rare. An
example of this is Tasmanian.
So loanwords, no matter how many
there may be, are not a threat to Dutch.
This is unfortunately not the whole picture
of the language contact between Dutch
and English. The fact cannot be denied
that the global use of English is spreading
rapidly. Besides there being more than
300 million L1 speakers of English, the
number of L2 speakers is enormous, with
estimates varying from 500 million to 2
billion. Many of these L2 speakers are just
like us: we use our mother tongue for the
largest part of our daily lives and only use
English in restricted domains. One of
these domains is higher education. This is
unsurprising when one studies English
Language and Culture, but it is not only
our own study where English is very
common: most of the masters are in
English, many bachelors, such as
Linguistics, are partly taught in English,
and a great number (maybe a majority) of
studies, including Medicine, draw heavily
upon English literature. This is the real
threat to Dutch, and it is right here in our
own university.
Why is the use of English as the
primary language in higher education
dangerous? This question can be
answered on several levels. For the
purpose of this article it is most relevant
that the increasing use of English can lead
to domain loss. It is not unthinkable that at
some point all higher education will be
taught in English. The advantages are
clear: books do not have to translated,
worldwide
communication
between
students, professors and staff will be
greatly facilitated, and it will be easier for
our students to study and teach abroad.
But the dangers are that we lose part of
identity and part of our creativity: of the
more than 19,000 students at Leiden
University, how many are able to
communicate in English at the same level
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
v.d. Meulen
as they do in their mother tongue? And
when all higher education is taught in
English, then it might be beneficial for
students to gain more knowledge of
English in high school. And to prepare
them for that, it might become necessary
to teach more English in elementary
school! And then eventually Dutch will
become the primary language of
education, and finally of our country. This
may seem as a reductio ad absurdum, but
this is a lot more likely to happen than the
death of Dutch because of loanwords.
Education is a vital register for the
continued survival of a language.
The problem of course is: what can
we do about it? Any solution has so many
disadvantages that it becomes impossible
to employ. The “Stichting Nederlands” is
strongly opposed to using English words
where perfectly good Dutch words are
available. This of course is impossible to
enforce: speakers (and writers to a lesser
extent) will damn well use whatever word
they like! But the use of English in
education can be controlled. One of the
actions that have to be undertaken is the
translation of scientific books in Dutch. A
costly solution, yes, but one that will
ensure the lasting possibility of being able
to teach in Dutch, not in English. All
arguments about internationalization are of
course plausible, and if all bachelors are
taught in Dutch than at some point more
English education has to be introduced.
This is an ongoing problem. But let
me just repeat here: Dutch is not under
threat. Loanwords have been around
forever, and will continue to be used.
Whether or not to use English loanwords
is mostly a question of aesthetics, and
people should decide for themselves what
they think is beautiful and what is not,
because in the end, de gustibus non est
disputandem. It would help though if
people would just let other people be, and
stop nagging about all kinds of “wrong”.
Remember folks: there is no right and
wrong in language: there is only usage.
Marten van der Meulen
8
Language Acquisition
Brentjes
What do you mean “Jack Skellington hijacked
Christmas again”‽
Punctuation is, with a grain of salt, the
greatest invention since the number
zero. It allows for near-limitless
possibilities to express oneself, so
mastering it is essential. Poor Romans
who never had either. However, “nearlimitless”, in my opinion, is not quite
good
enough.
Sometimes
the
extensive rule set bogs one down, and
sometimes the right symbols seem to
be missing, especially because written
text does not carry some emotions as
well as spoken text.
When taking another good look at the
title of this article, you will find my first
complaint about English punctuation.
In fiction, one can easily write “Did the
Christmas
lights
explode?”
I
exclaimed. Although in essays one
may not want to yell at your readers,
consider blogging. Capitalising a
statement will, as is common on the
Web, be considered childish unless
the culprit is J.K. Rowling. Sure, you
could italicise or write in bold
typeface, but perhaps your font looks
pretty in neither or you want to draw
yet more attention to Did she really
say “All I want for Christmas isn’t
you”?
This is where the interrobang, a
combination of the question mark and
the exclamation point (also known as
the “bang”), comes in. Martin K.
Speckter, head of an advertising firm,
introduced the symbol in 1962 to
replace the awkward and unappealing
“?!” or “!?” (interrobang-mks.com).
Though
the
symbol
enjoyed
considerable popularity in the sixties—
in the form of name and design
suggestions, articles, and the inclusion
of
the
interrobang
in
certain
typefaces—it never caught on. Partly
because
it
was
considered
unnecessary by some, partly because
of limitations to the number of keys on
typewriters, and partly because it was
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
simply
too
expensive
to
incorporate an additional and
most of all unconventional glyph
(shadycharacters.co.uk). Although the
majority of contemporary typefaces do
not support the interrobang, as a
vehement adversary of “?!” and its
switched-up version (which one should
I use anyway?), I think the interrobang
would make a useful addition to
English punctuation.
Even more so, with an increasing
amount of communication happening
through
computers
and
text
messaging (or What’s Apping for all
you
modern
kids
with
your
smartphones and tablets) rather than
speech, a demand has arisen for
symbols to indicate tone in written text.
People who miss ironic remarks and
take them literally can be frustrating
enough in conversation, but deadpan
snarkers may run into a great deal
more trouble on the Internet, where
you cannot make a single ironic
comment without offending half of the
connected world.
But it is not just modern society that
could do with an irony marker: the first
demand dates three centuries back to
John Wilkins, who suggested an
upside-down exclamation point (“¡”).
Shady Characters’ webmaster Keith
Houston writes:
“Wilkins’ choice of the ‘¡’ seems
most
appropriate.
