biography
pronunciation:
[mülish]
| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1927– )
|
| biography:
| Writer of Jewish descent, born in Haarlem, W Netherlands. Together with Reve and Hermans, he is regarded as one of the most influential writers in Dutch post-war literature. In his work, which includes best-sellers like Twee vrouwen (1975, Two Women) and De aanslag (1982, The Assault), both Modernist and post-Modernist elements can be found. The consistent factor in his work is the magic-mythical conviction of Mulisch himself which holds that the visible reality around us is determined by higher schemes, systems, and machinations constituting this reality. He believes that it is the writer's task to disclose these underlying systems and machinations. This view on the world and the role literature plays is exemplified in his controversial philosophical work De compositie van de wereld (1980, The Composition of the World), and its fictional counterpart De ontdekking van de hemel (1992, The Discovery of Heaven). In addition to an impressive body of fiction, he has written a great deal of non-fiction about the trial against Eichmann and the Cuban revolution, among others. Despite the controversies surrounding him, he has received many literary prizes, including the P C Hooftprize (1977), the Constantijn Huygensprijs (1977), and the Prize of Dutch Literature. |
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