The best Dutch literature

Vote for your favorite Dutch novels! This list is for novels that are originally written in Dutch, with or without English translation.

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1	The Discovery of Heaven by Harry Mulisch 4.17 avg rating — 10,501 ratings score: 9,730, and 99 people voted	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
2	De donkere kamer van Damokles by Willem Frederik Hermans 3.83 avg rating — 7,137 ratings score: 6,118, and 63 people voted	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
3	Nooit meer slapen by Willem Frederik Hermans 3.87 avg rating — 5,510 ratings score: 4,750, and 50 people voted	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
4	The Assault by Harry Mulisch 3.70 avg rating — 9,329 ratings score: 4,383, and 45 people voted	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
5	De avonden by Gerard Reve 3.51 avg rating — 6,200 ratings score: 3,979, and 41 people voted	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
6	Hersenschimmen by J. Bernlef 3.86 avg rating — 7,262 ratings score: 3,829, and 40 people voted	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
7	Max Havelaar, or the Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading Company by Multatuli 3.49 avg rating — 5,353 ratings score: 3,786, and 39 people voted	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
8	Een schitterend gebrek by Arthur Japin 3.93 avg rating — 6,607 ratings score: 3,565, and 38 people voted	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
9	Tirza by Arnon Grunberg 3.60 avg rating — 8,108 ratings score: 3,115, and 33 people voted	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
10	De Uitvreter, Titaantjes, Dichtertje, Mene Tekel by Nescio 4.04 avg rating — 1,680 ratings score: 2,869, and 30 people voted	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
11	De engelenmaker by Stefan Brijs 3.87 avg rating — 6,548 ratings score: 2,782, and 29 people voted	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
12	Het diner by Herman Koch 3.21 avg rating — 114,479 ratings score: 2,500, and 26 people voted	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
13	Eline Vere by Louis Couperus 3.73 avg rating — 1,905 ratings score: 2,341, and 25 people voted	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
14	The Twins by Tessa de Loo 3.63 avg rating — 3,793 ratings score: 2,181, and 24 people voted	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
15	Turks Fruit by Jan Wolkers 3.57 avg rating — 4,526 ratings score: 2,046, and 22 people voted	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
16	Lijmen / Het Been by Willem Elsschot 3.73 avg rating — 2,339 ratings score: 1,984, and 21 people voted	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
17	Het huis van de moskee by Kader Abdolah 4.01 avg rating — 6,535 ratings score: 1,976, and 21 people voted	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
18	Joe Speedboot by Tommy Wieringa 3.70 avg rating — 8,378 ratings score: 1,911, and 20 people voted	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
19	De helaasheid der dingen by Dimitri Verhulst (Goodreads Author) 3.77 avg rating — 7,754 ratings score: 1,900, and 20 people voted	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
20	De stille kracht by Louis Couperus 3.54 avg rating — 1,791 ratings score: 1,881, and 20 people voted	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
21	Twee vrouwen by Harry Mulisch 3.20 avg rating — 3,923 ratings score: 1,878, and 20 people voted	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
22	Van oude menschen, de dingen, die voorbij gaan... by Louis Couperus 3.63 avg rating — 1,571 ratings score: 1,877, and 20 people voted	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
23	De komst van Joachim Stiller by Hubert Lampo 3.70 avg rating — 1,655 ratings score: 1,667, and 19 people voted	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
24	Rituals by Cees Nooteboom 3.65 avg rating — 1,605 ratings score: 1,602, and 17 people voted	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
25	Siegfried by Harry Mulisch 3.64 avg rating — 3,142 ratings score: 1,579, and 17 people voted	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
26	Oeroeg by Hella S. Haasse 3.34 avg rating — 3,716 ratings score: 1,540, and 17 people voted	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
27	Het verdriet van België by Hugo Claus 3.64 avg rating — 2,358 ratings score: 1,492, and 17 people voted	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
28	Heren van de thee by Hella S. Haasse 3.67 avg rating — 1,810 ratings score: 1,362, and 15 people voted	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
29	De kleine Johannes by Frederik van Eeden 3.47 avg rating — 1,346 ratings score: 1,361, and 15 people voted	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
30	Bonita Avenue by Peter Buwalda 3.68 avg rating — 6,120 ratings score: 1,326, and 14 people voted	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
31	Van de koele meren des Doods by Frederik van Eeden 3.51 avg rating — 1,003 ratings score: 1,287, and 14 people voted	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
32	Bezonken rood by Jeroen Brouwers 3.64 avg rating — 2,831 ratings score: 1,112, and 12 people voted	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
33	The Vanishing by Tim Krabbé 3.35 avg rating — 4,321 ratings score: 1,108, and 12 people voted	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
