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He burst onto the Dutch literary scene with Clausewitz (2010), a biblio-thriller inspired by the work of one of his great heroes, Harry Mulisch. In 2013 he was awarded the Charlotte Köhler Stipendium, and his second novel The Republic won the Golden Owl Award in 2014.

Joost de Vries

We follow the adventures of Friso de Vos, a young academic who, after the death of his legendary mentor, Josip Brik, becomes embroiled in a battle for the man’s legacy. His most important rival is a contemporary by the name of De Vries (!) who soon reveals himself to be a frightening doppelgänger.With obvious pleasure and at a considerable pace, Joost de Vries creates an absurd academic universe in which scholars study the image of the Second World War in general and ‘things that look like Hitler’ in particular. At the same time he depicts an insecure young man trying to find his way in a dangerous world, who is forced by harsh experience to recognize that true love is the only armour.

His books are courageous puzzles on a grand scale, full of references to other books, yet original and infectious reflections of contemporary reality. His work is contemplative and delicate, pedantic and sophomoric, lucid and mysterious, but invariably written in a stimulating and fluent style.

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De republiek

The mysterious death of a prominent professor of Hitler Studies marks the start of a humorous and intellectually-challenging book, a combination of campus novel and spy thriller.

The Republic

This deliciously clandestine and intellectual love affair is set in places where the events of the 20th century had a profound effect. From the Dutch East Indies and the Dutch community in London during the Blitz to a cell in Egypt under the nationalist president Nasser. Like in all of his work, De Vries explores the relationship between modern people and their surroundings, brilliantly moving between different forms of storytelling. With equal devotion, De Vries describes the games the colonial elite use to relieve their boredom and the cruelty of the battlefield in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. In the midst of it all, we witness a betrayal of Biblical proportions, De Vries pays homage to Simone de Beauvoir, and a secondary character seems straight out of Hanya Yanigihara’s A Little Life. In the end, De Vries has his characters find what they were looking for: a sense of wholeness – if not together, then each on their own.Publishing details Hogere machten (2024) Higher Powers 320 pages 84,850 words 7,500 copies soldPublisher Prometheus Nikki Verkerk <a href="mailto:foreignrights@pbo.nl">foreignrights@pbo.nl</a>Rights A.M. Heath Alexandra McNicoll <a href="mailto:alexandra.mcnicoll@amheath.com">alexandra.mcnicoll@amheath.com</a>Translated titles De republiek (The Republic): Catalonia and Spain (Anagrama, 2017), Estonia (Varrak, 2020), France (Plon, 2020), Germany (Heyne, 2016), Greece (Metaixmio, 2016), Italy (Bompiani, 2017), South Korea (Hyundae Munhak, 2020), UK (Arcadia, 2019), US (Other Press). Oude meesters [Old Masters]: France (Les Escales, 2020)

His best yet (...) An effortless flair characterises De Vries’ prose. He is an assured storyteller, so consummately in control that he can permit himself all kinds of liberties. Quickfire, tennismatch dialogue, abrupt segues and associative leaps, lists, jokes, letters, transcriptions of radio interviews, and – of course – a handful of aphorisms.

With his ingenious storylines De Vries, deftly interweaving plots, is reminiscent in moments of Ian McEwan’s razor-sharp scrutiny of the zeitgeist and John le Carré’s brilliantly plotted espionage novels (…) His keen intellect is everywhere apparent.

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A novel about a love affair as passionate as it is complicated, and an erudite whistle-stop tour of the 20th century

Hogere machten

It’s the early decades of the 20th century. James Welmoed is too British for his Dutch school – just like he’ll be too Dutch for London later in life. In 1930s Indonesia, he is an inscrutable member of the colonial establishment. No one knows what to make of him – including Elisabeth van Elsenburg, an eighteen-year-old so witty she could only be the brainchild of an author with a keen intellect and boundless dexterity. She’ll grow up to be a writer, but first she embarks on a love affair with Welmoed which, even though it will be cut short, will shape both their lives.

Higher Powers

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