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Gerard Reve | |
|---|---|
 Gerard Reve in 1969 | |
| Born | Gerard Kornelis van het Reve 14 December 1923 Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Died | 8 April 2006 (aged 82) Zulte, East Flanders, Belgium |
| Resting place | Sint-Michiel-en-Cornelius-en-Ghislenuskerk, Machelen |
| Pen name | Simon van het Reve |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | Dutch |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Alma mater | Vossius Gymnasium Grafische School |
| Genre | Novels, short stories, poems, letters, speeches |
| Years active | 1947–1998 |
| Notable awards | Prijs der Nederlandse Letteren |
| Spouse | Hanny Michaelis (m. 1948 – sep. 1959) |
| Partner | Joop Schafthuizen |
| Relatives | Karel van het Reve (brother) |
Gerard Kornelis van het Reve (14 December 1923 – 8 April 2006) was a Dutch writer. He started writing as Simon Gerard van het Reve and adopted the shorter Gerard Reve [ˈɣeːrɑrt ˈreːvə] in 1973.[1] Together with Willem Frederik Hermans and Harry Mulisch, he is considered one of the "Great Three" (De Grote Drie) of Dutch post-war literature. His 1981 novel De vierde man (The Fourth Man) was the basis for Paul Verhoeven's 1983 film.
Reve was one of the first homosexual authors to come out in the Netherlands.[2] He often wrote explicitly about erotic attraction, sexual relations and intercourse between men, which many readers considered shocking. However, he did this in an ironic, humorous and recognizable way, which contributed to making homosexuality acceptable for many of his readers. Another main theme, often in combination with eroticism, was religion. Reve himself declared that the primary message in all of his work was salvation from the material world we live in.
Gerard Reve was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and was the brother of the Slavicist and essayist Karel van het Reve, who became a staunch anti-communist in his own way; the personal rapport between the brothers was not good. They broke off relations altogether in the 1980s.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Historicalwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Wood, Robert (2 January 2003) [2002]. "Reve, Gerard (b. 1923)". In Summers, Claude J. (ed.). glbtq: An encyclopedia of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer culture. Chicago: glbtq, Inc. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007.