The Discovery of Heaven (original 1992; edition 1998)

by Harry Mulisch

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3,080	60	4,411	(4.11)	117
"On a cold night in Holland, Max Delius - a hedonist, yet a rhetorically brilliant astronomer who loves fast cars, nice clothes, and women - picks up a hitchhiker, Onno Quist, a cerebral, chaotic philologist who cannot bear the banalities of everyday life. They are like fire and water. But soon after they learn that they were conceived on the same day in 1933, it is clear that something special, even extraordinary, is about to happen." "At the center of their relationship lies the battle between humanistic values and technological progress ... and an especially radiant child, Onno's son, Quinten. Quinten's sublimity - in his beauty, intelligence, and demeanor - becomes even more apparent when, after the heavens conspire against Onno and Max, Quinten embarks on a journey that can only be completed by a child with his incredible gifts." "Abounding in philosophical, psychological, and theological inquires, yet laced with humor that is as infectious as it is wilful, The Discovery of Heaven lingers in the mind long after it has been read, offering itself up to many interpretations over time."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved… (more)

▾Book information

Member:	PhilipKinsella
Title:	The Discovery of Heaven
Authors:	Harry Mulisch
Info:	Penguin (1998), Edition: New Ed, Paperback, 736 pages
Collections:	Your library
Rating:
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Work Information

The Discovery of Heaven by Harry Mulisch (1992)

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▾Member reviews

English (37) Dutch (14) German (2) Spanish (2) French (2) Italian (1) Hungarian (1) Portuguese (Portugal) (1) All languages (60)

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Showing 1-5 of 37 (next | show all)

This is really a masterpiece!
The copy I own is in Dutch, but it is also published in English, and it is really a recommandation! (

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JWvdVuurst | Sep 20, 2023 |

This is what you wrote about this read in 2008: "Wow. A really tough, Dutch read . . . But with good rewards. God is angry with his people for discovering DNA and getting close to discovering the source of creation. Quentin, who is arranged to be created by God's angels, is to retrieve and break God's covenent (the tablets of the Ten Commandments) with mankind. NOTE: Recall talking about this book with Jos Van Pee; he had not heard of; MGA tried to interest him." (

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MGADMJK | Jun 27, 2023 |

I could hardly stick to the book and read half of it. I blame it on the translation, but I am not certain. I felt like the author was a little arrogant and inserting pieces of information that he thought would make him appear well read, but the bits and pieces didn't make much sense together. (

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luciarux | Jul 3, 2022 |

A pleasant and enjoyable philosophical novel, very funny in parts and with engaging characters. Though it was central to the premise, I was somewhat disappointed with the supernatural turn of the final 100-or-so pages. (

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agh19 | Sep 25, 2020 |

Dit boek stond destijds, toen ik nog op de middelbare school zat, op de boekenlijst. Dit boek lezen leverde je 5 punten op. De meeste andere boeken 1, of 2 punten. Ik besloot om die ene student te zijn die het boek zou gaan lezen. Ik was toen...18? De leraar Nederlands was onder de indruk dat het boek op mijn lijstje stond, maar betwijfelde of ik het boek ook daadwerkelijk van begin tot eind had gelezen.
Dat had ik dus wel. Er was niet alles in het boek wat ik begreep, maar juist dat maakte dat ik het boek heerlijk vond om te lezen: stukken lezen, vervolgens stoppen, herlezen, weer stoppen en nadenken. Filosoferen, mijmeren, nadenken. De beschrijvingen, de uitvoerige beschrijvingen en gedachtengangen waren wat me zo aansprak. Ik zou het boek, zo'n 15 jaar later, beslist weer eens moeten lezen. (

)

prettygoodyear | Jun 29, 2020 |

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Showing 1-5 of 37 (next | show all)

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▾Other authors

» Add other authors (4 possible)

Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Harry Mulisch	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Havlíková, Veronika ter Harmsel	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Hertog-Vogt, Martina den	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Noble, Philippe	Traduction	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Rosselin, Isabelle	Traduction	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Vincent, Paul	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Publisher Series

Gallimard, Du monde entier

Gallimard, Folio (3640)

Harry Mulisch: De romans (11)

rororo (13476)

Is contained in

De romans by Harry Mulisch

Inspired

Maak jezelf maar klaar by Elsbeth Etty

Mulisch en de wetenschap: Naar aanleiding van De ontdekking van de hemel van Harry Mulisch (Interacties) (Dutch Edition) by Wim Haan

The Discovery of Heaven [2001 film] by Jeroen Krabbé

Has as a reference guide/companion

Harry Mulisch ontdekt : over Harry Mulisch en De ontdekking van de hemel by Frans de Rover

Has as a study

Alles is altĳd uit de bĳbel : schriftuurlĳke verwĳzingen in "De ontdekking van de hemel" by Peter Henk Steenhuis

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▾Common Knowledge

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Canonical title

The Discovery of Heaven

Original title

De ontdekking van de hemel

Alternative titles

Original publication date

1992-10-?? (1e édition originale néerlandaise, Du monde entier, Gallimard)

1999-03-23 (1e traduction et édition française, Du monde entier, Gallimard)

2002-01-30 (Réédition française, Folio, Gallimard)

People/Characters

Important places

The Netherlands

Important events

Epigraph

Dedication

First words

Can I have a moment?

Precies om middernacht zorgde ik voor kortsluiting

Quotations

This has nothing to do with the toasters. It has begun!

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Original language

Dutch

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

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▾Book descriptions

"On a cold night in Holland, Max Delius - a hedonist, yet a rhetorically brilliant astronomer who loves fast cars, nice clothes, and women - picks up a hitchhiker, Onno Quist, a cerebral, chaotic philologist who cannot bear the banalities of everyday life. They are like fire and water. But soon after they learn that they were conceived on the same day in 1933, it is clear that something special, even extraordinary, is about to happen." "At the center of their relationship lies the battle between humanistic values and technological progress ... and an especially radiant child, Onno's son, Quinten. Quinten's sublimity - in his beauty, intelligence, and demeanor - becomes even more apparent when, after the heavens conspire against Onno and Max, Quinten embarks on a journey that can only be completed by a child with his incredible gifts." "Abounding in philosophical, psychological, and theological inquires, yet laced with humor that is as infectious as it is wilful, The Discovery of Heaven lingers in the mind long after it has been read, offering itself up to many interpretations over time."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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