27 Beats Per Minute

'A very special book that I enjoyed enormously' Cees Nooteboom
Soon after Henk Pröpper moves from Amsterdam to Paris, both the world and his heart almost come to a full stop. He undergoes major surgery and awakes in an empty city during lockdown. Paris is transformed into an abandoned stage and to quicken his recovery, Pröpper begins walking. He combs his immediate surroundings, he hunts for the past, discovering countless commemorative plaques and monuments that honour well- and lesser-known Parisians and keep their histories alive. He reflects on his life and the literature that has shaped him, walking in the footsteps of literary heroes such as Victor Hugo, of Balzac and of Camus.
27 Beats Per Minute is a moving ode to life, literature and Paris, a city that even in emptiness is always magnificent.
'One of the most moving and most invigorating autobiographies ever written. This is a finely polished gem worthy of admiration' Knack
'Philosophical, reflective, and with the pleasantly slow heartbeat of a writer who carries the reader through the city, European literature and history' het Parool

HENK PRÖPPER has for forty years written about the literature and culture of France, the country where he was a diplomat and director in Paris of the Institut Néerlandais. He was director of the Dutch Foundation for Literature before becoming a distinguished Dutch publisher. Pröpper writes for de Volkskrant, mainly about French subjects.