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    What does reading mean to you?

Reading is central to my life and has been for a long time. I grew up with books. My house was filled with books. My parents, grandparents, and the babysitter have read to me since I was a little boy. When they were not around to read to me, I had these little cassette tapes that I played, so that I was being read to when I felt the need. I loved to read from a young age, so when I went to college, I studied English language and literature. I quickly focussed on the literature track. That was my bachelor’s. For my master’s, I further specialized in literary studies. In addition, my PhD was a literature dissertation. So, I have been doing literature all my life. It is a part of who I am.

    Which book has made an impact on your life?

There are many books. The answer to a question like that changes during your life. For example, when you are younger you pick a children’s book. For today, I chose Waterland by Graham Swift, a book that I first encountered as a student. It is a novel first published in 1983, the year I was born. It’s a very metafictional postmodern novel about history and how history works. It takes issue with the traditional idea that history can be reconstructed objectively or scientifically. Instead, the protagonist, who is a history teacher, emphasizes that history is the art of telling stories. For him, Man is the storytelling animal. The protagonist keeps weaving his own life story into the larger stories of history, but stories no less. The novel is set in the English Fens, which is a part of England very similar to the Netherlands in terms of the landscape: it is very flat. These surroundings resonated with me because I grew up in Friesland (a province in the Netherlands), which is very flat as well. In the novel, this seemingly unexciting landscape is turned into this magical place of story. The book has appealed to me emotionally, but also intellectually: the idea that we are a storytelling animal has strongly shaped my views on things like history and identity. Thus, I have read and reread Waterland many times.

    Would you recommend this book to students – and if not, would you recommend a different one?

I certainly would. It is not an easy read, but it is not James Joyce either. I found it satisfying and very entertaining and I warmly recommend it to any student who enjoys reading.

    Is reading for pleasure the same as reading for disciplinary purposes?

They can certainly overlap. Once in university, students are taught terminologies and theories that give them a critical repertoire for reading that isn’t offered in high school. So, studying sharpens and deepens your reading skills by providing tools for critical understanding. For me, disciplinary reading and reading for pleasure are not strictly separate. Once you become a more advanced reader, with a critical background, reading can give you even more pleasure. You can analyze and understand the text on a different, less-intuitive, level. That critical component of reading is also pleasurable.

    Has going to university or becoming a university professor changed how you read?

Studying has changed how I read. When I am supposed to write about a particular book, I read with a pencil in hand. My copy of Waterland, for example, has been annotated quite a lot. Because I had to write about it, I reread it multiple times, which added depth to my understanding. When I ordinarily read for pleasure, I do not necessarily intend to reread a novel and my engagement with the text will perhaps be less intense, though not less pleasurable. For me, disciplinary reading and reading for pleasure are closely connected. Attentive reading, critical reading, escapism, and entertainment; for me, all of those things are intertwined.

    What is your match favorite reading moment?

Time is always an issue. Especially now that I have a family and a busy job. Time is scarce. As a result, I look forward to the time during my holidays that I’ll be able to read. Ideally, I read in beautiful surroundings, in an easy chair, and with a drink and a snack close by. At home, I like reading in our living room when the kids are asleep or outside playing. Those are the best moments to read. Trains are a good place to read as well.