The
exclamation
mark
already
modifies the tone of a
statement, and inverting it to
yield an ‘i’-like character both
hints at the implied irony and
suggests the inversion of its
meaning.”
In Ethiopian punctuation, the upsidedown exclamation point, known as
Temherte Slaq, already exists to
identify sarcastic or unreal comments
(“A Roadmap to the Extension of the
9
Language Acquisition
Ethiopic Writing System Standard
Under Unicode and ISO-10646”).
However, this irony mark and many of
its successors, such as the pointe
d’ironie resembling a flipped question
mark, failed to make it into the English
punctuation set. Regrettably, if you ask
me—because I would much rather use
such a symbol than add <irony> tags
around my text.
Of course, irony works best when the
speaker or writer does not call
attention to the fact that he or she is
being ironic, which I think is a strong
argument against the use of a pointe
d’ironie
or
other
equivalents.
Nevertheless, a way to indicate irony
Brentjes
would
clear
up
many
a
misunderstanding on the Web, so in
certain
contexts
it
would
be
appropriate.
As a typography lover, I vote in favour
of resurrecting the interrobang and a
less artificial irony mark than a winking
smiley or a pseudo-HTML tag. If not
for any of the reasons stated above
then because “‽” is much more
aesthetically pleasing than “?!” or “!?”
and because I have not been able to
incorporate any ironic remarks in this
article.
Valerie Brentjes
Wesoby B.V. Zaagstraat15, 7556 MX, Hengelo. T. 074 711 47 74 F. 074
711 45
E. [email protected]
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
10
Interview
Busschbach
Interview with Professor Liebregts: From Rebellious
Student to Full Professor.
Background Information:
1986 Graduated in Classical Languages and Literatures in
Utrecht
1986-88 Teacher of Latin and Greek at two secondary
schools in Arnhem.
1987-88 Lecturer in the Department of Literary Studies at
Utrecht University.
1988 Research assistant with a research grant from NWO
(Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research)
1993 PhD at Leiden University (Cum Laude)
1993-1998 NWO post-doc researcher
1999 Junior lecturer at the English Department of Leiden
Back then: 21 years old.
2004 Senior lecturer
2006- Full Professor of Modern Literatures in English.
(Courses he teaches in 2012: first-year course “The
Classical and Christian Legacies”; third-year course
“Anglo-American Modernism”; MA-course “James Joyce”;
MA-course “Odysseys of Homer: Appropriations of the Iliad
st
and Odyssey in 21 -century English Culture”; MA-course
“Art and Literature in Anglo-American Modernism”)
2008-09 co-leader of the international research Theme
Group “The (Post)Modern Augustine” at NIAS
(Wassenaar).
class on Modern Literature a few years
ago I did not really know what to
expect from my interview with him.
Now: 53, but at times still feeling 33 years old
(when forced to reveal his emotional age).
‘People do not believe me when I
say: ‘I used to have this extremely
red sort of hair.’’- Professor
Liebregts.
Monday afternoon 14:00 o’clock on a
rather cold and cloudy day in Leiden. I
am off to my appointment with
Professor Peter Liebregts. Even
though I took his
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
As a student you only get to know the
teacher, but not so much the person.
Therefore, finding out who Professor
Liebregts the person is was my set
goal for the day.
Standing in front of Professor
Liebregts’ office door, armed with a
memorized resume that I googled from
the net and a sheet of 30 questions in
case all would go silent, I knocked on
his door. There, I was greeted with an
enthusiastic smile, which made me
feel confident that I would be able to
get a peek into the student years of
this professor, who is otherwise
always rather private about his
personal life.
11
Interview
After getting tea and taking a seat on
his sofa in his office I started to ask my
questions. After the first, it immediately
became clear that English Literature is
not his only academic ‘love’, but that
that developed alongside his love of
Classical Languages and Literatures
which he studied in Utrecht. Originally
from the South and fresh from
secondary school his choice to go and
study in Utrecht in the late ‘70s was
quite obvious for him. Simply, because
he wanted to do something different,
and not go and study in Nijmegen or
Maastricht, where most of his
classmates decided to go.
When I asked: ‘Where did you live
during your student years in Utrecht?’
he made himself comfortable in his
desk chair and started reminiscing
fondly about his days as a student
which started as he explains in his
own words in Bilthoven, which is near
Utrecht in an ‘very, very, very tiny
(attic) room which was about 2.5 by
2.5 m. It also had a slant roof! But, the
first year I spent every weekend back
home; because most of my friends
actually stayed there and then slowly I
got more involved in Utrecht’s social
life. After the 3rd year I moved to
Utrecht city itself and I shared a whole
floor with a (rather rich) fellow student
of mine’. An interesting detail that
Professor Liebregts tells me slightly
later is that even though he did not
have to pay for it, the room that he
shared came with its own
housekeeper! So apart from now
being able to stand up straight in his
new room and even probably being
able to run a marathon from one side
to the other, he also did not have to
worry about breadcrumbs on the floor
or a sticky stove in the kitchen. I have
to admit not bad if you are still a
student.
Nonetheless, before rooms were
getting bigger and graduation was in
sight Professor Liebregts worked all
kinds of part time jobs. In his first
academic year (’79) (before studying
Classical Languages & Literatures) he
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
Busschbach
took a job as a gardener of a dental
practice which most of all meant
raking leaves. Soon after he took an
administrative job at a transport
company called Van Gent and Loos.
This first academic year was more a
sabbatical year where he dropped out
of university, but got acquainted with
James Joyce’s Ulysses and worked
long hours in order to save money to
go to Dublin to make sense of the text
that, in his words, he had ‘wrestled
with’, ‘for weeks on end!’. This text
would later prove to be one of his most
favourite texts and most influential
texts on his road to becoming a
professor of English Literature.