34	De Kapellekensbaan by Louis Paul Boon 3.90 avg rating — 729 ratings score: 1,044, and 11 people voted	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
35	Knielen op een bed violen by Jan Siebelink 3.55 avg rating — 2,740 ratings score: 973, and 11 people voted	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
36	Tonguecat by Peter Verhelst 3.87 avg rating — 881 ratings score: 950, and 10 people voted	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
37	Onder professoren by Willem Frederik Hermans 3.69 avg rating — 1,415 ratings score: 942, and 11 people voted	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
38	Het dwaallicht by Willem Elsschot 3.65 avg rating — 1,153 ratings score: 904, and 10 people voted	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
38	The Procedure by Harry Mulisch 3.60 avg rating — 1,059 ratings score: 904, and 10 people voted	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
40	Villa des Roses by Willem Elsschot 3.57 avg rating — 1,425 ratings score: 892, and 10 people voted	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
41	Het leven uit een dag by A.F.Th. van der Heijden 3.35 avg rating — 1,144 ratings score: 859, and 9 people voted	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
42	Erik of het klein insectenboek by Godfried Bomans 3.53 avg rating — 1,666 ratings score: 817, and 9 people voted	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
43	De Vriendschap by Connie Palmen 3.52 avg rating — 1,775 ratings score: 779, and 9 people voted	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
44	Kees de jongen by Theo Thijssen 3.88 avg rating — 930 ratings score: 763, and 8 people voted	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
45	Tonio: een requiemroman by A.F.Th. van der Heijden 3.89 avg rating — 3,620 ratings score: 753, and 8 people voted	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
46	De kleine blonde dood by Boudewijn Büch 3.47 avg rating — 2,362 ratings score: 710, and 8 people voted	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
47	The Scarlet City by Hella S. Haasse 3.62 avg rating — 419 ratings score: 662, and 7 people voted	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
48	De asielzoeker by Arnon Grunberg 3.33 avg rating — 1,605 ratings score: 654, and 7 people voted	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
49	De passievrucht by Karel Glastra van Loon 3.29 avg rating — 3,179 ratings score: 591, and 7 people voted	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
50	Het schervengericht by A.F.Th. van der Heijden 3.82 avg rating — 740 ratings score: 573, and 6 people voted	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
51	Bint by Ferdinand Bordewijk 3.22 avg rating — 1,145 ratings score: 570, and 7 people voted	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
52	Huid en haar by Arnon Grunberg 3.37 avg rating — 1,221 ratings score: 565, and 6 people voted	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
52	De Witte by Ernest Claes 3.47 avg rating — 334 ratings score: 565, and 6 people voted	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
54	Het Woud der Verwachting : Het leven van Charles van Orléans by Hella S. Haasse 4.07 avg rating — 1,735 ratings score: 557, and 6 people voted	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
55	Het leven is vurrukkulluk by Remco Campert 3.20 avg rating — 1,870 ratings score: 542, and 6 people voted	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
55	Van den vos Reynaerde by Unknown 3.27 avg rating — 1,888 ratings score: 542, and 7 people voted	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
57	Mevrouw Verona daalt de heuvel af by Dimitri Verhulst (Goodreads Author) 3.68 avg rating — 2,228 ratings score: 532, and 6 people voted	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
58	Mijn kleine oorlog by Louis Paul Boon 3.62 avg rating — 488 ratings score: 531, and 6 people voted	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
59	Het stenen bruidsbed by Harry Mulisch 3.16 avg rating — 1,676 ratings score: 526, and 6 people voted	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
60	De Metsiers by Hugo Claus 3.31 avg rating — 821 ratings score: 525, and 6 people voted	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
61	The Following Story by Cees Nooteboom 3.70 avg rating — 1,320 ratings score: 480, and 5 people voted	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
62	Publieke werken by Thomas Rosenboom 3.82 avg rating — 1,646 ratings score: 475, and 5 people voted	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
63	Tumbleweed by Janwillem van de Wetering 3.86 avg rating — 440 ratings score: 470, and 5 people voted	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
64	Lucifer by Joost van den Vondel 3.29 avg rating — 346 ratings score: 462, and 5 people voted	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
65	De man die werk vond by Herman Brusselmans 3.67 avg rating — 1,087 ratings score: 450, and 5 people voted	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
66	De thuiskomst by Anna Enquist 3.70 avg rating — 888 ratings score: 396, and 5 people voted	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
67	Ranonkel by Jacques Hamelink 3.75 avg rating — 40 ratings score: 395, and 4 people voted	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
