{"product_id":"2026770000037-secondhand-the-waterman","title":"The Waterman","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good                          \u003cbr\u003eJacket: Wear and tear\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good                  \u003cbr\u003eMarkings: No markings\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA masterwork of Dutch literary fiction, The Waterman chronicles the solitary, elemental life of Maarten Rossaert, a ferryman whose existence is inextricably bound to the rivers and waterways of the Netherlands. Arthur van Schendel crafts a quietly haunting narrative that follows Maarten across decades, illustrating how a man shaped entirely by water, wind, and tide becomes increasingly estranged from the rhythms of ordinary human society. The prose carries a mythic, almost biblical tone — spare and meditative — that transforms a simple working life into a profound meditation on fate, isolation, and the indifferent forces of nature. Van Schendel argues, through Maarten's stoic endurance, that some souls are claimed not by love or ambition but by the raw, impersonal world itself. Widely regarded as one of the finest works of twentieth-century Dutch literature, The Waterman stands as an unforgettable portrait of a man who is as timeless and unknowable as the waters he crosses.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48839386398939,"sku":"2026770000037-SECONDHAND","price":12.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/89b8ee54-13ad-4ffb-9906-f29e965b0814.png?v=1780561260","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026770000037-secondhand-the-waterman","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}