Anthony Mertens was younger than Hella S. Haasse and obviously admired her tremendously. Hella s. Haasse was already an established writer, aged 28, when Mertens was born. He was an academic and a literary critic. In his capacity as an editor for the Querido publishing house, he was in charge of the publications of A. F. Th. Van Der Heijden and Hella S. Haasse.

Retour Grenoble. Anthony Mertens in gesprek met Hella S. Haasse was published in the year Mertens had a stroke, although he lived several more years, and even Haasse, then 85, outlived him by two years. However, with the publication of all of Haasse's work in a hardcover unified edition, Haasse's standing in the literary landscape had become more appreciated than ever. For many decades, Haasse had stood in the shadow of the so called 'Great Three', Wolkers, Hermans and Mulisch. Even Van Der Heijden as a rising star since the 70s almost eclipsed her. Then, by the early 10s the appreciation for Haasse peaked. But there was no biography. Therefore, perhaps, this volume was compiled.

Retour Grenoble. Anthony Mertens in gesprek met Hella S. Haasse consists of interviews and conversations between Mertens and Haasse, about her life and her work. However, I did not find the publication very convincing or interesting. ( )