''De vierde man'' (''The Fourth Man'') is a 1981 novel by
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
author
Gerard Reve
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 in 1973. Together with Willem Frederik Hermans and Harry Mulisch, he i ...
, the basis for the
film of the same name by
Paul Verhoeven
Paul Verhoeven (; born 18 July 1938) is a Dutch director, producer and screenwriter, active in the Netherlands, France and the United States. His blending of graphic violence and sexual content with social satire is a trademark of both his dram ...
. Among Reve's works, it stands out as one of only a few novels to have a
heterosexual
Heterosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior between people of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" ...
theme.
Genesis
The novel's origins lie in a commission by the Dutch foundation
Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek
The Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek (CPNB, "Collective Promotion for the Dutch Book") is a Dutch organization that includes representatives of bookstores and publishers, whose goal is to promote Dutch literature.
History and activ ...
, an organization that promotes
Dutch literature
Dutch language literature () comprises all writings of literary merit written through the ages in the Dutch language, a language which currently has around 23 million native speakers. Dutch-language literature is the product of the Netherlands, Be ...
. Reve had been asked to supply the 1981 ''Boekenweekgeschenk'', a free book given to every buyer of a Dutch-language book during a one-week nationwide promotion known as ''
Boekenweek
In the Netherlands, the Boekenweek (; English: Book Week) is an annual "week" of ten days dedicated to Dutch literature. It has been held in March annually since 1932. Each Boekenweek has a theme. The beginning of the Boekenweek is marked by the ' ...
'' ("Book Week"). Since Reve is
homosexual and a Catholic convert, and often combines those themes in his work, the organization stipulated that no gay subject matter was to be touched upon. In the end, Reve did include a bit of
gay sex
Gay sexual practices are sexual activities involving men who have sex with men (MSM), regardless of their sexual orientation or sexual identity. These practices can include anal sex, non-penetrative sex, and oral sex. Evidence shows that sex b ...
in the book, enough for the foundation to refuse his offering as too controversial. The 1981 ''Boekenweekgeschenk'' was Henri Knap's ''De Ronde van '43'', which was widely panned by critics.
Reve published ''De vierde man'' with
Elsevier/Manteau in 1981.
Synopsis
The novel is a
frame narrative
A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent.
Frame and FRAME may also refer to:
Physical objects
In building construction
*Framing (con ...
. A writer named Gerard recounts the events that happened years before to his friend, Ronald. The story is as follows: Gerard, after a speaking engagement in the town of V., in the southern Netherlands, has a brief affair with a woman named Christine, with whom he spends the night. After seeing a photograph of her boyfriend, Herman, he becomes infatuated with him. Later, he spends a weekend house-sitting for Christine (during this time he picks up a young man named Laurens and has sex with him in Christine's bed) and opens a little chest reminiscent of a coffin, with a key he recognizes from a dream he had earlier. The box contains documents proving that Christine is three times widowed, and another dream he had comes to mind, in which an old man sang a tune asking who would be the fourth man. He leaves the house in a panic; later he hears that Herman was horribly mutilated after an accident in Christine's car.
Critical reception
On the whole, Dutch critics were pleased with Reve's "in-between" novel, with the notable exception of
Alfred Kossmann. One critic, Ivan Sitniakowsky, commented that this was Reve without chitchat, which many of his recent novels had been full of. That same critic considered ''De vierde man'' to be a true Dutch
gothic novel.
Film version
Paul Verhoeven's adaptation makes some changes to the original: the horror effects are emphasized, and the gay affair with Laurens is scrapped. In addition, the film adds an encounter between Gerard (played by
Jeroen Krabbé) and Herman (
Thom Hoffman
Thomas Antonius Cornelis Ancion (born 3 March 1957), known by the pseudonym Thom Hoffman, is a Dutch actor and photographer.Note: parts of this article have been translated from the Dutch version of this page.
Biography
Hoffman acts mainly in ...
), and a sex scene in a tomb between them. The tomb also contains urns with the ashes of the former husbands of Christine (
Renée Soutendijk).
This film, seen as a revenge on the critics who criticized his ''
Spetters
''Spetters'' (English translation: ''Splashes'') is a Dutch film released in 1980 and directed by Paul Verhoeven. The film follows the lives of three young men who have little in common but their love for dirt-bike racing. Set on the outskirts ...
'' (1980) as "filthy, violent, and even boring", was Verhoeven's last film in Dutch until ''
Zwartboek
''Black Book'' ( nl, Zwartboek) is a 2006 war drama thriller film co-written and directed by Paul Verhoeven, and starring Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman and Halina Reijn. The film, credited as based on several true events and ...
'' (2006).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vierde man, De
Novels by Gerard Reve
1981 novels
Psychological novels
Novels set in the Netherlands
Dutch novels adapted into films