68	Meneer Beerta (Het Bureau #1) by J.J. Voskuil 4.07 avg rating — 706 ratings score: 394, and 4 people voted	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
69	I.M. Ischa Meijer - In Margine. In Memoriam by Connie Palmen 3.91 avg rating — 1,179 ratings score: 393, and 4 people voted	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
70	The Streetbird by Janwillem van de Wetering 3.85 avg rating — 198 ratings score: 387, and 4 people voted	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
70	Outsider in Amsterdam (Grijpstra & de Gier Mystery #1) by Janwillem van de Wetering 3.64 avg rating — 1,273 ratings score: 387, and 4 people voted	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
72	Blokken by Ferdinand Bordewijk 3.31 avg rating — 352 ratings score: 372, and 4 people voted	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
73	Deirdre en de zonen van Usnach by Adriaan Roland Holst 3.78 avg rating — 69 ratings score: 368, and 4 people voted	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
74	Herinneringen van een engelbewaarder by Willem Frederik Hermans 3.66 avg rating — 398 ratings score: 361, and 4 people voted	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
75	The Storm by Margriet de Moor 3.33 avg rating — 381 ratings score: 360, and 4 people voted	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
76	Superduif by Esther Gerritsen 3.53 avg rating — 276 ratings score: 357, and 4 people voted	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
76	De leeuw van Vlaanderen by Hendrik Conscience 3.40 avg rating — 630 ratings score: 357, and 4 people voted	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
78	Vallende ouders (De tandeloze tijd, deel 1) by A.F.Th. van der Heijden 3.93 avg rating — 533 ratings score: 352, and 4 people voted	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
79	Mijn tweede huid by Erwin Mortier 3.68 avg rating — 338 ratings score: 351, and 4 people voted	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
79	Hokwerda's kind by Oek de Jong 3.66 avg rating — 353 ratings score: 351, and 4 people voted	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
81	Zomerhuis met zwembad by Herman Koch 3.41 avg rating — 19,073 ratings score: 343, and 4 people voted	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
81	Geheime kamers by Jeroen Brouwers 3.70 avg rating — 1,395 ratings score: 343, and 4 people voted	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
83	De boeken der kleine zielen III en IV (de boeken der kleine zielen, #3-4) by Louis Couperus 3.97 avg rating — 39 ratings score: 338, and 4 people voted	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
84	De boeken der kleine zielen I en II (de boeken der kleine zielen, #1-2) by Louis Couperus 4.06 avg rating — 255 ratings score: 336, and 4 people voted	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
85	Oorlog en terpentijn by Stefan Hertmans 3.90 avg rating — 6,521 ratings score: 330, and 4 people voted	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
86	Kom hier dat ik u kus by Griet Op de Beeck really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 6,939 ratings score: 328, and 4 people voted	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
87	Houtekiet by Gerard Walschap 3.35 avg rating — 515 ratings score: 323, and 4 people voted	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
88	Een hart van steen by Renate Dorrestein 3.64 avg rating — 1,484 ratings score: 320, and 4 people voted	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
89	De Berg Van Licht by Louis Couperus 3.61 avg rating — 93 ratings score: 317, and 4 people voted	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
90	Dit zijn de namen by Tommy Wieringa 3.59 avg rating — 3,951 ratings score: 298, and 3 people voted	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
91	Tegenlicht by Esther Verhoef 3.76 avg rating — 829 ratings score: 296, and 3 people voted	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
91	Kroniek van een karakter (Deel 1, 1976-1981: 'de Achterhoek') by Jeroen Brouwers 4.24 avg rating — 67 ratings score: 296, and 3 people voted	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
93	Het duister dat ons scheidt by Renate Dorrestein 3.59 avg rating — 651 ratings score: 293, and 3 people voted	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
94	Karakter by Ferdinand Bordewijk 3.84 avg rating — 1,005 ratings score: 292, and 4 people voted	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
95	The Blond Baboon by Janwillem van de Wetering 3.84 avg rating — 341 ratings score: 290, and 3 people voted	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
96	The Rattle-Rat by Janwillem van de Wetering 3.96 avg rating — 196 ratings score: 288, and 3 people voted	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
97	Godenslaap by Erwin Mortier 3.68 avg rating — 1,460 ratings score: 275, and 3 people voted	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
98	Zwerm: geschiedenis van de wereld by Peter Verhelst 3.40 avg rating — 290 ratings score: 273, and 3 people voted	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
99	De terugkeer van Bonanza by Herman Brusselmans 3.71 avg rating — 731 ratings score: 272, and 3 people voted	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
100	Dubbelspel by Frank Martinus Arion 3.40 avg rating — 645 ratings score: 270, and 3 people voted	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

