Despite the fact that Alfred Kossmann was a major Dutch author, who lived from 1922 to 1998, no biography has been written about this author. There are short biographies, such as by Ter Laan, Van Bork and Van Bork & Verkruijsse in literary compendiums, but there is no trade edition biography. This means that a large part of Alfred Kossmann's work can only be understood in context, particularly in the total context of all his works. Many of his works point at other works, forming a network of connections of autobiographical significance to create meaning at an overall level. This hyper-textual nature of Kossmann's work makes it difficult to appreciate individual works.

For example, in the short, late novella, Slecht zicht, all characters are pre-occupied with their own identity, i.e. how they see themselves, but in the present and in the past, and how others see them. They are unable to fully realize themselves to former glory, and instead, characters are frozen in a state of impotence and depression. In 1972, the author suffered a car accident which crippled him, and reflections in Slecht zicht are likely autobiographical.

De vrouwenhaters. Drie verhalen was first published in 1968. Hence, the three stories in this collection likely refer to sentiments and facts in the earlier life of the author, however, with sufficient background they are hard to understand. The first of the three stories consists of three fragments describing aging authors who cannot write or maintain a publishing career. Each fragment represents an aspect of the anxiety of an author for writer's block or stagnation in their career.

The second short story describes an aged author who is dementing, and struggles to find words to communicate. Realizing that their father is dying, his children bring a final manuscript to a publisher. The manuscript contains a final novel that is pornographic and very different from the rest of the author's oevre. The dilemma arises whether to publish or not.

In the third story, the story lines of the previous two stories seem to come together, mixed with other story elements shuch as a prolonged absence from the Netherlands a the struggle for find a foorhold there again.

The second and third story are somewhat bewildering, with their focus on sado-masochism; however, according one of the autobiographical essays in De seizoenen van een invalide lezer, published in 1976, Kossmann wrote a study about sado-masochism is 1959, a fact not mentioned in the sparse biographical information available about Kossmann on the Internet.

Of course, De vrouwenhaters. Drie verhalen can be appreciated in its own right, as three stories about the obsessions and compulsions of authors, in a scene void of glamour. ( )