Then I asked: ’How would other
people have described you as a
student back then?’ He did not have to
think for a second and gave me a
surprising answer: ‘Rebellious!’ He
explains to me that when he was a
student in the late 1970s nothing
seemed to have changed in the
curriculum and the way students dealt
with one another since the 1950s. His
way of rejecting the ‘old ways’ was
reflected in his controversial choice of
clothes, listening to pop music, having
long red hair, and going quite often to
the cinema, which were all seen as
signs of ‘low’ culture. Thus he went to
see the film Apocalypse Now (which is
still one of his favourites) TWICE in the
Tuschinski theatre in Amsterdam
immediately when it came out (See
link to view trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikrh
kUeDCdQ ). But when I asked him ‘Do
you recall a funny anecdote from your
student time?’ I was in for an even
bigger surprise. Apparently in the early
’80s the government chose to abolish
the Classical Languages and
Literatures department in Utrecht.
The rest is best read in Professor
Liebregts’ own words: ‘Of course we
did not agree with this, and protested.
So what we did do? For instance,
somewhere in the winter 1982/83, we
made these posters which we then
wanted to hang up everywhere in the
city centre of Utrecht to call attention
12
Interview
to our difficult situation.’ He then tells
me to the side: ‘As if anyone would
care that we would be abolished, but
we all were still very idealistic ’. He
then continued the story: ‘I can still
remember that it was a very cold and
hard winter. We went out in the middle
of the night of course because it was
completely illegal. We did not want
to be seen by the police. And so we
had these leaflets and we also had a
waste bag with glue in it, but it was so
freezing that the glue actually froze
inside of the bag so we really had to
stop after two or three hours! We were
so cold!’
Professor Liebregts goes on: As a
second way of getting attention we
also wanted to occupy the building of
the Classical department, but we were
very very polite and we first asked
permission from the caretaker of the
building whether he would allow us to
have a sleep over. We were granted
permission and we took our sleeping
bags and we were off to the Classical
department. I can still remember that I
spent two nights in the office of my
professor of Latin. He adds: ‘the
caretaker was such a nice man; he
stopped by the second night to see
whether we were still okay and
whether we needed anything. We on
the other hand were trying to be
fearless and wanting to make a point
we were OCCUPYING the building!
That shows that no one took it actually
very seriously!
As a last attempt we also wrote a letter
in Latin to the pope in Rome to explain
the situation and whether he could
actually prevent the minister of
education of abolishing our
department and we actually got an
answer from the Vatican! Well, not
the pope himself of course but one of
his spokespersons who said that ‘The
pope regrets that these languages will
no longer be able to be studied in
Utrecht but I hope that you will
understand that the pope has no say
in these matters and cannot intervene
in what seems to be a government
affair.’ So in the end the department
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
Busschbach
closed down and I was really one of
the last to still graduate in Utrecht. The
rest had to go to Leiden, Amsterdam
or Nijmegen.’
After these fabulous anecdotes I
asked him a bit about his job ‘What
does a Professor actually do?’
‘Basically what I do are 3 things: one, I
have my research, so like anyone else
I have to write a number of articles or
produce a certain amount of
researches a year. I also have of
course my amount of teaching which
ranges from first year students to MA
students. As a professor you are also
involved in all sorts of levels of
administration which includes
implementing new plans for the
faculty, trying to improve on the
program, to meet on a regular basis
with other chairs of faculty
departments, and I have assessment
talks with the people for whom I am
responsible, let’s say the literature
people, on a yearly basis. So there are
a lot of meetings and committee work
involved, as well as the writing of
official letters and reports.’
‘And which part do you like best?’
‘Teaching!! I also like research very
much, but I find it almost more like a
private sort of thing. As a researcher
you are far less public and in touch
with people, with the exception of
going to a conference or keeping up
contacts with those experts with whom
you can discuss your work. In this
sense, I think teaching is a more fun
thing to do because there is more
social interaction and I simply like to
teach. Teaching is the most direct form
of being occupied with your
profession.’
‘And which part the least?’
‘Administration, because these
administrative meetings can take for
hours and sometimes after a few
hours you think what am I doing here?
Of course sometimes decisions are
13
Interview
Busschbach
being made, but in The Netherlands
people like to confer endlessly about
everything.’
an hour and a half he was still very
patient and more than willing to
answer some more questions.
‘What was the highlight of your career
thus far?’
‘Name the one thing you could not do
without?’
‘Perhaps people would expect me to
say when I attained the full
professorship, but no, what I really still
see as the highlight of my career is
getting my doctorate. So the fact that
my PhD thesis was accepted, which I
then defended here in Leiden. The rest
that comes after is simply a result of
that sort of investment of 4 years
spending, well basically, on writing a
book and hoping that it will add
something to scholarship in the eyes
of other academics. Getting my
doctorate, then, that was truly the high
point!’
‘My daughter’, he said with full
conviction!
Being at the top of his career, I asked
him ‘What are your future goals?
What’s next?‘
‘At this point I am still a chair for a
number of years so I want to survive
these years, but I would like to have at
a certain point a bit more time to do
my research: to write things I still want
to write. It would also be fun perhaps
at a certain point to spend some time
abroad. I was offered a job at an
American university once which I
turned down for personal reasons. I
am not sure what I would do if they
would offer it to me again.’
‘Would going abroad be something
you would want to do for career
reasons or personal reason?’
‘Personal, because I am quite happy
where I am now; I still really like being
here in Leiden. I think it is the best
place to be at this point in my career.
After these questions about his
professorship and his plans for the
future I still had a few short unrelated
questions that I wanted to ask him.
Even though the interview lasted over
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
‘When people really get to know you
what are they often surprised to learn
about you that most would not have
guessed?’
‘Ha ha, that I go to U2 concerts.’
