Publication
Penguin Books Ltd (1998), 736 p.
Original publication date
1992-10-?? (1e édition originale néerlandaise, Du monde entier, Gallimard)
1999-03-23 (1e traduction et édition française, Du monde entier, Gallimard)
2002-01-30 (Réédition française, Folio, Gallimard)
Collections
Genres
Subjects
Awards
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 1998)
Boekenbon Literatuurprijs (Nominatie — 1993)
Description
"On a cold night in Holland, Max Delius - a hedonist, yet a rhetorically brilliant astronomer who loves fast cars, nice clothes, and women - picks up a hitchhiker, Onno Quist, a cerebral, chaotic philologist who cannot bear the banalities of everyday life. They are like fire and water. But soon after they learn that they were conceived on the same day in 1933, it is clear that something special, even extraordinary, is about to happen." "At the center of their relationship lies the battle between humanistic values and technological progress ... and an especially radiant child, Onno's son, Quinten. Quinten's sublimity - in his beauty, intelligence, and demeanor - becomes even more apparent when, after the heavens conspire against Onno and Max, Quinten embarks on a journey that can only be completed by a child with his incredible gifts." "Abounding in philosophical, psychological, and theological inquires, yet laced with humor that is as infectious as it is wilful, The Discovery of Heaven lingers in the mind long after it has been read, offering itself up to many interpretations over time."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member A_musing
Hold on to your seat.
Mulisch drives this story across both hemispheres, to the stars and beyond, through multiple generations across the full breadth of the twentieth century, bewteen Music and Philosophy, from politics to incest, and all the while maintains a whodunit kind of pacing. Yes, this is
The prose just glistens with clarity, yet maintains sufficient intellectual heft to be more than merely amusing. Mulisch draws believeable, charmingly offbeat characters, casts them in complex yet comprehendable situations and runs them through provocative and interesting developments over an extended period, and even lets some of them survive, if more than a bit worse for the wear. There are so many authors who really ought to just wish they could do this: I think of Norman Mailer and Ian MacEwan, for example, as decent writers who still pale in comparison.
This is not an overwhelming or heavy work. Discovery of Heaven will not challenge you to truly deep thought and there are few ambiguities to puzzle your way through. While full of cerebration, the choice fruit is all low-hanging. Mulisch's language, while clear and flowing, does not rise (at least in translation) to the truly poetic. This is just a damn good and enjoyable book by a bright and witty storyteller.
Mulisch drives this story across both hemispheres, to the stars and beyond, through multiple generations across the full breadth of the twentieth century, bewteen Music and Philosophy, from politics to incest, and all the while maintains a whodunit kind of pacing. Yes, this is
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a three inch thick cerebral page turner of a book. The prose just glistens with clarity, yet maintains sufficient intellectual heft to be more than merely amusing. Mulisch draws believeable, charmingly offbeat characters, casts them in complex yet comprehendable situations and runs them through provocative and interesting developments over an extended period, and even lets some of them survive, if more than a bit worse for the wear. There are so many authors who really ought to just wish they could do this: I think of Norman Mailer and Ian MacEwan, for example, as decent writers who still pale in comparison.
This is not an overwhelming or heavy work. Discovery of Heaven will not challenge you to truly deep thought and there are few ambiguities to puzzle your way through. While full of cerebration, the choice fruit is all low-hanging. Mulisch's language, while clear and flowing, does not rise (at least in translation) to the truly poetic. This is just a damn good and enjoyable book by a bright and witty storyteller.
