Bernard Sijtsma

Gerard van het Reve, together with Harry Mulisch and Jan Wolkers were considered the Great Three, the top three authors in Dutch letters in the Twentieth Century. In general, Dutch literature tends to be rather provincial, endlessly going on about the Second World War, masturbation or other vices. Stylistically, Dutch literature is also rather monotonous. There is very little variation in linguistic form. The so-called 'Great Three' broke through the dreariness of the literature of the 1950s, Mulisch as the great, megalomaniac philosopher, Wolkers exuberantly celebrating sex, and Reve seeking out every opportunity to provoke religious people flaunting his homosexuality. Essentially, their writings are also all about the War and vices, but they started writing about that, and very explicit at that, hence their stardom.

Quite a number of Reve's novels are epistolary, an unusual literary form in Dutch literature, and his fame is based to considerable extent on the publication of his letters, correspondence with other Dutch authors, mainly. These collections of letters only contain Reve's letters to his correspondents. Their answers are always missing. Attempts at publishing them jointly have stranded on the anal retentiveness of Reve's publishers and estate.

Most of Reve's correspondents (all Dutch) are minor authors. Some, like Bernard Sijtsma have collected and published their letters to Reve themselves.

While I haven't made a systematic study, and my readings of various volumes partly lies many years behind, some general observations can be made:
1. Reve does not initiate the correspondence
2. Reve is often indifferent to the continuity of the correspondence
3. Sooner or later the novice author / correspondent is drawn into some ménage à trois.

It is no different with Bernard Sijtsma. His letters move from scorn and reverence, to familiarity and adoration, meanwhile illustrating his minor achievements as a budding author.

Supposedly, these "companion volumes" are usually read to gain further insight to the biography of Gerard van het Reve. Otherwise, they are relatively insignificant.… (más)

Gerard van het Reve, together with Harry Mulisch and Jan Wolkers were considered the Great Three, the top three authors in Dutch letters in the Twentieth Century. In general, Dutch literature tends to be rather provincial, endlessly going on about the Second World War, masturbation or other vices. Stylistically, Dutch literature is also rather monotonous. There is very little variation in linguistic form. The so-called 'Great Three' broke through the dreariness of the literature of the 1950s, Mulisch as the great, megalomaniac philosopher, Wolkers exuberantly celebrating sex, and Reve seeking out every opportunity to provoke religious people flaunting his homosexuality. Essentially, their writings are also all about the War and vices, but they started writing about that, and very explicit at that, hence their stardom.

Quite a number of Reve's novels are epistolary, an unusual literary form in Dutch literature, and his fame is based to considerable extent on the publication of his letters, correspondence with other Dutch authors, mainly. These collections of letters only contain Reve's letters to his correspondents. Their answers are always missing. Attempts at publishing them jointly have stranded on the anal retentiveness of Reve's publishers and estate.

Most of Reve's correspondents (all Dutch) are minor authors. Some, like Bernard Sijtsma have collected and published their letters to Reve themselves.

While I haven't made a systematic study, and my readings of various volumes partly lies many years behind, some general observations can be made:
1. Reve does not initiate the correspondence
2. Reve is often indifferent to the continuity of the correspondence
3. Sooner or later the novice author / correspondent is drawn into some ménage à trois.

It is no different with Bernard Sijtsma. His letters move from scorn and reverence, to familiarity and adoration, meanwhile illustrating his minor achievements as a budding author.

Supposedly, these "companion volumes" are usually read to gain further insight to the biography of Gerard van het Reve. Otherwise, they are relatively insignificant.… (más)