‘What is in your opinion U2’s best
song?’
He tells me that he cannot pick just
one song and that he likes all the
songs on the album Achtung Baby
(1991) (Click link to listen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJP
iKvb5fmc ) He says: ‘I think they never
topped that and I can still listen to ALL
the songs on Achtung Baby. They are
still excellent!’
‘What is your favourite novel?’
‘James Joyce’s Ulysses! It is a cliché,
but it really got me into English. I am
teaching it now for the 3rd time and I
am reading it for the 6 or 7th time.
Every time I discover new things. Such
a great book! I have been reading it for
more than 30 years now. It stood the
test of time for me.’
‘What is your favourite quote?’
‘It's hard to single out particular
quotes, but I have noticed that on
certain occasions, certain lines from
Ezra Pound's Cantos come into my
mind as this is a poem which is also a
text (like Ulysses) which has been with
me for most of my life now, and which
I never tire of reading. So two lines
from that long poem seem to have a
certain significance to me: “In the
gloom, the gold gathers the light
against it.” (from Canto XI), and “So
14
Interview
light is thy weight on Tellus” (from
Canto XVII).”
‘What is your favourite food?’ ‘Italian!’
‘What is your favourite drink?’ ‘Palm.’
‘If you had to describe your time as a
student in one word what would it be?’
‘Fun!’
After I took a last sip of tea out of my
cup and thanked Professor Liebregts
for this interview, I was off to my
computer to write this article, but not
before I very quickly scribbled outside
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
Busschbach
of his office the following words on a
piece of paper. Which seems to
summarise Professor Liebregts
perfectly:
‘After this interview I can best
describe Professor Liebregts as a
man who regards Ulysses as his
bible,
Palm as his liquid ambrosia,
his job as his vocation and his
daughter as the best thing in his
life!’
Ingrid van Busschbach
15
Culture
Allinson
Christmas in England
When I was a child Christmas seemed
to last for the whole month of
December. Early on the morning of
December 1st, my siblings and I would
race down the stairs in our pyjamas to
our chocolate advent calendars. We
opened the first little window and
gobbled down the tiny chocolate
inside. It was cheap, supermarket
chocolate, more sugar than cocoa, but
to us it was extra tasty because it
heralded the start of the Christmas
countdown. Every day after that we
would repeat the ritual, unless we
forgot in the hurry to get ready for
school. Actually, those days were
pretty great too, because then you
could pass the day at school happy in
the knowledge that there’d be a
chocolate treat waiting for you when
you got home.
Soon it was time to start decorating
the house. My parents would come
home one day with a Christmas tree,
which diffused a very particular
seasonal smell and scattered sharp
pine needles through the house as it
was dragged into our living room.
We’d all spend an evening decorating
the tree with a mixture of homemade
and bought decorations. Some
became family favourites. We still
have a red, feathery, one-eyed old
robin which sits proudly on our tree
each year. When we were really
young, we would make angels from
toilet roll holders. Mine were always
gorgeous, but not very angelic- big,
lipstick red mouths, and long curly
eyelashes. After a while, I think our
parents got a bit sick of our gaudy
decorations cluttering up the tree.
Plus, us kids were determined to have
every single bit of tinsel and every last
fairy light draped across the branches,
resulting in a glittering monstrosity. So,
we ended up with a smaller, plastic
tree that we were allowed to dress,
while my parents took care of the ‘real’
tree. We’d be very polite, of course,
about our parent’s efforts, but secretly
judge the lack of tinsel.
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
As the month wore on, we’d start
doing more and more Christmas
activities at school, like making even
more toilet roll angels and rehearsing
the annual nativity play. One year I got
to play Mary. My proudest moment
was when I said my one line to my
primary school ‘husband,’ “Does that
mean we shall have to travel to
Bethlehem, Joseph?” At home we’d
bake mince pies, listen to Christmas
carols and go to late night shopping
events in our village, where locals
would gather to drink mulled wine and
browse the shops for presents.
Every year we wrote our letters to
Santa. “Dear Santa, this year I’ve been
really good, I promise. I’d really like
this, that, and those for Christmas.
Thank you!” One year I wrote mine in
a picture code, convinced that Santa
(being magical) would have no trouble
working it out. I think it gave my
parents a bit of a headache trying to
decode my drawings. On Christmas
Eve, we’d leave Santa a glass of
sherry and a mince pie by the
fireplace, and put out a carrot for
Rudolf the reindeer by the back door.
Santa must have been pretty tipsy by
the time he’d finished his rounds,
because he’d always finish the sherry.
The mince pie was often only half
eaten, and the carrot had some bite
marks in it, as if Rudolf had been quite
full already, but had politely nibbled at
the carrot to please us. On Christmas
morning we’d wake up much too early,
and wait for our parents to rise before
tearing down the stairs and bursting
into the living room. In a frenzy of
activity we’d check whether Santa had
left us presents in our stockings, and
whether he’d eaten his mince pie, and
someone would run out to the back
door to see if Rudolf had found the
carrot. A white Christmas is so
ingrained in my image of Christmas,
thanks to movies, TV and kids books,
that we’d also run to the window to
check if it had been snowing. It almost
never had been, but we quickly forgot
16
Culture
Allinson
the weather as we tore into our
Christmas presents.
Years later and it’s Christmas time
again. But this time, for the fourth year
in a row, I’m in Leiden for most of
December. It’s a very different
experience. For one thing, the
countdown starts a whole lot earlier,
because of the Sinterklaas activities at
the start of the month. This year I
swear I saw pepernoten in the
supermarket in August… I’ve enjoyed
learning some of the traditions
associated with Sinterklaas, and I’ve
been especially taken with the poems
that are written to accompany
presents. This is such a nice and
personal touch to gifts, and if you’re no
Shakespeare a naughty rhyme is
enough to add some humour. I’ve also
really got into all the spicy and
almondy cakes, biscuits and tasty
things in between, which litter the
supermarkets at this time of year. Yes,
I do miss mince pies, and when I get
back to England in time for Christmas
one of the first things I do is devour a
warm pie with some proper British tea.