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358 books · 369 voters · list created April 15th, 2010 by J10 (votes) .

Tags: belgium, dutch, flanders, flemish, holland, netherlands

152 likes · Like

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People Who Voted On This List (369)

J10 270 books
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Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) 546 books
459 friends

Chris 185 books
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Edwin 1081 books
35 friends

Ophelia 1750 books
54 friends

Suzanne 3315 books
110 friends

Andor 1250 books
70 friends

Meaghan 3589 books
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Comments Showing 1-19 of 19 (19 new)

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message 1: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Apr 19, 2012 12:41PM

Since when is Anne Frank's diary considered a NOVEL?

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message 2: by Booklovinglady (last edited Oct 28, 2015 01:51AM) (new)

Feb 06, 2015 06:50AM

Themis-Athena (Does not and never will own a Kindle) wrote: "Since when is Anne Frank's diary considered a NOVEL?"

I agree, and as the decription of the list clearly says "Vote for your favorite Dutch novels! This list is for novels that are originally written in Dutch, with or without English translation", I have removed Het Achterhuis (Anne Frank's diary) from this Listopia. Interesting to see though how often this title creeps into lists where it doesn't belong...

Jip en Janneke shouldn't have been on this list either, because lovely as it is, it is not a novel (but a collection of short stories for children)... So I took the liberty of removing it.

And Mei : Een Gedicht is, as the subtitle states, a poem and not a novel (and as such has been removed).

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message 3: by Booklovinglady (last edited Oct 28, 2015 01:49AM) (new)

Feb 06, 2015 07:07AM

I haven't read the book, and therefore haven't removed it, but as far as I know Sprakeloos (currently #53) is not a novel either, as it is an autobiography. At least as far as I know, anyway...

I.M. Ischa Meijer - In Margine. In Memoriam (#100) doesn't sound like a novel either. But again, I haven't read it, so I've let it be.

Anyone?

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message 4: by Nathalie (new)

Aug 18, 2015 06:25AM

Booklovinglady wrote: "I haven't read the book, and therefore haven't removed it, but as far as I know Sprakeloos (currently #53) is not a novel either, as it is an autobiography. At least as far as I know..."

Sprakeloos is een memoire over zijn moeder.

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message 5: by Booklovinglady (last edited Aug 18, 2015 07:51AM) (new)

Aug 18, 2015 07:51AM

Nathalie wrote: "Sprakeloos is een memoire over zijn moeder. ..."

So not a novel? But a memoir instead?
Which is not the same thing by the way :-)

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message 6: by Nathalie (last edited Mar 04, 2016 03:18PM) (new)

Aug 19, 2015 05:06AM

Booklovinglady wrote: "Nathalie wrote: "Sprakeloos is een memoire over zijn moeder. ..."

So not a novel? But a memoir instead?
Which is not the same thing by the way :-)"

Het is waargebeurd. Ik ken de definitie van een novel niet. Maar misschien moet hij dan in een lijst van 'best Dutch books', weet niet of dat al bestaat.

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message 7: by Booklovinglady (last edited Aug 19, 2015 09:56AM) (new)

Aug 19, 2015 09:13AM

Nathalie wrote: "Het is waargebeurd. Ik ken de definitie van een novel niet. Maar pisschien moet hij dan in een lijst van 'best Dutch books', weet niet of dat al bestaat. ..."

'Waargebeurd' klinkt mij sterk in de oren als een (auto)biografie, maar zoals gezegd heb ik het boek niet gelezen.

Het Engelse 'novel' staat min of meer gelijk aan het Nederlandse 'roman'. Een 'novel' is altijd fictie (en derhalve niet waargebeurd).

