Harry Mulisch
Harry Mulisch
Harry Mulisch (1927-2010) was described by The Times as ’the most celebrated Dutch novelist of modern times.’ His many books of stories, plays, poems and essays have been translated into over twenty languages and include his novel Archibald Strohalm (1952), Het stenen bruidsbed (The Stone Bridal Bed, 1958), De aanslag (The Assault, 1982), the adaptation of which won the 1987 Oscar for Best Foreign Film, De hoogste tijd (The Last Call, 1985) and De zaak 40/61 (Criminal Case 40/61, The Trial of Adolf Eichmann, 1961), his first-hand account of the trial of Adolf Eichmann. De ontdekking van de hemel (The Discovery of Heaven, 2001) is widely regarded as his masterpiece and was made into a film in 2001, starring Stephen Fry. In a newspaper poll of 2007, Dutch readers voted it ’the best Dutch-language book ever’. Siegfried (2001), a dazzling literary investigation into the rise of evil in the twentieth century, was published in many countries, also by Penguin in the USA.
Press:
A detective mystery crafted like a Greek tragedy, of a clarity and a profundity that make it exhilarating to the intellect. - Le Monde, about The Assault
Mr. Mulisch brings exceptional skill and imagination to his task […] You can hardly help being reminded of the clarity of Dutch paintings; characters are established with deft economy. - The New York Times Book Review, about The Assault
De ontdekking van de hemel is a novel of unusual magnitude and greatness. Dust off the laurel wreath; Mulisch has earned it. Hats off. - Trouw, about The Discovery of Heaven
A rare stroke of luck for contemporary literature, it combines the virtues of intelligence and entertainment value - a masterpiece. - Stern, about The Discovery of Heaven
'No novelist in recent times has depicted the crisis in modern industrial society so accurately, and certainly not in such an extremely entertaining and witty way. - Der Tagesspiegel, about The Discovery of Heaven
A great contemporary novel of the European post-war generation. - Der Spigel, about The Discovery of Heaven
A quite extraordinary testimony of our times. A dazzling writer. - Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, about The Discovery of Heaven
Mulisch is a rarity for these times. - John Updike in The New Yorker, about The Discovery of Heaven
A huge and wonderfully entertaining novel of ideas... that will keep you reading and thinking for a good long run of days and nights. - Chicago Tribune, about The Discovery of Heaven
Mr Mulisch spins his yarn finely, and he never lets his trechant (and often very funny) digressions threaten the vitality of the narrative... Anyone who reads The Discovery of Heaven will come away enlightened, challenged and entertained. - The Wall Street Journal, about The Discovery of Heaven
One of the most entertaining and profound philosophical novels ever written. - The Washington Post, about The Discovery of Heaven
Titles
- Siegfried, 2001
- De ontdekking van de hemel (The Discovery of Heaven), 1992
- De aanslag (The Assault), 1982
- De zaak 40-61 (Criminal Case 40/61, The Trial of Adolf Eichmann), 1961