Rembrandt's Whore

By Sylvie Matton

Book Overview

This internationally acclaimed novel is the fictional monologue of Hendrickje Stoffels, Rembrandt's mistress, with whom he spent the last twenty years of his life. This is her story. A sensitive innocent, Hendrickje escapes the harsh realities of her garrison hometown to become a servant in Rembrandt's household. She soon becomes his lover and closest confidante, filling the void in his life resulting from the death of his wife and two of their children. Reborn at twenty in Rembrandt's studio as his model and lover, and enlightened by the positive values of beauty, truth, love, and art, Hendrickje is fated to discover the hypocrisy and fickleness of Amsterdam society, which ostracizes her and precipitates Rembrandt's final collapse. A work of unobtrusive beauty, unforgettably true and poignant. -- Le Figaro This book is a work of art in itself. -- Telegraaf (Netherlands) R]eveals the tender, domestic side of the great master's life. -- The Times (London) The writing is as careful and subtle as the master's paintings. -- Magazine Litteraire (France)

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1841952737
• ISBN13: 9781841952734
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd
• Length: 198 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.0" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

Meet Rembrandt van Rijn

This is a great little book. I enjoyed it tremendously. It brings the artist to life and shows how life with the Rembrandt felt like for Hendrickje, a country girl who became Rembrandt's common law wife. The book shows how it was to live in Amsterdam back in the mid-1600s, in all the little details. It is also a study of the intricate social structures which dominate small communities everywhere. The book is thick with atmosphere and envelopes the reader in another age showing what it must have felt like to live with a genius, at the time of the Plague, and submerged in religious bigotry. It also artfully weaves into the story the feelings of a good woman as she copes with her love, her passions, people, misunderstanding, prayer and fears. A great read for those interested in Rembrandt and Holland during the 1600s. I read the book in the silence of my room, alone, so nobody could lurch me out of that atmosphere and that age !

extraordinary imaginative work

Writing historical fiction or biography presents unique challenges. The author must reconcile what is known with an act of the imagination to create characters and story. This is true even when writing non fiction, with fiction it is even trickier. I have recently read "Girl with Pearl Earing" and "Girl in Hyacinth Blue", two other novels attempting to portray the golden age of art in Holland, both centering around Vermeer. Both are noteworthy, but this effort, about Rembrandt, surpasses both.First of all, the main character, from whose point of view the story is told, thinks more like someone in the 17th century than the characters in the other two novels. There is the omnipresence of religion, the imagery with which thought occurrs(the little white worms!). Then there is the sense of time and place..Amsterdam here is not some nostalgic spot in the Dutch past, but a complex culture mixing religion, innovation, and art in the country where modern capitalism arguably emerged. It is the merchants who rule this world, not the old aristocracy, and this world is in flux. The tension between the merchant class, the religious reaction to them, and artist as personified by Rembrandt is fascinatiog. One also feels the force of natural events, the Plague, and the floods which always threatened Holland. There is much about Rembrandt here, much about the struggle of an artist who attempts to remain true to his vision, both as an artist and as a human being, against the spirit of a conservative phillistine society.The descriptions of Rembrandt's way of seeing the world, and most importantly the people in it, will change the way you look at his art. Lastly, this book is simply a joy to read. Mattons language is rich and evocative and lingers in the mind. Her observations about the people who live in this world ar sharp and true. The love story in these pages is erotic and powerful. She also has a unique way of blending story lines with the Rembrandt's paintings that enriches the story even more. My highest recomendation!