Frans Kellendonk

Frans Kellendonk (1951-1990) belonged to a generation of writers who elevated the dichotomy between fiction and reality to a major theme of their work, with a strong emphasis on form.

Fiction

During his short life, Kellendonk created an impressive oeuvre of novels, short stories, essays and translations. From his debut Bouwval (Ruin, 1977), the ghost story Letter en geest (Letter and Spirit, 1992) to his final novel Mystiek lichaam (Mystical Body, 1986) Kellendonk won the admiration of readers and critics alike with his masterly expressive capabilities and sublime command of the language.

More Frans Kellendonk

Frans Kellendonk

Mystical Body

The publication of 'Mystical Body' caused a sensation in the Dutch literary establishment; a number of leading critics accused Kellendonk of anti-Semitism. This was a serious accusation which led other critics to reach for their pens to defend the writer and refute the charge. So who was right? While Kellendonk employs a number of clichéd images that have traditionally been projected onto Jews, he does so in such a way that the clichés are always recognisable as such. At no point does he actually endorse these views himself. A possible problem for the critics is the ironic way that Kellendonk plays with stereotypes in general, not just those associated with Jews. Kellendonk couples these images with ideas about life and death, art and religion. The bizarre contrasts that this produces can scarcely be interpreted any other way than ironically.

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