The Evenings
GERARD REVE, translated by Sam Garrett

Gerard Reve, who died in 2006, is considered one of the greatest post-war Dutch authors and his debut novel, The Evenings, published in 1947, is regarded as a masterpiece in his native land and continues to be taught in schools. The existential tale has been called his country’s equivalent to Nausea or The Outsider, yet it is only now that it has it been translated into English.

Its protagonist, Frits, is an aimless and neurotic 23-year-old nihilist with an unhealthy taste for black humour. He lives with his parents, whom he resents: “I’m only waiting for them to hang themselves or beat each other to death. Or set the house on fire.”