Writer and philosopher Joke Hermsen

The writer and philosopher Joke Hermsen is going to write a contribution to our contemporary book of hours and pilgrims Seasons of Life and thus become a forerunner of the Walk of Wisdom.

Joke Hermsen writes a lot about contemplation and spirituality and has published the successful Stil de Tijd , in which she wonders whether there is another, more personal time than clock time. The title is taken from a line of poetry by Gerrit Kouwenaar: ‘spell the flesh, stop time, live a little longer.’

Her other titles include the novel Duds about the idealistic generation of the 1960s and the reflections Silence of the Soul. In this last book, she explores the importance of delay, waiting, attention, boredom and rest and writes frankly about the concept of ‘soul’. She wrote it in the vicinity of the French pilgrimage site of Vézelay, the starting point of many pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela.

According to Hermsen, due to busy schedules, we hardly have time to really reflect on experiences that are of vital importance to us. It’s exactly why we set up the Walk of Wisdom : to make time for reflection on what life is really about.

With the combination of erudition and subtlety, Hermsen manages to write a remarkably concrete book about elusive sensations’. (Maartje Somers in the NRC Handelsblad about Stil de Tijd)

Photo: Anneke Hymmen. More information about Joke Hermsen.