Harry Mulisch’s Followers (483)

Harry Mulisch

Born

in Haarlem, Netherlands

July 29, 1927

Died

October 30, 2010

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Poetry, Historical Fiction

edit data

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 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' 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 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. ...more

Combine Editions
Harry Mulisch’s books

Average rating: 3.72 · 64,563 ratings · 3,711 reviews · 140 distinct works • Similar authors

	De Aanslag 3.74 avg rating — 19,803 ratings — published 1982 — 95 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 Discovery of Heaven by Harry Mulisch, Paul Vincent (Translator) 4.17 avg rating — 17,700 ratings — published 1992 — 64 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 3.25 avg rating — 7,492 ratings — published 1975 — 34 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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: A Black Idyll by Harry Mulisch, Paul Vincent (Translator) 3.66 avg rating — 5,653 ratings — published 2001 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 3.19 avg rating — 3,048 ratings — published 1959 — 27 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 3.60 avg rating — 1,794 ratings — published 1998 — 33 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 3.31 avg rating — 1,135 ratings — published 1988 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 zaak 40-61 3.70 avg rating — 891 ratings — published 1962 — 21 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 3.11 avg rating — 1,046 ratings — published 2000 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 ontdekking van de hemel I 4.36 avg rating — 740 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 (?)

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

43 likes

“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

37 likes

“All human beings were of course unique, and they only discovered that when someone else fell in love with them or when no one ever fell in love with them.”
― Harry Mulisch, The Discovery of Heaven

32 likes

See all Harry Mulisch's quotes »

Polls

What would you like to read in August?

The Discovery of Heaven by Harry Mulisch

The Discovery of Heaven - Harry Mulisch

40 votes, 40.0%

A Man Asleep - Georges Perec

35 votes, 35.0%

The Deadbeats - Ward Ruyslinck

25 votes, 25.0%

100 total votes

1 comment

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Reading with Style: WI 10-11 RwS Completed Tasks - Winter	704	512	Mar 01, 2011 09:19AM
The Life of a Boo...: Little-bit-new from Holland	31	47	Apr 08, 2011 09:38AM
The World's Liter...: Ontdekking Van De Hemel. The Discovery of Heaven: A Novel. Harry Mulisch	1	17	Jun 25, 2011 07:36PM
The Mystery, Crim...: Winners Chosen: Group Reads Oct/Nov 2011	83	335	Oct 14, 2011 01:55PM
Around the World: Anne's Books	180	306	Jan 02, 2012 08:31AM
Reading with Style: WI 11-12 Completed Tasks	1093	413	Feb 29, 2012 08:44PM
Fantasy Aficionados: Introduce Yourself (Retired)	6295	1171	Mar 15, 2013 06:20PM
Chicks On Lit: Title and Author Game	4053	1747	Apr 16, 2013 09:48AM
Boxall's 1001 Bo...: Which LIST book did you just start?	6803	8455	Jul 17, 2013 10:16AM
All About Books: October 2013 - Fiction Read Nominations	51	108	Aug 29, 2013 12:07PM

More…

Harry Mulisch’s Followers (483)

Harry Mulisch

Combine EditionsHarry Mulisch’s books

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

Combine Editions
Harry Mulisch’s books