Come here, fat kid - Jan Titulaer

The book bears the subtitle “1947-1961; the earliest memories of a Blerick boy”. It is an autobiographical collection of stories in which the author Jan Titulaer shares his earliest childhood memories of growing up in Blerick and Hout-Blerick (municipality of Venlo) during the 40s and 50s.

• The meaning of the title: The title “Kôm heej vetkedee” (Come here, fat pig / slob) is a typical phrase the author's mother used to say when he came home completely covered in dirt after hours of playing outside in the mud, fields, or by the Everloschebeek to eat. Before he was allowed to sit at the table, he would first be thoroughly scrubbed clean with Sunlight soap at the sink.

• Historical context of the reconstruction: The stories paint a vivid, warm, and humorous picture of daily life in the Liëwerikstraot (Leeuwerikstraat) and the rest of Blerick right after World War II. It describes a time when children spent entire days outside, getting into mischief, falling into streams, and growing up in a close-knit community.

The book is richly illustrated with recognizable old archive photos from that period. For anyone from the Venlo/Blerick region, or for people interested in local history and the Limburg dialect, this is a wonderful and recognizable celebration of recognition.