I have arrived back at my summer residence. The stray cat has come around for food, the palms have grown by an invisible centimeter, the books I forgot are back, and I take a seat opposite the whitewashed natural stone wall that has intrigued me with its emptiness for almost twenty years. Every July, Cees Nooteboom lands on his island of Menorca and brings back stories from there and other parts of Spain, which we encounter again in his novels, essays, reports, and poems. In "The Island, the Land," the great author tells the story of Don Miguel, the 87-year-old postman, of a girl named "Snow" and another called "Love," of flowers, the sun, and the sea, while also recalling the unforgettable voice of a Spanish news anchor and addressing various dangers.