In Manja of de zeven lagen der ziltheid, Dimitri Leue takes you on an artistic exploration through the museum and one’s self.
Please note that Manja of de zeven lagen der ziltheid (Manja or the seven layers of saltiness) is written in Dutch by a Belgian author. There is no English translation and there might never be one. I translated my review from Dutch to English because I think this is an interesting book that deserves to be known beyond the Dutch-speaking world and especially to visitors of the KMSKA in Antwerp, Belgium.
Location: KMSKA museum in Antwerp
Manja of de zeven lagen der ziltheid synopsis
A restorer in a museum, while restoring paintings, finds himself forced to take a look at his own life as well. To courageously remove layer after layer and thereby get closer to the urge and the dream, finally getting away from the endless longing.
Book review
She was my preview. I her afterimage
What was, still is. But more is on its way
The scientist opposes the artist, the male energy faces the female energy. The obsession with the female body in the first layers finds a home in a story about gender diversity. The later layers take you from the physical to the psychological. The thoughts of philosophers, the painters and the painted, as well as us and the people we see are placed directly opposite each other without one knowing what the other is thinking.
Who watches, wants to be seen
Manja of de zeven lagen der ziltheid is a book that first provokes me, and then makes me think. What does the person I see in front of me think or what do those I don’t see think? While reading the first layers, I wondered how long I will accept reading about human bodies, but after I finish the book, my opinion of the first layers changes. This is a book about self-love and being yourself. Highly recommended! But not for everyone because of the format of the book, the limited but present naming of body parts and a dose of negative thoughts in a journey in which the narrator explores the self.
Interested?
Book details
Title: Manja of de zeven lagen der ziltheid
Author: Dimitri Leue
Illustrations: elineveer
Language: Dutch
Publisher: Standaard Uitgeverij
Pages: 144
ISBN (13):9789022339374
Publication date: 13 September 2022
About the author and illustrator
