Summary of The Discovery of Heaven
An angel is ordered by God to return the Ten Commandments to heaven. To fulfil his mission, he unites three individuals – Max, Ada, and Onno – in a triangular relationship to conceive a child, Quinten, who is destined to complete the divine task. This celestial backdrop, a broken covenant between God and humanity, provides the framework for the real story of this Dutch classic: the friendship between Max and Onno, their rivalry for the love of Ada, and Quinten’s growth into a talented, fated, yet solitary boy.
Reasons to read The Discovery of HeavenÂ
“The Discovery of Heaven” is a complex novel, rich with symbolism, mythology, and religious elements. It is widely considered the “magnum opus” of Harry Mulisch and one of the masterpieces of Dutch literature. Despite its length and mysticism, it became a bestseller in the Netherlands and was adapted into a film by Jeroen Krabbé in 2001, featuring Stephen Fry. In 2007, “The Discovery of Heaven” was voted the best Dutch-language novel by the readers of the newspaper NRC Handelsblad. Harry Mulisch received many literary honours, including the Constantijn Huygens Prize, the PC Hooft Award, the Price of Dutch Letters, the Libris Prize, and the International Nonino Prize. Other notable books by Harry Mulisch include “The Assault” and “The Procedure”.
Setting: the Netherlands
Book set in the Netherlands: Westerbork, Groot Hoenlo (named “Groot Rechteren” in the novel), Leiden, Amsterdam
Original title: De ontdekking van de hemel
Year of publication: 1992
Nr of pages: 736