Er zijn diverse lijsten met de beste Nederlandse literatuur/de beste Vlaamse literatuur. Kijk voor een overzichtje maar eens bij Listopia: Stem op gelezen boeken van de Netherlands & Flanders group, want daar worden diverse Listopia's met dit soort lijsten genoemd.

(A 'true story' about the author's mother sounds to me like an autobiography or a biography, but as I said, I haven't read the book. A 'novel' is fiction and means more or less the same as the Dutch word 'roman'. There are several lists with 'Best Dutch books/Best Flemish books'. To get a bit of an idea, have a look at Listopia: Stem op gelezen boeken.)

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message 8: by Booklovinglady (last edited Aug 19, 2015 10:05AM) (new)

Aug 19, 2015 09:45AM

For not meeting the criteria of this Listopia, I've removed Sprakeloos.

Still need someone to tell me about I.M. Ischa Meijer - In Margine. In Memoriam (#107) though...

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message 9: by Jamie (new)

Oct 27, 2015 03:23PM

Is there such a thing, and I know nothing of Dutch literature, of a novel that would be considered common reading in Dutch language secondary schooling? I mean in the same way as, say "To Kill a Mockingbird," or "Catcher in the Rye" would be reasonably common reading for English speaking high school students.

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message 10: by Booklovinglady (last edited Oct 28, 2015 02:07AM) (new)

Oct 28, 2015 12:58AM

Jamie wrote: "Is there such a thing, and I know nothing of Dutch literature, of a novel that would be considered common reading in Dutch language secondary schooling? I mean in the same way as, say "To Kill a Mockingbird," or "Catcher in the Rye" would be reasonably common reading for English speaking high school students..."

For English translations of Dutch novels, see English translations of Dutch Literature.

My secondary school days are quite a bit behind me now :-) but there are several books which belong to classic Dutch literature, and as such were read during my secondary school days. We had to read five books originally published before 1800. All other choices were relatively free, although all books on our reading list had to be approved by the teacher first, to prevent students reading Mills & Boon types of books :-)

Books/authors read by just about anyone in my class were The Hidden Force, Max Havelaar, A Posthumous Confession, The Deeps of Deliverance, The Darkroom Of Damocles, The Black Lake, Major Frank, Double Play, The Sorrow of Belgium, Turkish Delight, Cheese and The evenings, all of which are considered classics of Dutch literature.

These are just a few of the books we read, as your question is restricted to Dutch books being translated into English? At least I guess it is (your profile doesn't mention where you are from). Anything by these authors would do, really, and the Listopia I mentioned at the beginning should be very helpful, as there are plenty of important authors who wrote/write in Dutch (Netherlands, Flanders, Suriname, Netherlands Antilles) and have been translated into English, and many of them I never read myself during my secondary school days.

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message 11: by Booklovinglady (last edited Dec 08, 2015 09:19PM) (new)

Oct 28, 2015 02:15AM

I've removed Kruimeltje and Pluk van de Petteflet for being children's books instead of novels, and I've also removed Kartonnen dozen (for the same reason as Sprakeloos).

As the description of this Listopia says "Vote for your favorite Dutch novels!", two definitions, one British and one American, of the word novel, as the meaning of the word seems to be unclear to a lot of Dutch voters:
* "Fictitious prose narrative of book length portraying characters and actions credibly representative of real life in continuous plot" (COD)
* "An invented prose narrative that is usually long and complex and deals especially with human experience through a usually connected sequence of events" (Webster)

In short, no plays, poems, children/YA books, memoires, (auto-)biographies, short stories, and so on. Just novels ;-) A novella (for instance Boekenweekgeschenken) can be considered to be 'book length', I suppose, but short stories definitely are not (and yes, I'm aware the distinction between a 'longer' short story and a novella can sometimes be a grey area).

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message 12: by Zack (new)

Dec 07, 2015 10:34PM

I'm looking for Dutch audiobooks (read in English). the only one I have found so far is "The Dinner" by Herman Koch. Any other suggestions? Available on Audible for example?

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message 13: by Booklovinglady (last edited Feb 29, 2016 01:12AM) (new)

Dec 08, 2015 09:47PM

Wederom een hele lading titels verwijderd omdat het jeugboeken, autobiografieën, dagboeken etc waren. Er was zelfs een woordenboek bij... En ook twee Engelstalige schrijvers. Voeg a.u.b. alleen 'novels' (=romans) toe, en lees zowel de beschrijving van de Listopia als ook bericht 11 voor je besluit toe te voegen...

