What do you think?
Rate this book
Rupert: A Confession
Rupert has been accused of a terrible crime, and his imagined defense begins the night he met the love of his life, Mira. By turns shockingly honest, incredibly funny, and clearly unhinged, Rupert's defense includes rants about the properly formed insult and men who wear comfortable sweaters. It also visits the memory-sites of Rupert and Mira's short-lived affair: her apartment, their favorite cafés and restaurants, and the city's public squares.
With each story Rupert attaches to these places his defense becomes a little more outlandish, while he becomes increasingly convinced that his innocence is beyond doubt. When he reaches the end of his defense, delivering the decisive blow against his accusers and describing the scene of the crime, the full depth of Rupert's depravity is finally revealed.
Rupert: A Confession is a brilliantly composed monologue that fully exposes—despite the misdirection and bizarre revelations of its teller—the innermost workings of a confused mind. Recalling Neil LaBute's In the Company of Men, Rupert: A Confession is simultaneously offensive, funny, and compelling, and it serves as a perfect introduction to one of the most talented and controversial writers at work in the Netherlands today.
With each story Rupert attaches to these places his defense becomes a little more outlandish, while he becomes increasingly convinced that his innocence is beyond doubt. When he reaches the end of his defense, delivering the decisive blow against his accusers and describing the scene of the crime, the full depth of Rupert's depravity is finally revealed.
Rupert: A Confession is a brilliantly composed monologue that fully exposes—despite the misdirection and bizarre revelations of its teller—the innermost workings of a confused mind. Recalling Neil LaBute's In the Company of Men, Rupert: A Confession is simultaneously offensive, funny, and compelling, and it serves as a perfect introduction to one of the most talented and controversial writers at work in the Netherlands today.
- GenresFiction
131 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
4 people are currently reading
163 people want to read
About the author
Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer
69 books2,595 followersIlja Leonard Pfeijffer is a poet and writer. Distinguished in nearly every genre imaginable, he is one of the most celebrated authors of the Dutch language and is recognized as one of the most compelling voices in contemporary Dutch literature. He has more than forty titles to his name, including poetry, novels, short stories, plays, essays, scientific studies, columns, translations and anthologies. Exhibiting a powerful style and classical command of form, his work has contributed to literary revival and growing engagement, both of which are explicitly expressed in his work as a columnist and television documentary maker as well.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 7, 2009
first of all, this is a general review for open letter. open letter is my new favorite publisher. they do exactly what i think publishing should always be doing - they provide access to world literature that might not ordinarily cross our paths here in the u.s. and they offer it in an attractive, and inexpensive, way. its true that ive only read half of what they have published so far, and i havent even been wild about all of them, but i like that it has become an option to read modern icelandic or norwegian literature and i have bought them all, because dammit, they look so good together, all sleek dust-jacketless covers and consistent good-lookingness. so - open letter - go forth and support them.
second - this book: this one i liked a lot, even though i didnt start off liking it. or, i liked it, i just couldnt see where it was going. or i could see what it was building to, but was unsure where all the elements would tie in. there was a lot of repetition and this really loose-flowing narrative that was compelling, but i wasnt sure if it was going to build to anything other than chronicling his sexual dysfunction and obsession and his strong working knowledge of "the waste land", weaving in eliot willy-nilly. actually - that element still confuses me - i just happen to know most of the waste land by heart,i dont know why, and he briefly mentions eliot, but the fragments of the poem creep up uncredited frequently, and im not entirely sure what it adds. and even though i want to dislike eliot for his extra-poetical personality and beliefs, the man can write, so its a nice addition to the novel. anyway, it does culminate in a satisfying ending, and again, its open letter...we love them.
second - this book: this one i liked a lot, even though i didnt start off liking it. or, i liked it, i just couldnt see where it was going. or i could see what it was building to, but was unsure where all the elements would tie in. there was a lot of repetition and this really loose-flowing narrative that was compelling, but i wasnt sure if it was going to build to anything other than chronicling his sexual dysfunction and obsession and his strong working knowledge of "the waste land", weaving in eliot willy-nilly. actually - that element still confuses me - i just happen to know most of the waste land by heart,i dont know why, and he briefly mentions eliot, but the fragments of the poem creep up uncredited frequently, and im not entirely sure what it adds. and even though i want to dislike eliot for his extra-poetical personality and beliefs, the man can write, so its a nice addition to the novel. anyway, it does culminate in a satisfying ending, and again, its open letter...we love them.
June 30, 2009
Like the subtitle says, this book is a confession broken into three parts. The main character, Rupert, is giving his side of the story in a court, what follows is a round about retelling of what happened along with his feelings and advice on all kinds of different topics. What starts off as sounding like the voice of a sane and rational man begins to disintegrate as the monologue goes on. Reading this right after The Seducer and The Conqueror gave a little bit of extra something to this book, they complement each other well.
I think what I liked best about this novel though was how reading it made me feel like I was entering into the head of a few different people I know all at once. It was like taking the little quirks of friend and co-workers and playing out the rational behind why they do and say some of the baffling things they are known for. I'm not naming names here about who I felt like I was getting an inside the head ringside seat into their psyche, so maybe it is you who are reading this now, but probably not.