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LibraryThing member pingdjip
First of all this is a book about relationships. Central is the friendship between fat and friendly Onno and lean and sharp Max, both intellectuals. Through them we meet several family members and lovers, most importantly Ada, a girl that first dates Max but eventually winds up with Onno. A son is
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born, Quinten, who could be Onno’s or Max’s. On this level there is a lot of fine-tuned grasping of the hights and depths in human relationships, some drama as their lifes unfold (including the death of Ada) and some feel-good stuff (e.g. Quinten growing up). On another level, there’s the metaphysical story about Gods relationship with humanity. Throughout the novel, events are commented on by angels who reside in heaven and look down upon struggling humanity. Quinten is designed by them to fulfill a (some would say terrible) purpose: steal Moses tables in Rome and return them to heaven, leaving humanity godless. Whether Quinten will succeed makes this book a page-turner. There is additional enjoyment in the political visions, expressed through Onno, and the painting of dutch society from the sixties onwards. Interesting other features include a visit from Onno and Max to Castro’s Cuba and a visit from (Jewish) Max to Auschwitz. Show Less
LibraryThing member jwhenderson
The Discovery of Heaven is a novel of ideas on a large scale, sprawling across science, religion, architecture, politics, philosophy and more. Though intellectual in its preoccupations, it is never didactic: ideas are integrated with the plot and characters and never allowed to get in the way of
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the story. The overall tone is also light-hearted, though it is not a comic novel. And Mulisch never pushes any of the ideas too far — at least, none of the science was a problem for me, though I'm pretty sensitive to misuse of scientific ideas. I especially appreciated his reflection upon the nature of language and the necessity of words to creation, initiating us into Mulisch’s formally personal world. The book eagerly invites serious philosophical questions about the possibility of ever creating anything truly novel. This is one of the few novels that approach the level of Musil or Canetti in my experience. That is as high praise as I can give. Show Less
LibraryThing member tikitu-reviews
I was wonderfully enthusiastic about this novel for the first third or so, but by the end I'd decided not to read anything more by Mulisch for a while.
He's chosen to deliver an unredeemedly dark and depressing view of the world, which I have in principle no quarrel with, but he sneaks it up on you
The first third of the novel, and the most enjoyable passages for me, mainly concerns the friendship between Onno Quist and Max Delius. This is supposed to be a perfect meeting of minds, and the dialogue between the two crackles and hums and throws off sparks. Unfortunately, it's all downhill from there.
The rest of the book gives, among other things, a litany of deaths; minor and major characters alike are moved out of the way as their time is up (one is even hit by a meteorite, I kid you not, although in Mulisch's defence this isn't presented as a coincidence) with a callousness that shouldn't have surprised me, but did. At the same time the friendship between Onno and Max takes a back seat to the upbringing of Onno's son (the mother is one of those casualties I mentioned) and to the slow decline of Max's and Onno's lives and careers.
My major complaint with the novel is the message, the unrelieved antimoral that it delivers, but stylistically the first half is much more satisfying also. Mulisch follows the childhood and youth of Quintin Quist, and devotes a lot of pagespace to the increasingly depressive philosophising of the two friends, but he doesn't present either of these topics particularly convincingly. In Quintin's case the difficulty is basic: Mulisch can't write the world as a child sees it. Quintin is anyway supposed to be a strange child, but the effect Mulisch achieves is of an adult in a tiny body who expresses fully adult thoughts in a stilted parody of childlike language.
A different problem occurs with his adult characters: Mulisch is so eager to present his philosophical ideas that these get in the way of the everyday details of their lives, to the point where the characters become unreal and are left only as puppets or parrots. Since the events they are undergoing are serving only to present a picture of inevitable decline, and the characters' voices are drowned out by Mulisch's, there isn't much left of them at all. (I could make a pretty good case that Mulisch simply dislikes his characters, and isn't willing to give them a life of their own with the dignity that entails.)
Rather a disappointment, then, given the hopes raised by the first couple of hundred pages.
He's chosen to deliver an unredeemedly dark and depressing view of the world, which I have in principle no quarrel with, but he sneaks it up on you
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in a thoroughly unprincipled manner and then whacks you over the head with it.The first third of the novel, and the most enjoyable passages for me, mainly concerns the friendship between Onno Quist and Max Delius. This is supposed to be a perfect meeting of minds, and the dialogue between the two crackles and hums and throws off sparks. Unfortunately, it's all downhill from there.
The rest of the book gives, among other things, a litany of deaths; minor and major characters alike are moved out of the way as their time is up (one is even hit by a meteorite, I kid you not, although in Mulisch's defence this isn't presented as a coincidence) with a callousness that shouldn't have surprised me, but did. At the same time the friendship between Onno and Max takes a back seat to the upbringing of Onno's son (the mother is one of those casualties I mentioned) and to the slow decline of Max's and Onno's lives and careers.
My major complaint with the novel is the message, the unrelieved antimoral that it delivers, but stylistically the first half is much more satisfying also. Mulisch follows the childhood and youth of Quintin Quist, and devotes a lot of pagespace to the increasingly depressive philosophising of the two friends, but he doesn't present either of these topics particularly convincingly. In Quintin's case the difficulty is basic: Mulisch can't write the world as a child sees it. Quintin is anyway supposed to be a strange child, but the effect Mulisch achieves is of an adult in a tiny body who expresses fully adult thoughts in a stilted parody of childlike language.
