Harry Mulisch

Author profile

born

in Haarlem, Netherlands

July 29, 1927

died

October 30, 2010

gender

male

genre

Literature & Fiction, Poetry, Historical Fiction

About this author

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Harry Kurt Victor Mulisch along with W.F. Hermans and Gerard Reve, is considered one of the "Great Three" of Dutch postwar literature. He has written novels, plays, essays, poems, and philosophical reflections.

Mulisch was born in Haarlem and has lived in Amsterdam since 1958, following the death of his father in 1957. Mulisch's father was from Austria-Hungary and emigrated to the Netherlands after the First World War. During the German occupation in World War II he worked for a German bank, which also dealt with confiscated Jewish assets. His mother, Alice Schwarz, was Jewish. Mulisch and his mother escaped transportation to a concentration camp thanks to Mulisch's father's collaboration with the Nazis. Due to the curious nature of his pare...more Harry Kurt Victor Mulisch along with W.F. Hermans and Gerard Reve, is considered one of the "Great Three" of Dutch postwar literature. He has written novels, plays, essays, poems, and philosophical reflections.

Mulisch was born in Haarlem and has lived in Amsterdam since 1958, following the death of his father in 1957. Mulisch's father was from Austria-Hungary and emigrated to the Netherlands after the First World War. During the German occupation in World War II he worked for a German bank, which also dealt with confiscated Jewish assets. His mother, Alice Schwarz, was Jewish. Mulisch and his mother escaped transportation to a concentration camp thanks to Mulisch's father's collaboration with the Nazis. Due to the curious nature of his parents' positions, Mulisch has claimed that he is the Second World War.

A frequent theme in his work is the Second World War. His father had worked for the Germans during the war and went to prison for three years afterwards. As the war spanned most of Mulisch's formative phase, it had a defining influence on his life and work. In 1963, he wrote a non-fiction work about the Eichmann case: The case 40/61. Major works set against the backdrop of the Second World War are De Aanslag, Het stenen bruidsbed, and Siegfried.
Additionally, Mulisch often incorporates ancient legends or myths in his writings, drawing on Greek mythology (e.g. in De Elementen), Jewish mysticism (in De ontdekking van de Hemel and De Procedure), well-known urban legends and politics (Mulisch is politically left-wing, notably defending Fidel Castro since the Cuban revolution). Mulisch is widely read and (according to his critics) often flaunts his philosophical and even scientific knowledge.
Mulisch gained international recognition with the movie De Aanslag (The Assault), (1986) which was based on his eponymous book. It received an Oscar and a Golden Globe for best foreign movie and has been translated in more than twenty languages.
His novel De ontdekking van de Hemel (1992) was filmed in 2001 as The Discovery of Heaven by Jeroen Krabbé, starring Stephen Fry.
Amongst many awards he has received for individual works and his total body of work, the most important is the Prijs der Nederlandse Letteren (Prize of Dutch Literature, an official lifetime achievement award) in 1995.(less)

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Harry Mulisch's Books

Average rating: 3.69 · 11,082 ratings · 481 reviews · 81 distinct works · Similar authors

	The Discovery of Heaven by Harry Mulisch, Paul Vincent (translator) 4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 avg rating — 3,882 ratings — published 1992 — 35 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Assault by Harry Mulisch, Claire Nicolas White (Translator) 3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 avg rating — 2,625 ratings — published 1982 — 30 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Twee vrouwen 3.12 of 5 stars 3.12 avg rating — 1,260 ratings — published 1975 — 15 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Siegfried 3.59 of 5 stars 3.59 avg rating — 963 ratings — published 2001 — 23 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Het stenen bruidsbed 3.12 of 5 stars 3.12 avg rating — 450 ratings — published 1959 — 10 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Procedure by Harry Mulisch, Paul Vincent (Translator) 3.58 of 5 stars 3.58 avg rating — 398 ratings — published 1998 — 15 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	De Elementen 3.25 of 5 stars 3.25 avg rating — 192 ratings — published 1988 — 6 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Het theater, de brief en de waarheid: een tegenspraak 2.89 of 5 stars 2.89 avg rating — 193 ratings — published 2000 — 3 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Het zwarte licht 3.28 of 5 stars 3.28 avg rating — 118 ratings — published 1956 — 4 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Archibald Strohalm 2.97 of 5 stars 2.97 avg rating — 128 ratings — published 1951 — 5 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Harry Mulisch…

Quotes by Harry Mulisch

“Using someone's name during a conversation was like a casual caress, like stroking their hair.”
― Harry Mulisch, The Discovery of Heaven

8 people liked it

“Ieder mens heeft geloof ik het gevoel, dat hij er eigenlijk niet bijhoort, bij het leven van de andere mensen. Dat hij op een of andere manier iets anders is, een gast, en hij doet alle mogelijke moeite om te zorgen, dat de anderen dat niet zullen merken. Dat is het gevoel, dat alle mensen gemeen hebben, en daardoor horen ze juist bij elkaar.”
― Harry Mulisch, Twee vrouwen

7 people liked it

“That question is too good to spoil with an answer.”
― Harry Mulisch, The Discovery of Heaven

6 people liked it

See all Harry Mulisch's quotes »

Polls

GROUP READ #10: WELK BOEK GAAT HET WORDEN?
Het is nu mogelijk om te stemmen op één van de genomineerde boeken voor group read #10. Er kan op onderstaande boeken gestemd worden t/m zondag 17 februari; de tiende group read begint op woensdag 27 februari 2013. Het boek waarop de meeste stemmen zijn uitgebracht zal onderwerp van group read #10 worden. Aarzel dus niet en breng zo spoedig mogelijk je stem uit!

De ontdekking van de hemel by Harry Mulisch

5 votes 33.3%

Congo : Een geschiedenis by David Van Reybrouck

4 votes 26.7%

Het Woud der Verwachting : Het leven van Charles van Orléans by Hella S. Haasse

2 votes 13.3%

Dit zijn de namen by Tommy Wieringa

2 votes 13.3%

Het verdriet van België by Hugo Claus

1 vote 6.7%

De Kleine Johannes by Frederik van Eeden

1 vote 6.7%

Zeewater is zout, zeggen ze by Simone Lenaerts

0 votes 0.0%

15 total votes

3 comments

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