Nooteboom discusses his writing, his years in Berlin and other parts of Europe, and his reputation as a documenter of the world.

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION/RSL SERIES: MEETING 3

The Dutch writer Cees Nooteboom – author of more than fifty works including novels, travel writing and collections of poetry – first visited East Berlin in 1963, and experienced life on both sides of the Wall. His latest publication, Roads to Berlin, contains more than 20 years of writing on the city, from before the fall of the Wall to the present day. It has been described as being ‘alive to every detail’ and written with ‘warm-hearted humour and razor-keen intelligence’. Nooteboom has won numerous international literary awards, and is regarded as one of the greatest contemporary European writers; his style has been praised in the Guardian as ‘cultured, erudite, lyrical’. Here, in conversation with Rosie Goldsmith, he discusses his writing, his years in Berlin and other parts of Europe, and his reputation as a documenter of the world.

Recorded at: Hay Festival