Enquist’s impassioned novel revolves around the artist Johan Steenkamer, the women who are drawn to him, and his troubled family relationships: an absent father, manipulative mother, emotionally crippled brother.
The three days leading up to the opening of his grand exhibition are depicted with a dramatic sense of light and shade; Enquist describes making jam and making love with equally vivid intensity. Present events are shadowed by the past, and the section describing the loss of Steenkamer’s daughter is an exploration of grief that will leave no reader unmoved.
There are undertones of Don Giovanni in the portrayal of the central character and in moments of the narrative; timeless dilemmas are counterpointed with those familiar to all contemporary working women. This beautifully observed and affecting novel introduces to English-speaking audiences the work of one of Europe’s finest writers.
The Masterpiece has been translated by Jeannette K. Ringold, it was originally published in 1994 as Het Meesterstuk.
About the Author
 ANNA ENQUIST is a musician, a psychoanalyst, a poet and a novelist. One of the best-loved writers of her native Holland, she is also a best-selling author in Germany, Switzerland, France, Sweden and Austria. Her first collection of poetry won the award for new Dutch poetry - the prestigious C. Buddingh' prize - and has been followed by four more collections of poetry, all of which have gone back to press frequently. Her novels have achieved similar acclaim; The Masterpiece, The Secret and Ice Carriers all proved to be runaway bestsellers, each with over 250,000 copies sold. The Secret won the 1997 Dutch Readers' Prize. All are available from The Toby Press.
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The Critics Praise:
“It is the very combination of revealed emotions and analytic commentary that gives her portraits a fine, controlled tension. In addition, Enquist is strong in creating electrifying dramatic scenes. The composition is in good hands…”
HET PAROOL, AMSTERDAM
“…A magnificent prose debut, a compelling book…”
DE TELEGRAAF, AMSTERDAM
“Placed in the world of painting, the intrigue is constructed in an implacable, unforeseeable, stunning manner. The patience of women, the egotistical cowardliness of the artist: Anna Enqusit describes each character with great finesse. This is the stroke of a master.”
LE NOUVEL OBSERATEUR, PARIS
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