Rembrandt's Whore - Softcover

Matton, Sylvie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1786898675 ISBN 13: 9781786898678

Publisher: Canongate Canons, 2020

Synopsis

A sensitive innocent, Hendrickje Stoffels escapes the harsh realities of her garrison home-town 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. But Hendrickje is fated to discover the hypocrisy and fickleness of Amsterdam society.

In sensuous prose, Matton paints a powerful fictional portrait of this impassioned relationship against the backdrop of a turbulent era of Dutch history.

About this title

About the Author:

Sylvie Matton is the author of three novels and four works of non-fiction. She has been an actress and screenwriter. With her husband, the artist and film-maker Charles Matton, she worked for two years on a feature-length film on the life of Rembrandt, which was premiered in Britain in 2001. She lives in France.

Tamsin Black is a freelance translator and lives in Switzerland. She studied French literature in London and Paris, where she was awarded various prizes and scholarships. Rembrandt's Whore was her first translation of a work of fiction.

Review:

“Using rich historical detail, Matton charts [Rembrandt's] ostracism from the Church and wealthy Amsterdam society, and reveals the tender, domestic side of the great master's life” The Times

“Rembrandt's Whore is written in small, pithy passages, each one a sketch depicting a mood or a moment, and is rich in historical detail . . . It is translated from the French, yet somehow the awkwardness of the language only adds to the tenderness of Stoffels' naivety and her wonder at the joys of life” Guardian

“A work of unobtrusive beauty, unforgettably true and poignant” Le Figaro

“Matton digs deep into Stoffels' psyche . . . her writing is as beautiful, honest and emotional as the portraits of her subject which, of course, is just the way it should be” Big Issue

“Matton deserves some reflected glory for this lyrical but well-researched "memoir" . . . She convincingly recreates the girl who moved from maid to muse and mother, shocking puritanical Amsterdam and inspiring some of the tenderest depictions of solid flesh and soaring spirit in art” Independent

About this edition

• Publisher: Canongate Canons
• Publication date: 2020
• ISBN 10: 1786898675
• ISBN 13: 9781786898678
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208