I think what I liked best about this novel though was how reading it made me feel like I was entering into the head of a few different people I know all at once. It was like taking the little quirks of friend and co-workers and playing out the rational behind why they do and say some of the baffling things they are known for. I'm not naming names here about who I felt like I was getting an inside the head ringside seat into their psyche, so maybe it is you who are reading this now, but probably not.
March 1, 2017
Deel 1 van de Steppoli-tetralogie, inmiddels 15 jaar oud. Interessant om te lezen zo direct na de lectuur van 'Peachez', waar Rupert een cameo in heeft. Een paar keer heel hard moeten lachen: het jong geweld zat toen nog duidelijk in Pfeijffers pen. De grote stilist is nog in de dop, maar er staan toch ook al duizelingwekkend mooie zinnen in. Een geflipte ode aan de liefde, een begeesterend spel met de realiteit, een blinde helletrip naar de waanzin.
January 31, 2025
Ook in dit intussen 23 jaar oude boek over de bekentenis van ene Rupert, een liederlijke romanticus met een pervers kantje en erectieproblemen, bewijst Pfeijffer dat hij zinnen kan bouwen zoals alleen hij dat kan. Krullerige taal, archaïsmen, lollige spinsels en leuke contrasten (“Niets gewerd mij. Ik moest aan tieten denken”). Hij verliest zich soms wel in eindeloze uitweidingen, zoals in de langgerekte passage over wat een plein goed of slecht maakt, of die over het organiseren van een pornoverzameling. De bijzonder gedetailleerde monoloog - ik vroeg me af of een beklaagde in een rechtbank werkelijk zo lang kan oreren zonder onderbroken te worden - wordt opgebouwd rond een wandeling door een fictieve stad, wat aanvankelijk wat vermoeiend las, maar al bij al is dit toch weer een erg vermakelijk verhaal.
July 30, 2024
Ongelooflijk goed geschreven, de gigantische hilariteit van het eerste deel maakt langzaam plaats voor een even grote walgelijkheid. Een paar keer heel kwaad geworden op Ilja dat hij enkele dingen zo kon schrijven en vervolgens mezelf bedaard door te bedenken dat het Rupert is die aan het woord is hier. Dat laatste is natuurlijk een groot compliment
December 25, 2024
Het boek heeft de joligheid die je verwacht van Pfeijffer, maar dan misschien nog een beetje minder gecontroleerd. Ook geeft het de nodige hoeveelheid vuige fantasieën en meer tieten dan nodig. Deze viezigheid zou onvergeeflijk moeten zijn, maar het blijkt maar weer dat ik Pfeijffer veel kan vergeven.
August 27, 2009
It is apparent nearly immediately that this is formally not so much a confession as a defense statement before a jury. A tripartite peroration with frequent recourse to classical rhetorical devices (the author is a sometime classical scholar), it increasingly reveals the speaker as a high-functioning nutcase. Veering between an ideal (impotent, deluded) love for a supposed girlfriend and a depraved contempt for former supposed girlfriends (who are all given the names of famous Greek and Roman courtesans -- the author's sly joke?), Rupert's defense becomes an unwitting confession as offensive and disgusting as anything I've read in a long while. And yet I stayed with it to the end -- what's with that?
November 11, 2022
Je ziet in dit boek al veel flarden van wat later veel beter wordt in La Superba en Grand Hotel Europa. Ik zou nooit aanraden dit boek als eerste Pfeijffer te lezen. Het is eerder iets voor wie zijn oeuvre wat beter wil leren kennen. Ik lees het oudere werk als fan om het latere werk beter te begrijpen.
Read
November 16, 2014Damn, this was good.
November 15, 2023
sorry maar … disturbing AF
August 16, 2025
Oke, veel critici van ILP vinden hem soms te vulgair of plat tussen zijn poëtische beschrijvingen. Hoewel ik dat enigszins kan begrijpen bij het lezen van zijn boeken, heb ik me er nooit aan gestoord en verrijkte het naar mijn mening toch het verhaal. Dit boek was het eerste boek waar ik af en toe mezelf afvroeg of dit nog wel zou kunnen nu volgens de tijdsgeest van nu. Zeker de laatste scene, de climax, de misdaad en hoe deze is beschreven. Toch stoor ik me er wederom niet aan en vind ik dat het boek er weer door verrijkt wordt.
June 16, 2020
Zonder meer geweldig.
December 25, 2020
Het barokke taalgebruik van Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer heeft geregeld prachtige zinnen als resultaat, maar toch... soms overdrijft hij en verveelt het beetje.
Al bij al was het toch een mooie roman.
Al bij al was het toch een mooie roman.
Read
June 18, 2023this was so bad so i give you 0 stars
July 19, 2024
prachtig geschreven maar afschuwelijk personage (&daden)
May 5, 2019
Je kunt heel goed lezen dat dit echt een heel veel eerder geschreven is dan zijn laatste GHE. Het raakte me niet zo erg als Peacez.
December 14, 2011
Received a copy from Open Letter Books. From 3%: "A Dutch writer, Rupert is Pfeijffer’s first novel. It was published in 2002 and won the Anton Wachter prize for a debut novel. As noted on his website, Pfeijffer is the only Dutch author to have won major debut prizes for both poetry and prose."
My summary aka a condensed version per my interpretation:
July 24, 2009
Very creepy. Frequently funny. I liked it. Still, though: creepy.
September 30, 2009
Couldn't finish it. Put it down three chapters from the end. The writing is great, but the subject matter made me queasy.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews