Eerst grijs dan wit dan blauw (Engl. First Gray, Then White, Then Blue) is an award-winning novel by the Dutch author Margriet de Moor. The panel considered the hap-hazard structure of the novel "innovative" as it enhances the sense of displacement. The novel was written in the early 1990s and contains various elements referring to that period, such as travels to Prague and a well-known cafe in the Kleist Strasse in Berlin.

First Gray, Then White, Then Blue is difficult to read, and upon finishing the book, the reader remains with more questions than answers found. Magda is of Czech descent, and the novel tells the story of her life, having grown up in Czechoslovakia, Canada and the Netherlands. However, the motive for the murder of Magda by Robert, in the first chapter never becomes clear.

Autism seems to be a theme in the novel, and although only one character is described as being autistic, it is this child that can best connect with Magda, while Robert, painter, cannot connect to Madge at all, and both seem to live together separately, as Magda goes her own way.

The novel is partly set in the 1970s and 80s, and the free lifestyle of that period shines through, but does not brin any of the characters closer together. Perhaps Magda's seemingly perfect integration is but an illusion, and the darker suggestion that she is nowhere at home.

The novel is slightly reminiscent of Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being. ( )

'English' below

Als aan een schilderij wordt aan dit boek over het hele doek, werk, leven tegeljk gewerkt; schijnbaar zonder chronologie.
Toetsen vesrpreid in de tijd neergezet. Eerst de achtergrond, vanuit het bevriende echtpaar en man Robert, dan de fragmensten vanuit het leven van Magda zelf.
/ Zo worden de verschillende personages en hun omgeving steeds duidelijker zichtbaar.. Detail: Robert is een periode, in Frankrijk, kunstschilder

In het begin moset ik mij forceren door te lezen; weer zo'n Nederlandse roman over moeizame relaties... . Naarmate het beeld duidelijker werd, - de lagen over elkaar meer diepte gaven - ging de schets meer leven, werd Magda boeiender.
'Grappig'is dat de eerste herinneringen in Tsjechoslowakije, het laatst weergegeven worden, terwijl die eigenlijk een ondergrond vormen.

Like with a painting the painter works at all places of the cloth at the same time , the story isn't told chronologically , parts of the life , thoughts, the mystery are dotted separately in the book; keys are 'spread in time' In the end the whole image is clear.
First the background, the friendly couple and husband Robert , the fragments of the life of Magda itself.
Thus, the various characters and their surroundings are becoming more visible .. Detail: Robert is a period in France , painter

In the beginning I had to force me to read ; again a Dutch novel about troubled relationships ... . As the picture became clearer - the layers together gave more depth - the sketch get more alive, Magda was getting a more interesting character. Funny is that the first memories come from Czechoslovakia , the last display , while those actually form the surface.

elementen: kleuren, astronomie, je verplaatsen

http://www.scholieren.com/boekverslag/50245 Door een Heleen in 2003 : "De titel is een citaat van Magda wanneer zij acht jaar is. Zij vraagt dan aan een dood baby’tje, wanneer zij met haar moeder op een schip naar Canada zit: ‘Vertel het me, vroeg ik zachtjes aan de baby. Is het waar dat eerst alles grijs wordt, dan wit, dan blauw en dat je dan naar de sterren vliegt?’ (p. 190) Het motief van de dood wordt dus al in de titel genoemd. Recensenten konden niet veel met de interpretatie van de titel. Ik merkte dat de kleuren die in de titel genoemd worden, vaak in het boek terugkomen, maar telkens in andere omstandigheden. ‘" ( )

All and all I like the book. Written from the view points of five persons. Two families, sometimes friends, sometimes not. And a retarded son, Gaby.

The story is mysterious. Why did Robert kill Magda. Where was Magda in her time away of a couple of years (nicely told by letting her leave all the places she visits)? How is the relation between Magda & Robert en Erik & Nellie? Why is Robert so silent and absent?

Not all the questions are answered. But the story is told in a good style.

http://boekenwijs.blogspot.com/2010/04/eerst-grijs-dan-wit-dan-blauw.html ( )