But the sheer range of treats here is
something that merits appreciation.
Oh, and the fact that glühwein can be
bought ready-made by the bottle.
My flat is way too small for a proper
Christmas tree, but I bought a few
branches at the market and some
second-hand decorations at a charity
shop. The smell of pine instantly
brought on a wave of nostalgia. Now
I’m inspired to speed through my
remaining essays and assignments so
that I can wrap up warm with a mug of
hot glühwein. Merry Christmas,
everyone!
Emily Allinson
If you would like to read more by Emily go visit www.theleidener.com
.
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
17
All Things Albion
Lokas
Drinks, Movies, Werewolves, and Goodbyes.
Since the last issue of The Angler we
at Albion have been quite busy. Our
very own Albion Activity Committee
(the AAC) has organized a few nights
for drinks at our new local hang-out ViKings Sports Bar at Noordeinde – they
were all attended by freshers, secondyears, and third-years alike. We also
had quite a successful movie-night
where we showed the fast-paced and
witty In Bruges starring Colin Farrel
and Brendan Gleeson.
Last week, after some trouble
with getting the right location, we
played the werewolf game. Though not
as many people could make it as we
had hoped, those who were there did
have a blast!
Unfortunately it has not all
been good news. This semester our
secretary handed in her resignation
letter and we have been without an
official secretary since then. If you
would like to strengthen the Albion
board, have some laughs, and
generally a good time then don’t
hesitate to send us an e-mail
([email protected]) with your
motivation! We are looking forward to
hear from you.
As a close of this first semester
the AAC has organized a great
karaoke night which by the time this
has been published will already have
taken place. I hope that you all did
decide to drop by Vi-Kings to let us
hear your amazing singing skills (or
perhaps just your passion for singing).
It has been a very busy first
semester for Albion and its
committees, and I can assure you that
it will continue this way throughout the
second semester as well.
For those who have not had
the opportunity to go to any of the
events yet, make sure to keep a spot
open in your agenda for any (or even
all) upcoming events organized by the
AAC.
Not only the AAC has been
busy of course! The Entrepreneurs
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
have been meeting up weekly to
discuss all the details for the upcoming annual London trip. At the
end of this January (28-2nd
February) they, along with 30-odd
people, will be visiting the finest
museums, parks, shops, and of course
the local pubs and clubs. If you can’t,
like yours truly, make that trip make
sure to save up for the big one at the
end of the second semester.
We (the Albion board and
committee members) hope to see you
all at either Albion’s next event or
perhaps in the streets of London.
Merry Christmas, Hanukkah,
and any other celebration you may
participate in.
James Lokas
18
All Things LEF
Simons
From The Director
What can I say? Being the
producer of this year’s LEF December
production was everything I expected
it to be, and more. Especially the
more, a lot more. More days, more
hours, more work, more stress, but
most of all, a lot more fun.
The reason I decided to direct,
or in the first case, wanted to direct, is
due to the fact that I want to have a
future in theater. I already loved acting
on stage, and always thought that I
would love working backstage as well.
I wanted to seize the opportunity of
directing and so presented my case to
last years LEF board. Thankfully the
board and the general members all
voted in favor. And, about 8 months
later, here I am. And it turns out I was
right, I love being backstage just as
much as I love being on stage. Now I
just hope the audience will love it as
well.
I am writing this piece a week
before our performance dates, so my
mind is on mega overload. Who would
have thought there is still so much
work that needs to be done just days
before the performance? But like with
my academics, I work best under
stress and always manage to do well
even in the last minute, so fingers
crossed the same goes for my
theatrics.
These past 3 months have
been quite the experience, and one
that I would not trade for all the money
in the world. I have met some amazing
people, and have had the opportunity
to work with some amazing actors.
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
Also, I have seen certain people
really step out of their comfort
zone, when it comes to acting,
and put on such a stellar
performance that it made the
hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
No amount of money can buy that
feeling, or can make you re-live that
experience.
All these perks of being the director, I
must admit, they are pretty amazing.
So even though I haven’t slept
in 17 days, I go to classes like a
zombie, and put my clothes on
backwards, theater is worth it.
P.s. I have also met my long lost sister
and better half, Anne Fleur den Haan.
P.p.s. For those of you who have no
clue what I have been talking about,
see picture!
P.p.p.s. For those of you who have no
clue who Anne Fleur is: she was the
most incredible, and wonderful
Assistant Director.
P.p.p.p.s. That was written by Anne
Fleur.
Catrin Simons
19
Movie Review
Baumann
Nostalgic Noel
We are rapidly moving towards the lovely
Christmas time, and what is more prone to
give you that lovely Christmas spirit than a
few good old Christmas movies under a
warm blanket and a cup of hot chocolate?
In thread with the holiday spirit I have
taken the liberty of reviewing a few good
old Christmas movies – naturally I cannot
give them a roll on the die, since we all
know deep inside that they are all 6es by
default!
Love Actually:
This lovely movie
from 2003 consists
of eight snapshots of
lives ultimately tying
together. They are
all little short-stories
of holiday situations
from ordinary people
with all their
problems and difficulties – in essence
relating completely to the everyday man.
They are all short stories of love and
hope, and the daily challenges most face
around Christmas.
Love Actually is the ultimate feel-good
love movie, and it leaves the viewer with a
sweet lingering feeling of that all is good
around the sweet romantic Christmas
time. Everything will work out in the end,
and everyone will live happily ever after.
