The Discovery of Heaven
ABOUT
THE BOOK
On a cold night in Holland two men meet and change each other’s lives forever. Max Delius – a hedonistic, yet brilliant astronomer who loves fast cars, nice clothes and beautiful women – picks up Onno Quist, a cerebral chaotic philologist who cannot bear the ordinariness of everyday life. Despite their differences, they fast become great friends. And when they learn they were conceived on the same day, it is clear that their meeting is no coincidence. As the pair fall into and out of love with the same woman – Ada – so their lives become further intertwined. For all three are on a mysterious journey destined to shape human history. The Discovery of Heaven is internationally recognized as a masterpiece. Rich in philosophical, psychological, historical and theological enquiry, it is an extravagant, bold and satisfying novel of ideas.
Original title in Dutch De ontdekking van de hemel published by De Bezige Bij (1992)
ABOUT
THE TRANSLATOR Paul
Vincent
Paul Vincent is a Dutch translator, currently living in London. He studied German, French and Dutch at Cambridge University and taught Dutch for many years at London University before becoming a full- time translator. He has translated over thirty books of fiction and non-fiction, winning the 2011 Vondel Prize for his version of My Little War by Louis Paul Boon. In poetry he has translated among others Achterberg, Reve, Hooft, Elsschot, Bredero, Vondel, Jellema, Claus, Nolens (An English Anthology, Carcanet, 2018), Marsman (Reid Poetry Prize), Gorter, Gezelle, One Hundred Dutch-Language Poems (with John Irons; won Oxford -Weidenfeld Prize, 2016).
Paul Vincent is a Dutch translator, currently living in London. He studied German, French and Dutch at Cambridge University and taught Dutch for many years at London University before becoming a full- time translator. He has translated over thirty books of fiction and non-fiction, winning the 2011 Vondel Prize for his version of My Little War by Louis Paul Boon. In poetry he has translated among others Achterberg, Reve, Hooft, Elsschot, Bredero, Vondel, Jellema, Claus, Nolens (An English Anthology, Carcanet, 2018), Marsman (Reid Poetry Prize), Gorter, Gezelle, One Hundred Dutch-Language Poems (with John Irons; won Oxford -Weidenfeld Prize, 2016).