Overview

This volume invites readers to rediscover Amsterdam through the intimate lens of its inhabitants. Amsterdam Diaries, Life Writing and Identity offers a rich and layered portrayal of the city through the self-narratives of ‘ordinary’ individuals from the eighteenth century to the present. Exploring diaries, letters, oral histories and digital self-expressions, this volume reveals how people have experienced, navigated, and shaped their urban environment across time. It bridges life writing studies and urban history, shedding light on questions of identity, belonging, and the emotional bonds between individuals and the city. Special attention is given to marginalised voices, including migrant experiences, and to the evolving forms of self-representation in the digital age. Expanding the boundaries of life writing, the collection even incorporates non-human perspectives, such as dogs and bicycles. Together, these diverse narratives offer a kaleidoscopic view of life in Amsterdam, illustrating how the city is both a shared space and a deeply personal landscape.

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9789048569731

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Author Information

Marleen Rensen is a senior lecturer in Modern European Literature at the University of Amsterdam. She specializes in literary engagement and life writing and has a particular interest in the lives of French and German artists in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

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