The movie is backed up by a really strong
crew of actors, but the beauty of it is that
one does not get the feeling that they are
hired for the purpose of a flashing
billboard, but for their suitability to the role.
Keira Knightly, Liam Neeson and Hugh
Grant are only some of the grand faces
that flash by – and they all deliver
convincingly.
The most captivating aspect of this film,
aside for the ultimate happy ending, is
the fact that most people can relate to
some aspect of the plot. Everyone knows
the stress before and around Christmas
time, and the snapshots and short
scenes are from all layers of society;
from Prime Minister to Housekeeper.
And
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
ultimately, they are all scenes
from family life and love as it really is…
Love Actually.
The Nightmare Before
Christmas:
This movie is a dark musical
directed by Tim Burton, made in
1993 it is an oldie but goodie. It
is one of the few Burton films
which does not feature Johnny
Depp, but rather has Chris
Sarandon and Danny Elfman
talking and singing Jack
Skellington’s voice respectively. The film
is not a Christmas movie as such, seeing
most of the action takes place in the land
of Halloween, but manages in the course
of the plot to incite the jolly Christmas
spirit. Of course the film possesses the
grand happy ending, and the love interest
is heartfelt and convincing.
The most memorable aspect of this movie
is, for me, the amazing job Ken Page does
in voicing the role of the Gambling HighRoller Oogie Boogie. All the songs are
perfectly tailored to set the mood – dark,
but yet hopeful. Like all Tim Burton
productions, he reshapes the category he
is currently in – and in this particular film
he takes the animated and makes it adult.
I would argue that both the themes, the
gruesome and the ultimate morale of the
movie is more suited for a an adult
audience – although it can also be
enjoyed by older children.
Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole
Christmas:
The ultimate guilty-pleasure
children movie: Jim Carrey
in a Dr. Seuss classic story.
The Green outcast Grinch is
stealing Christmas – but in
the course of the action his
heart awakens, and he is
re-absorbed into society,
and lives happily ever after
in the happy Christmas
spirit. Behind the whole plot
is a lesson in morale, which tells children
20
Movie Review
that Christmas in not only about the
presents and the decorations – but about
your family, and spending time with loved
ones. This film has always received rather
low reviews, but it is after all a children’s
film, and should be reviewed as such. I
give it a huge plus for costume design and
the Whos are very convincing despite the
fact that this is a budget remake of a
classic cartoon. The city and the morale
also go hand in hand with Christmas, and
it is all in all a very cosy family film.
What makes this movie interesting in
particular is how the dialogue rhymes!
Most of the rhymes are originally from the
book by Dr. Seuss – but some were
added for the theatrical effect and to add
humour which suited the screen better.
There are also plenty of songs in the film,
and that is naturally one of the reasons it
remains a classic – for what is a
Christmas movie without some catchy
songs which will be stuck in your head for
the rest of the season?
Baumann
and games, and in the long run you end
up missing your family, and as in the
Grinch the realisation eventually dawns
that Christmas in not only about presents
and food, but about the people you
surround yourself with.
Smother the Stress
The best part about the Christmas
Holiday, while being a student, is that in
the middle of all the exam stress and
hard-core studying you can take a break
from it all, and delve into the magical
world of films that give you the Christmas
spirit that pondering over the immense
stack of books seems to crush.
Remember that blanket and hot chocolate
from before? Come on… You deserve a
break!
Merry Christmas to you all, and best of
luck on your exams!
Benny Baumann
Home Alone:
This movie from 1990 will
always have a special
place in my heart. It has
been an annual tradition in
my family to see this film
together before Christmas.
Even though you know
what is going to happen at every turn, it
simply does not stop being funny.
Kevin, an 8 year old boy, is left home
alone when his family completely forgets
him in the middle of the stress of going to
France for the holidays. When two stupid
house-burglars decide to rob the house
where the clever Kevin is all alone, hilarity
ensues. Piled high with slapstick and
physical humour, the movie is also spiced
up by it mostly being shown from the point
of view of a naïve boy who thinks he has
wished his family away. Eventually he
changes his mind and realises that
Christmas probably is best with his family,
and he misses them despite all the trouble
they put him through.
The story is timeless, because it really
captures Christmas from a child’s point of
view. What would a child do if s/he had
unlimited money and freedom to do as
s/he pleased? In the beginning it is all fun
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
21
Going Abroad
v.d. Meulen
Going Abroad Part II: Money
Money. The curse of living. You need it.
You have to buy food. You need a roof
over your head. But you have to work to
get it. Who likes working.
I study English. I already have a
Conservatory degree. That makes English
my second Bachelor degree. Meaning I
have to pay the institutional fee for
studying in Leiden. That’s 5000 euro a
year. Moreover, I don’t get money from the
government anymore. I have to pay for
public transport. And then I haven’t eaten
a single meal yet. Nor have I bought a
book. But don’t think I’m complaining. It
was my own choice.
I work hard for my money. I have
three jobs. It costs me 20 hours a week.
Some of these jobs are nice enough. But
it’s not enough to pay for Australia. Rent
there is 200 euros a week. There’s the
ticket. The visa. You must have Australian
health insurance. I need a bike. They
require you to wear a fucking helmet. Do
you know what an average helmet costs?
40 euros! The cost of living is also a lot
more expensive than here.
You don’t know how lucky you are.
Good food is everywhere. We complain
about Albert Heijn. We shouldn’t. Not too
much anyway. It’s much harder to find
proper
food
abroad.
Contrast
is
everything. You only appreciate what you
have by contrast. That’s why I think
everyone should try a spell abroad.
I have to get more money. So I
devised other ways of making petty cash.