A different problem occurs with his adult characters: Mulisch is so eager to present his philosophical ideas that these get in the way of the everyday details of their lives, to the point where the characters become unreal and are left only as puppets or parrots. Since the events they are undergoing are serving only to present a picture of inevitable decline, and the characters' voices are drowned out by Mulisch's, there isn't much left of them at all. (I could make a pretty good case that Mulisch simply dislikes his characters, and isn't willing to give them a life of their own with the dignity that entails.)
Rather a disappointment, then, given the hopes raised by the first couple of hundred pages.
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LibraryThing member thorold
The Dutch are still in some ways a Calvinist nation and value industry: short books are given away for nothing in Boekenweek; intolerably long ones are considered masterpieces. The British and Americans, on the other hand, care little for length, but will buy any work of fiction that deals with
Cynicism apart, it is a very impressive read, ranging over practically every topic you can imagine, and absolutely packed with more or less subtle allusions and symbols. Fun for all the family. It does offer a pretty bleak picture of our future (is there such a thing as "pre-apocalyptic literature", I wonder?), and Mulisch's treatment of women certainly wouldn't stand up to close scrutiny. One principal female character spends most of the book in a coma; another one is dumped by her boyfriend and then reappears uncomplainingly to resume the relationship 700 pages or so later on; a third has a longstanding and apparently very passionate sexual relationship that is never spoken of or acknowledged in any other way during daylight hours. You get the picture: Het enige recht van de vrouw is het aanrecht. I believe Mulisch (innocently or not) provided quite a bit of employment for feminist critics with this book.
Whilst there is certainly a lot of silliness and petty score-settling, there's also some very thought-provoking stuff, particularly about Mulisch's favourite topic, the effects of the experience of the German occupation and Dutch complicity in the deportation of Jews on the subsequent history of the Netherlands. The story isn't interrupted unduly by all the theorising, and the book rarely stops being entertaining. It also gave me a nudge to listen to some of Janáček's chamber music again, which can't be a bad thing.
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angels, Solomon's Temple, and the Vatican. Mulisch certainly knew what he was doing when he planned this book as his masterpiece...Cynicism apart, it is a very impressive read, ranging over practically every topic you can imagine, and absolutely packed with more or less subtle allusions and symbols. Fun for all the family. It does offer a pretty bleak picture of our future (is there such a thing as "pre-apocalyptic literature", I wonder?), and Mulisch's treatment of women certainly wouldn't stand up to close scrutiny. One principal female character spends most of the book in a coma; another one is dumped by her boyfriend and then reappears uncomplainingly to resume the relationship 700 pages or so later on; a third has a longstanding and apparently very passionate sexual relationship that is never spoken of or acknowledged in any other way during daylight hours. You get the picture: Het enige recht van de vrouw is het aanrecht. I believe Mulisch (innocently or not) provided quite a bit of employment for feminist critics with this book.
Whilst there is certainly a lot of silliness and petty score-settling, there's also some very thought-provoking stuff, particularly about Mulisch's favourite topic, the effects of the experience of the German occupation and Dutch complicity in the deportation of Jews on the subsequent history of the Netherlands. The story isn't interrupted unduly by all the theorising, and the book rarely stops being entertaining. It also gave me a nudge to listen to some of Janáček's chamber music again, which can't be a bad thing.
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LibraryThing member vanderwal
This is a great work of fiction, with a miserable ending. I loved the story, plot, characters, character development, but the ending just did not fit it. None-the-less it is a wonderful book to me.
LibraryThing member randomarbitrary
I read the first 90 pages and gave up. Just didn't do it for me.
LibraryThing member hippietrail
This came highly recommended when I was looking for "the best novel translated from Dutch", partly because of my being a fan of Umberto Eco. While not up to Eco's standard, it is vastly above that of Dan Brown.
LibraryThing member Bertil
This is the Great Dutch Novel (which is translated in several languages). I cannot say that I like the style of the author. Moreover, I think he's a bit of a show-off (wrt his knowledge). However, the novel makes a pleasant read because of the suspense. It also gives a good view of the changes in
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Dutch society over the years. Show Less
LibraryThing member Zonda
I really love this book. Mulisch writes very intelligent and shows a really unique view on life, religion and relationships. I read the book a couple of times and I'm still bored with it.
