Het verdwaalde eiland: Amsterdam op 37°50' zuiderbreedte

by Alfred van Cleef

A striking narrative of a man's inadvertent discovery of the life force that persists in the most secluded of places-and isolated of beings

After the death of his father, Alfred Van Cleef-the last of a family of Dutch Jews-learns that he is unable to have children. Seeking the remotest spot on the planet, far from the gleefully reproducing couples of Amsterdam, Van Cleef picks a forbidding island in the Indian Ocean, a bizarrely bureaucratic French weather station, two thousand miles from the nearest continent.

Finally entrenched on this lonely, wind-battered rock-following an eight-year odyssey to obtain a visiting permit and three weeks' rough passage-Van Cleef anticipates a total escape from the sexual frenzy of humanity: the island, ironically named Amsterdam, is inhabited solely by a group of thirty-six men. Yet this stark environment turns out to house a riotously mating society of albatrosses, sea elephants, fur seals-and especially bdelloid rotifers, an all-female species able to reproduce without males. It is in this unlikely setting that Van Cleef is forced to reckon with his most profound existential concerns.

With wry humor and probing insight, Van Cleef weaves geography, natural history, and biology into this original narrative of a lost island and a man, finally found.

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Grinslander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een eenzame reis naar een onmogelijk eiland, waar niemand voor zijn plezier naar toe gaat. Van Cleef heeft liefdesverdriet, dan doe je soms zoiets. Het boek is goed geschreven en Van Cleef heeft zeker een verhaal te vertellen.

[Zora · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5/5

[Marlie Verheggen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5⭐️ Best interessant reisverhaal naar een bijzondere plek. De intermezzo flashbacks van zijn persoonlijke leven interesseren me wat minder, maar het is soepel geschreven.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

well, i cant find the english translation on here, but this will do. as a south indian ocean island / taaf obsessive, this is by far the most informative and helpful of all the books i've read on islands in the area. everyone that goes to these islands has some sort of personal motivation, some reason why they want to isolate themselves from the world, and unfortunately, that ends up being the central point of the story in most cases. here though, van cleef respectfully gives at least half of the book over to describing the island, its geography, flora, fauna, and feeling. as a former reporter, he finds the right mix between relevant detail and succinctness that i personally appreciate. it's wonderful to finally envision one of these islands without the obfuscation of sidelines on the psychology of isolation, petty interpersonal feuds or deranged obsession. there's finally a modern, focused, first person account of life on the island, and the boat that took him there is still running today. useful information for my own (hopefully) upcoming trip!