Thomas Rosenboom

Thomas Rosenboom (b. 1956) made his debut in 1983 with a collection of short stories called De mensen thuis (Those at Home), for which he received the Van der Hoogt Prize. Two years later he published the novel Vriend van verdienste (An Honourable Friend), based on the true story of a teen homicide. In 1994 he astonished both critics and readers with Gewassen vlees (Washed Flesh), about the diabolical character William Augustijn van Donck. This was followed by Publieke werken (Public Works, 1999), which describes the tragic downfall of a nineteenth-century pharmacist and a violin maker. Both these novels were awarded the prestigious Libris Literature Prize. Rosenboom further published the novel De nieuwe man (The New Man, 2003), Spitzen (Point Shoes, 2004) and Zoete mond (Sweet Mouth, 2009). Controversial was his essay on the decline of educational standards, Denkend aan Holland (Thoughts About Holland, 2005).

The magic of Rosenboom’s great novels rests on a number of classical literary devices perfectly implemented. The historical backgrounds in his novels are well documented and convincing without getting in the way of the story. He always has an ambitious main character and a riveting plot. In addition, his style is polished and trenchant, and he has a good eye for detail. In a subtle, often cruelly humorous way, his characters are led to inevitable ruin. All this makes his novels real page-turners.

An Honorable Friend

(Querido, 1985, 272 pages)

How far would you go for friendship? This is the subject of the novel An Honorable Friend based upon a controversial affair which took place in the early 1960s in the wealthy village of Baarn.

Washed Flesh

(Querido, 1994, 732 pages)

Though – according to the German critic-cum-oracle Marcel Reich-Ranicki – literary tomes belong back in the era of the stagecoach, when people were still expected to combat boredom with reading, contemporary writers haven’t taken the slightest notice of this harsh position. Confining ourselves to Holland: one and a half years after Mulisch’s novel De ontdekking van de hemel (The Discovery of Heaven), the size of which prompted Reich-Ranicki to make the aforementioned statement, there is once again a giant novel of high quality in the bookstores.

Public Works

(Querido, 1999, 472 pages)

Publieke werken is written in a florid style, highly appropriate to the historical period of its setting: the late 19^th century. Rosenboom‘s stately prose lends to his novels that slow-moving tempo so essential to their effectiveness, it is this tempo with which the plot unfolds which enables the reader to see disaster coming long before the novel ends, making you want to call out to the characters, to warn them that they are making a terrible mistake.

The New Man

(Querido, 2003, 315 pages)

Thomas Rosenboom is the master of downfall. In his work he steadily guides his characters, subtly, ironically, to their inevitable destruction. In his previous novel Public Works (Publieke werken, 1999), – which was awarded the Libris Literature Prize just like the novel before that, Washed flesh (Gewassen vlees, 1994), – the pharmacist Anijs and the violin maker Walter Vedder slowly but surely fall under the spell of their delusions. Likewise, in De nieuwe man the director of a shipyard and his foreman fix each other in a stranglehold.

Point Shoes

(Querido, 2004, 92 pages)

Although Rosenboom’s newest novel Point Shoes is set in contemporary Amsterdam rather than being historical, it is vintage Rosenboom. Its iron-clad construction and strong plot ensure that the story of the love of the apparently dull Bijman for Esther, a woman he meets at tango lessons, will haunt the reader.

Sweet Mouth

(Querido, 2009, 512 pages)

Sweet Mouth, the title of this doorstopping fifth novel by Thomas Rosenboom, is borrowed from the author’s childhood when he was occasionally allowed to give himself a ‘sweet mouth’ by stuffing handfuls of sweets into his mouth all at once, producing an immediate sense of well-being.

The Red Carpet

(Querido, 2012, 252 pages)

A born loser from a city in an eastern province is the protagonist of the new novel by Thomas Rosenboom, one of Dutch literature’s most refined stylists. The Red Carpet charts the life and times of a proud underachiever, ‘constantly on the move without getting anywhere.’

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