LibraryThing member JeroenBerndsen
Mulisch's magnum opus reads like a semi-religious-scientific-friendship intervowen lovestory-thriller. I read a a couple of times in both english and dutch (so here you are, lady in the other review, people ARE reading this book, thank god). It never bores me for a second.
If you only have the
If you only have the
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slightest affinity with, love, science, religion (you don't have to believe to like this, really) and art all wrapped up in an epic storyline you'll have a field day with this one. And eh... Don't let the proportions of the book scare you off. Once you've read through the first 100 pages you'll fly right through it... Show Less
LibraryThing member roblong
Two Dutch friends, an astronomer and a philologist, each have a relationship with the same woman, leading to dubious parentage for the son she bears. Said son is apparently destined to fulfill a divine mission, as all events are being led by angels for that purpose...
This started quite slowly but
This started quite slowly but
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once it got going I enjoyed the first half. The dynamic between the friends and the woman they both love is affecting and there's a lot of interesting digressions into one subject or another. But after halfway the focus of the story shifts and I thought it dipped massively, before coming back at the end for the conclusion of the son's mission. Decent, although towards the end I kept thinking that Umberto Eco would have told the last quarter of the story far better. Show Less
LibraryThing member nicky_too
I have read the original (Dutch) version, so I have no idea if the translation is any good.
This book I absolutely love!
I find it very hard to find novels that don't bore me, so this one was like a breath of fresh air to me. It's especially the phychological elements in it that I enjoyed. Some of
Obviously the main character, Quinten, is a very strange character. The way he is 'planned', the way he is born, the way he thinks are all very unusual.
According to the wikipedia site on this book Harry Mulisch said that this book is his magnum opus. I am not surprised. Just by reading it you can tell he put his heart and soul into it.
It is by no means an easy book to read!
You have to pay attention all the time. The details matter. The world Harry Mulisch created for us is firmly founded in the here and now, but also strangely fantastical and very, very rich in every way.
It is definitely one of my favourite books and I recommend it to anyone who likes to really dig in and get lost in a book.
This book I absolutely love!
I find it very hard to find novels that don't bore me, so this one was like a breath of fresh air to me. It's especially the phychological elements in it that I enjoyed. Some of
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the characters seem quite strange and I just loved getting that peek into their way of thinking.Obviously the main character, Quinten, is a very strange character. The way he is 'planned', the way he is born, the way he thinks are all very unusual.
According to the wikipedia site on this book Harry Mulisch said that this book is his magnum opus. I am not surprised. Just by reading it you can tell he put his heart and soul into it.
It is by no means an easy book to read!
You have to pay attention all the time. The details matter. The world Harry Mulisch created for us is firmly founded in the here and now, but also strangely fantastical and very, very rich in every way.
It is definitely one of my favourite books and I recommend it to anyone who likes to really dig in and get lost in a book.
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LibraryThing member wouterzzzzz
Beautiful book by one of the most famous Dutch authors. Mulisch likes to show off his knowledge of the world, and he does it in this book too. However, it really makes the story much better in this case. One of the best Dutch books ever.
LibraryThing member kgib
So far, this book is like Robertson Davies' What's Bread in the Bone (framed by otherworldly beings guiding people's lives) or Good Omens (minus the humour) Sophie's World (philosophy class framed by a story) 1960s Europe and Cuba. But not really like any of those things. And Dutch.
LibraryThing member tstan
3.5 stars.
Two best friends fall for the same woman, and a child is born, who is destined for an ethereal mission.
Good story with a lot of philosophy, language and religion that I was unfamiliar with. In this case, my lack of knowledge on those topics was probably a good thing. It could have been
Two best friends fall for the same woman, and a child is born, who is destined for an ethereal mission.
Good story with a lot of philosophy, language and religion that I was unfamiliar with. In this case, my lack of knowledge on those topics was probably a good thing. It could have been
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at least 300 pages shorter, it had a load of sidebar information, but wasn't preachy or stuffy. Show Less
LibraryThing member anadejesus
One of the most enternaining and profound philosophical novels ever written - Washington Post
LibraryThing member agh19
A pleasant and enjoyable philosophical novel, very funny in parts and with engaging characters. Though it was central to the premise, I was somewhat disappointed with the supernatural turn of the final 100-or-so pages.
Language
Original language
Dutch
ISBN
9780140272383
Physical description
736 p.; 5.08 inches
Pages
736