More importantly, I devised ways to save
money. Petty is really the word to focus on
here. There’s loads of ways of saving
money. Most have to do with planning. Go
to the supermarket twice a week. Buy stuff
for several days. Just buy what you need.
No snacks. I’m even losing weight. It has
other advantages. I used to shop groceries
every day. You stand in line for ages. Now
I save a shit-load of time. I also only cook
two times a week. Make enough for three
days. Save more time.
I don’t buy new stuff anymore. This
afternoon, I gave myself a rare treat. I
bought a book. Hadn’t bought one in two
months. Very unlike me. Very hard not to
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
give in. But it was exquisite. When you
crave something but don’t give in, the
occasional treat is orgasmic in scope. In
the mind though. Not in the flesh. I’m sure
the people at De Slegte wouldn’t have
appreciated me orgasming all over their
books.
Being a musician helps. I still know
people. Some people still know me.
Despite being busy, I play what I can.
Anything will do. A book-presentation. The
opening of a home for the elderly. A
festival for free improvisation. Lunch
concerts. A workshop about what music is.
I do feel slightly abused from time to time.
I’m really at the bottom of the food chain. I
take the jobs no-one else wants. But it
pays a lot better than a paper round. It
may be small potatoes. Still, it’s money.
I started selling books. I have way
too many anyway. It’s more work than you
think, selling books. Do it on the internet
and you have to make entries. You have
to send all the books yourself. Bring your
books to a second-hand bookstore, and
you get rubbish prices. Still, it’s money.
How much do you pay for
insurances? I pay less than I did a year
ago. I cranked down my phone-bill. Who
needs texting when you have Facebook.
Who needs phone calls when you have
Skype. I looked into subscriptions. Turned
out I was paying all kind of things I didn’t
need. Magazines. Land line telephone.
Then there’s cheap outings. These
are my favourite. Leiden is heaven for free
events. Annual lectures. PhD ceremonies.
Visiting scholars. And all with free drinks
after.
It’s interesting. The less you take,
the less you need. Think about it. Why do
you always buy new clothes. New books.
New stuff. Does it make you feel better.
Maybe. But do you know what makes me
feel good? Self-discipline. Every time I
don’t buy a new suit I feel great. I seem to
be turning in some kind of crazy hippieBuddha. Without the fat, mind you.
I still have a lot of stuff though.
When did all that stuff accumulate? And
why do I have all those things? Clothes I
don’t wear. Books I don’t read. Candles I
22
Going Abroad
don’t burn. Board games I don’t play. It’s
insane. But just try to get rid of it. You
can’t. This stuff has emotional value. Yuk.
Still, I’ve given away a lot of things.
Brought some stuff to the second-hand
store. Gave clothes to Africa or whereever. Good for the karma I guess.
Sometimes I give visitors stuff. I don’t
need it, they want it. They’re always
surprised. Embarrassed even. Gift giving
is felt to be reciprocal. People have trouble
dealing with gifts seemingly given without
v.d. Meulen
compensation. But there is compensation:
I get space. Both physically as mentally.
There is good news. It seems to be
working. I break even. At the end of the
month I have a little more money than
what I started with. And anyway, I’ll get a
job in Oz. Apparently there’s a lot of work
in construction there. That should be
interesting. I’ve been a professional
mover, but never a construction worker.
Anything for a story.
Marten van der Meulen
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
23
International Student
Brotchie
Eric Brotchie is currently studying a Master of Book and Digital Media Studies at Leiden University. He blogs for student-run
blog The Leidener. A part-time historian, part-time sociologist and full-time idiot, he is kind of British, kind of Australian, and kind
of confused. Here’s why...
I just don’t get it...
There are plenty of things I could tell you
about Leiden; about how international
students flock here from far and wide,
party hard, see the sights, live, love and
learn. I am one of them. I came here with
big eyes, an eager tongue, was ready to
make the most of my studies and feast on
Dutch culture like a fat kid in a candy
shop. When I leave in seven months’ time,
I’m sure it will be with memories, friends,
cellulite and debt in equal measure. These
days will all become part of an enormous
blur of moments that in five years’ time will
be “when I was in Leiden”, or “back when I
was doing my Masters”. Indeed, just about
every one of us will go back to at least one
dear old parent somewhere and sit around
the family table, awkwardly trying to
explain what they’ve been doing for the
last semester or, in some cases, three
whole years. In a few weeks we’ll probably
be at home enjoying Christmas, trying to
decide what to tell people about our time
here. At the end of the day, most of us will
probably leave Leiden around the
twentieth more confused about Holland
than when we got here, which probably
isn’t really a bad thing. For future
reference though, here’s some things
we’re really going to struggle to explain:
windmills and stroopwafels, what could
possibly have possessed them risk their
lives on the high seas on a seemingly
impossible mission to found a new colony
among warring indigenous Americans?
One of my sources cites ‘old age’ as a
reason the pilgrims had to leave...
Needless to say when I turn 70, the last
thing I’ll be doing is jumping ship to a new
continent. Please explain.
2. Zwarte Piet
This is one you already know. Black Peter,
Saint Nick’s vaudevillian helper, is a
completely inexplicable and widely
offensive character for international
students. We get into the spirit while we’re
here, but those smiles we put on are in
fact well-trained masks that hide the true
level of cringe we all feel about all this. We
are sensitive new-age people, and we
honestly think that Piet is kind of, well,
how to put it nicely... racist. When mother
and father back home see our photos with
Pete, they might wonder exactly how and
when their little bundle of joy began to
harbour such antisocial views. I guess
maybe we should show those ones to our
extant great grandparents only...
