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De Toekomst van Gisteren
Verantwoording van een niet geschreven roman over Europa na 1945, na een Duitse overwinning tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog.
253 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1972
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About the author
Harry Mulisch
138 books476 followersHarry Kurt Victor Mulisch along with W.F. Hermans and Gerard Reve, is considered one of the "Great Three" of Dutch postwar literature. He has written novels, plays, essays, poems, and philosophical reflections.
Mulisch was born in Haarlem and lived in Amsterdam since 1958, following the death of his father in 1957. Mulisch's father was from Austria-Hungary and emigrated to the Netherlands after the First World War. During the German occupation in World War II he worked for a German bank, which also dealt with confiscated Jewish assets. His mother, Alice Schwarz, was Jewish. Mulisch and his mother escaped transportation to a concentration camp thanks to Mulisch's father's collaboration with the Nazis. Due to the curious nature of his parents' positions, Mulisch has claimed that he is the Second World War.
A frequent theme in his work is the Second World War. His father had worked for the Germans during the war and went to prison for three years afterwards. As the war spanned most of Mulisch's formative phase, it had a defining influence on his life and work. In 1963, he wrote a non-fiction work about the Eichmann case: The case 40/61. Major works set against the backdrop of the Second World War are De Aanslag, Het stenen bruidsbed, and Siegfried.
Additionally, Mulisch often incorporates ancient legends or myths in his writings, drawing on Greek mythology (e.g. in De Elementen), Jewish mysticism (in De ontdekking van de Hemel and De Procedure), well-known urban legends and politics (Mulisch is politically left-wing, notably defending Fidel Castro since the Cuban revolution). Mulisch is widely read and (according to his critics) often flaunts his philosophical and even scientific knowledge.
Mulisch gained international recognition with the movie De Aanslag (The Assault), (1986) which was based on his eponymous book. It received an Oscar and a Golden Globe for best foreign movie and has been translated in more than twenty languages.
His novel De ontdekking van de Hemel (1992) was filmed in 2001 as The Discovery of Heaven by Jeroen Krabbé, starring Stephen Fry.
Amongst many awards he has received for individual works and his total body of work, the most important is the Prijs der Nederlandse Letteren (Prize of Dutch Literature, an official lifetime achievement award) in 1995.
Mulisch was born in Haarlem and lived in Amsterdam since 1958, following the death of his father in 1957. Mulisch's father was from Austria-Hungary and emigrated to the Netherlands after the First World War. During the German occupation in World War II he worked for a German bank, which also dealt with confiscated Jewish assets. His mother, Alice Schwarz, was Jewish. Mulisch and his mother escaped transportation to a concentration camp thanks to Mulisch's father's collaboration with the Nazis. Due to the curious nature of his parents' positions, Mulisch has claimed that he is the Second World War.
A frequent theme in his work is the Second World War. His father had worked for the Germans during the war and went to prison for three years afterwards. As the war spanned most of Mulisch's formative phase, it had a defining influence on his life and work. In 1963, he wrote a non-fiction work about the Eichmann case: The case 40/61. Major works set against the backdrop of the Second World War are De Aanslag, Het stenen bruidsbed, and Siegfried.
Additionally, Mulisch often incorporates ancient legends or myths in his writings, drawing on Greek mythology (e.g. in De Elementen), Jewish mysticism (in De ontdekking van de Hemel and De Procedure), well-known urban legends and politics (Mulisch is politically left-wing, notably defending Fidel Castro since the Cuban revolution). Mulisch is widely read and (according to his critics) often flaunts his philosophical and even scientific knowledge.
Mulisch gained international recognition with the movie De Aanslag (The Assault), (1986) which was based on his eponymous book. It received an Oscar and a Golden Globe for best foreign movie and has been translated in more than twenty languages.
His novel De ontdekking van de Hemel (1992) was filmed in 2001 as The Discovery of Heaven by Jeroen Krabbé, starring Stephen Fry.
Amongst many awards he has received for individual works and his total body of work, the most important is the Prijs der Nederlandse Letteren (Prize of Dutch Literature, an official lifetime achievement award) in 1995.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 8, 2022
doodsaai, niet mn ding
October 16, 2025
'De toekomst van gisteren' van Harry Mulisch is zo'n boek dat je even moet laten bezinken. Het is niet het soort roman dat je 'gewoon leest'; het is eerder een intellectuele puzzel waarin Mulisch zijn fascinatie voor tijd, geschiedenis en menselijk bewustzijn volledig loslaat.
Het verhaal balanceert tussen filosofie, sciencefiction en existentiële reflectie. Mulisch onderzoekt hoe het verleden en de toekomst in elkaar overvloeien - en hoe de mens daar wanhopig grip op probeert te krijgen. Soms is het complex, met passies waar je even moet herlezen om te volgen wat hij precies bedoelt, maar dat maakt het net boeiend.
Wat ik er vooral sterk aan vond, is dat het boek niet ouderwets aanvoelt, ondanks zijn publicatiejaar. Mulisch stelt vragen die vandaag nog relevant zijn: hoe kijken we naar vooruitgang, wat is kennis, en wie bepaalt de waarheid over tijd?
Niet zijn meest toegankelijke werk, maar wél één dat blijft nazinderen. Een aanrader voor wie houdt van Mulisch op zijn meest filosofische en experimentele momenten.
Het verhaal balanceert tussen filosofie, sciencefiction en existentiële reflectie. Mulisch onderzoekt hoe het verleden en de toekomst in elkaar overvloeien - en hoe de mens daar wanhopig grip op probeert te krijgen. Soms is het complex, met passies waar je even moet herlezen om te volgen wat hij precies bedoelt, maar dat maakt het net boeiend.
Wat ik er vooral sterk aan vond, is dat het boek niet ouderwets aanvoelt, ondanks zijn publicatiejaar. Mulisch stelt vragen die vandaag nog relevant zijn: hoe kijken we naar vooruitgang, wat is kennis, en wie bepaalt de waarheid over tijd?
Niet zijn meest toegankelijke werk, maar wél één dat blijft nazinderen. Een aanrader voor wie houdt van Mulisch op zijn meest filosofische en experimentele momenten.
December 2, 2019
De markiezin ging om 5 uur uit
June 10, 2015
Bizar goed boek
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews