News of: Sunday, October 31 2010,
One of the most famous Dutch authors, Harry Mulisch, has died yesterday in Amsterdam, at the age of 83.
Harry Mulisch is said to be the last of the Great Three post-war Dutch authors (the other two being the late Gerard Reve and Willem Frederik Hermans).
Almost everyone now alive in the Netherlands grew up with Mulisch's work, as he was one of the most-read authors, also on high schools.
Amongst his most famous works were 'De Aanslag' (The Assault), and 'De ontdekking van de Hemel' (The Discover of Heaven).
His book 'De Aanslag' appeared as a movie (The Assault), which won an Oscar and a Golden Globe. The book has been translated into 25 languages.
'The Discovery of Heaven' also appeared as a movie, with big success, in 2001.
His book 'The Discovery of Heaven' was elected 'Best Dutch book of all times' by the Dutch audience.
Harry Mulisch's mother was Jewish. Mulisch and his mother escaped transportation to a concentration camp (during the German occupation in the Second World War), thanks to Mulisch's father's collaboration with the Nazis. The rest of his mother's family were deported.
Because of these events, Harry Mulisch sometimes said he was the War.
World War II was a major theme in his works.
More information about him in English can be found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Mulisch.
