The Yellow House

Fiction. Translated by Asja Novak. THE YELLOW HOUSE paints a fictional picture of Vincent van Gogh''s life between August 1888 and December 1889 when he lived in Arles in Southern France and where he created many of his masterpieces. Jeroen Blokhuis tells the story from van Gogh''s point of view, from inside his mind, providing a fresh and revealing look at how this intriguing painter worked. At this point, van Gogh has fled from the dark sombre Netherlands of his youth, from Paris, and even from his best friend and beloved brother Theo, in search of the light, the sun of the South. The yellow house in Place Lamartine becomes his refuge, but what about his hope of setting up an atelier with other painters, of making friends, and having a sense of belonging? "Blokhuis describes a Vincent soaked in colour and alcohol akin to a just- finished painting soaked in oil."Literair Nederland "The novel captivates you through the direct way in which Blokhuis portrays his character. With the same intense roughness with which Vincent van Gogh threw paint onto a canvas."Rein Swart "Vincent van Gogh''s desperation and anger are beautifully translated into sentences full of action."Vera ter Beest