Removed a whole load of titles again for not being novels (YA books, diaries, biographies, even a dictionary...). Please, read the description of the Listopia as well as message 11 before you decide to add...

When in doubt, please check the KB, as often the category a book belongs to is mentioned here.

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message 14: by Hannah (last edited Feb 28, 2016 02:28PM) (new)

Feb 28, 2016 02:26PM

Booklovinglady wrote: "I.M. Ischa Meijer - In Margine. In Memoriam (#100) doesn't sound like a novel either. But again, I haven't read it, so I've let it be.."

>> It is a novel, and it isn't. It is an autobiography, and it isn't.

Part of the theme of the book is: what is reality? what is fiction? How does each influence the other? How do the stories we tell, the selection we make, shape our lives? How does it happen that one's life becomes a fiction even while living it? How can one uncover and dissect the untruths in one's own life? What is true?

In that sense, this book should be on the list. It also should be on this list, because it is different than other Dutch literature, a departure from a tradition. Finally, it's simply a good book. It's raw and it's real, it's a contemplation and a journal-on-the-road, and you want to keep reading until the inevitable ending.

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message 15: by Booklovinglady (last edited Feb 29, 2016 12:57AM) (new)

Feb 28, 2016 11:31PM

Ik heb het niet gelezen (en heb het dus op de lijst laten staan), maar volgens mij is Gregoria, of een huwelijk op Elseneur (#261) een autobiografie (en dus geen roman)?

Ook al doet de achternaam van de Belgische auteur misschien vermoeden dat het boek van oorsprong in het Vlaams geschreven werd, Tijl Uilenspiegel (#90) is echter een vertaling uit het Frans.

Geheimen van het Wilde Woud (#42) is, hoe goed ook, een jeugdboek en dus geen roman.

Middeleeuwse verhalen uit de Lage Landen (#220) is geen roman; het bestaat uit, precies zoals de titel overigens al aangeeft, verhalen.

De beschrijving van Jantien voor deze Listopia lijkt mij toch duidelijk: "This list is for novels that are originally written in Dutch."

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message 16: by Tamára (last edited May 09, 2016 02:45PM) (new)

May 09, 2016 02:44PM

Zouden Erik of het klein insectenboek (want kinderboek) en Het pauperparadijs (non-fictie) verwijderd kunnen worden? Het zijn geen romans.

Edit: maar wel aan te bevelen om te lezen, dat dan weer wel.

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message 17: by Booklovinglady (last edited May 15, 2016 09:16AM) (new)

May 09, 2016 09:21PM

Tamára wrote: "Zouden Erik of het klein insectenboek (want kinderboek) en Het pauperparadijs (non-fictie) verwijderd kunnen worden? Het zijn geen romans...."

Ik heb Het pauperparadijs (nog) niet gelezen, dus kan daar niet over oordelen en laat het dan ook staan. Misschien kan iemand die het wel gelezen heeft, en het ermee eens is dat het geen fictie is, het weghalen?

Erik of het klein insectenboek heb ik wel gelezen maar zie ik persoonllijk niet zuiver als een kinderboek (en heb ik dan ook laten staan...). Het werd onder andere uitgegeven als 'Nederlands Leest' uitgave en daar worden, bij mijn weten althans, geen kinderboeken in uitgegeven. ("Het boek spreekt zowel kinderen als volwassenen op hun eigen niveau aan. Bij gelegenheid van de jaarlijkse campagne Nederland Leest in november 2013 werd deze roman door de Nederlandse openbare bibliotheken als gratis boek aan hun leden en scholieren uitgereikt." uit Wikipedia)

Sorry... ;-)

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message 18: by Lisa (new)

May 09, 2017 01:49AM

Jamie wrote: "Is there such a thing, and I know nothing of Dutch literature, of a novel that would be considered common reading in Dutch language secondary schooling? I mean in the same way as, say "To Kill a Mo..."

On the website http://www.lezenvoordelijst.nl/ you can see what Dutch teenagers can choose to read for their mandatory reading list.

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message 19: by Booklovinglady (last edited May 09, 2017 06:17AM) (new)

May 09, 2017 06:15AM

Lisa wrote: "On the website http://www.lezenvoordelijst.nl/ you can see what Dutch teenagers can choose to read for their mandatory reading list. ..."

Is it no longer allowed to read titles which are not on this list?

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