Boek
Avonden, De
| Auteur | Gerard Reve |
| Eerste Uitgave | 1947 |
| Uitgave | 1999 |
| Uitgeverij | De Bezige Bij |
| Vorm | roman |
| Taal | Nederlands |
| Bladzijden | 224 bladzijden |
| Gelezen | 2005-08-19 |
| Score | 7/10 |
Inhoud
De Nederlandse literatuur is niet meer denkbaar zonder het reeds lang als 'klassiek' bekende boek van Gerard Reve. In De Avonden vonden de naoorlogse jongeren eindelijk hun leven en hun wereld vertolkt. Het heeft velen destijds diep geschokt. Toch werd het, in handschrift nog, bekroond met de Reina Prinsen Geerligsprijs. De jury meende haar keuze te moeten verantwoorden met deze uitspraak: '... Omdat een ziel in nood zich heeft durven uitspreken en de vorm vond om dit op een beklemmende, aangrijpende en tegelijk tot een symboolkracht uitstijgende wijze te doen. Dit is niet een willekeurige zielsgeschiedenis, maar een boek dat uitbeeldt wat de tijd, die alle illusie vermoorde, de jeugd heeft aangedaan.'
Bespreking
The search for utter boredom
De Avonden (The Evenings) is a chronological description of how a 23 years old Dutch guy perceived the last ten days of the year 1946. Frits Van Egters, an inconspicuous youngster who still lives at home with his middle-class parents, observes his world and only sees ugliness and deterioration. His days are filled with a boring office job and his only chance for some excitement is offered in the evening. Even so, it turns out that his evenings stay filled with tedium and irritation, whatever pitiless effort he tries to change this. Frits gets more and more alienated from his parents and even his close friends are turning out to be superficial characters that are just there to address his meaningless monologues at.
When the novel De Avonden first appeared in 1947, Reve was hailed as 'the voice of a generation'. Never before has a Dutch author dared to draw such a nihilistic view on the younger generation. Reve gives a business-like commentary on the interminably boring daily rituals of a guy who tries to get some meaning into life, but constantly fails. The nasty practical jokes he plays on his friends turn out to be a cry for help and his nightmares are episodes in which his personality is squashed by his environment. The theme of the book is utter boredom. In this respect the book is very effective, because the reader is quickly pulled into a kind of weariness. This book is very confrontational because of its "into your face" approached in addressing the fatalistic theme. For the readers it might touch upon a sensitive nerve or it might not. This book might delight certain the readers because of its recognisable message and at the same time depress other readers because it is indeed so tedious to read. For me personally it was sadly enough the latter, but I can imagine why it would appeal to such a big group of people.