1. The Mayflower
3. Fraternities
Although my parents have many vices,
one thing they did very well was not give
birth to me in the United States. I’m not an
American and I don’t really get the appeal,
but if I was, I guess I’d like to know about
the famous Pilgrim Fathers, and all that
happened for the formation of the ‘Free
World’ on a little ship that sailed from
Leiden. From the perspective of a
complete ignoramus (read ‘my
perspective’) the plot of the Mayflower
story seems as littered with holes as the
hull of the ship itself. The main one is this:
If the pilgrims were in Leiden as refugees
from England, glorying in the Dutch
hospitality complete with ample tulips,
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
Of course we go to a Quintus or Minerva
party here and there, but for many
international students in Leiden there’s a
certain mystique about fraternities. No-one
ever really tells us the rules about these
houses filled with bad hair gel and makeup in which young Dutch people coexist.
We naturally understand that some of
these places are vastly cooler than others,
and that the ‘others’ are in fact delighted
not to be ‘cool’ and would rather just be
‘normal’. To us it all frankly seems like a
rather too grown-up version of playing
“who-likes-who?” in a primary school
playground. Good luck with that, and be
24
International Student
sure to tell us who wins in the end :)
4. How to make things look adorable
This is the absolutely fantastic and
completely unattainable thing about
Leiden; it takes apparently insignificant
things, and tweaks them for their ultimate
cuteness factor. Something as functional
and as rational as a simple house, which
the world over is a four-sided series of
walled rooms with glass to let light in and
adequate plumbing for sanitation, in
Leiden is transformed into an elongated
maze of brickwork with a high roof, a
hayloft, and decorative friezes all around
its window frames. What’s more, it’s
reflected perfectly in a canal that it rises
above. Shoes you have turned into clogs:
adorable. You still serve fries in cones:
adorable. Riding around with a waterproof
bathtub on the front of your bike, holding a
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
Brotchie
number of children whistling happy Dutch
songs together: adorable. Where does it
end? ...oh, Leiderdorp.
So there may be some things we will
never be able to explain about Leiden to
those who come after us, or indeed those
who want to know what we’ve been up to.
But nevertheless, our studies here are not
just studies in university, they are studies
in life, and life teaches us that objective
truths may be hard to find, but
experiences last forever. So thank you
Leiden for making us welcome, asking us
questions and showing us, saliently, that
we can never know it all. For all of us
here, I know, the best is yet to come.
Eric Brotchie
25
Creative Writing Contest
Anonymous
As was mentioned in the last issue – we will have a creative writing competition for each issue of The
Angler this year. If you have a story/poem/letter etc. which you’d like to share with us; don’t hesitate to
send in your contribution to [email protected] before the end of February! Below you will find the
winner of this issue’s contest. It was sent in on someone else’s behalf so I do not know who wrote this
piece. Either way; congratulations Anonymous!
A knight, a Maiden and a Rogue
Scene: A small hut in the woods, a redhaired maiden at it's doorstep.
Enter the knight
“Fair maiden, I have come to save you
from your captor,”
“Oh good sir, but I was never in any
danger. He has been very kind to me and
never touched me without my consent.”
“Hark! You love the rogue!”
“Oh sir, I do, I do.”
“We were to be married, my fair lady. You
expressed your love to me. And now you
choose the outlaw? Oh woe.”
“But I still love you too, my good knight. I
fear I love both my captor and saviour.”
“That cannot be. You must choose! Come
with me and I shall shower you with riches.
But choose the outlaw and you shall live in
the trees and eat berries for the rest of
your years.
“Oh please, sir knight. Do not make me
choose! Can I not have both?”
Enter outlaw
“You can, dear, sweet lady of my heart!”
“hark! The outlaw! Fight me or lay down
thy sword and surrender!”
“Heavens, please do not fight. I wish for no
bloodshed over me.”
“Listen to the pretty maiden. She has
much good in her heart.”
“You will run off with her again were I to let
you go. Surrender!”
“Please, listen to him. He made us an offer
that could gives us all what we wish for.”
“Indeed, fair lady. I said she could have us
both. For I, the dashing rogue, see no evil
in sharing a bed with such a handsome
knight as you, dear sir, and a lovely lady
like you.”
“handsome, you say? Why, I do not know
what to say.”
“Yes, I spoke the very truth. Come, join me
in my humble den and share a glass of
wine with me.”
The knight and the lady follow the dashing
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
rogue to his hideout, where he shows how
much he appreciates both sexes.
The following day...
“Oh, I am so very happy! To share the rest
of my life with both men I love.”
“I never knew there were so many
wonders in the world of night I had not yet
seen. The rogue has surely opened my
eyes.”
“The pleasure was all mine, good sir, dear
lady.”
Enter rogue's companion, returning from a
small trip.
“What do my eyes see? My love, who are
your friends?”
“My woodland prince, these are the fair
maiden and her knight, who I so kindly
offered the shelter of our home for the
night.”
“Who is he, my darling rogue?”
“Yes, who is he?”
“Why? He is my love, my life. The one who
holds my heart. How come you look so
surprised?”
“I thought you loved me! You took my
flower and made me a woman! How can
you say your heart belongs to him?”
“Hark! The outlaw lied to us!”
“Oh no, I told the truth. I said the maiden
could have us both. And that she did. And
now I shall see you off, good knight, dear
lady, for I am to show my lovely prince
how much I've missed him.”
The rogue and his love leave. The knight
and the maiden remain.
“Oh woe, I lost half my heart to the
rogue.”
“Weep not, fair lady. For I shall take you to
my castle and fill the half that you have
lost.”
“You are a true knight.”
“And perhaps, when our paths cross
again, we shall show the rogue how much
26
Creative Writing Contest/Comic
he missed by running off with his
woodland prince.”
“Oh yes. We shall.”
Anonymous/Hansen
Anonymous
As usual we have our very own Maj Hansen’s comic contribution. This time it is about the age-old
battle between two famous beards.
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2
27