Harry Mulisch

Harry Mulisch , 1927–, Dutch writer. In the 1960s Mulisch became a prominent member of Amsterdam's new left. He is extremely prolific and has written fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, much of it not yet translated into English. His powerful fiction, which often deals with the psychological aftermath of war, is characterized by an urbane intellectuality, experimental narrative structure, and an edgy ironic humor. Among his well-known works are the novels The Stone Bridal Bed (1959, tr. 1962) and Two Women (1975, tr. 1980). Mulisch is particularly acclaimed for his later novels, which include The Assault (1982, tr. 1985) and The Procedure (1998, tr. 2001). Widely considered his masterpiece, The Discovery of Heaven (1992, tr. 1996), is a massive philosophical novel with autobiographical overtones that deals with love, friendship, and divine intervention in the contemporary world.