Rembrandt's Whore: A Novel [Paperback]

Sylvie Matton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2003

Immortalized in many of his greatest works of portraiture, Hendrickje Stoffels was Rembrandt's common law wife—and it is through her eyes, in this beautifully realized and well-researched novel, that we are plunged into the midst of both a passionate affair and a turbulent era of Dutch history. With writing as careful and subtle as the master's paintings, Rembrandt's Whore combines all the qualities of a naturalist tragedy, historical novel, and exposition of 17th-century Dutch society. To listen to Hendrickje is to share Rembrandt's life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Matton uses the woman who served as Rembrandt's emotional anchor to explore the tumultuous second half of the artist's life in this fascinating novel. Twenty-year-old Hendrickje Stoffels makes the journey from her Dutch village to Amsterdam to model for the famous painter, who is 43 as the novel opens. The modeling job turns into a lifelong affair that produces a child, Titus but when Rembrandt refuses a marriage request from Stoffels's predecessor, Stoffels is condemned and labeled a whore by the Catholic Church. Their love goes far beyond the physical realm, however, and it is the young woman who ends up caring for the painter, protecting him from his voracious creditors and the Amsterdam politicians who would exploit his formidable talent. Matton hits some rough stretches in the early going as she bounces back and forth between Stoffels's first-person observations of Rembrandt, the politics of the era and the effect of the plague on Amsterdam. But things smooth out once she gets past their initial liaisons, and the plague becomes a de facto character in the background as Rembrandt struggles to consolidate his artistic legacy. Matton could have speculated more about what Stoffels may have known about Rembrandt's artistic inspirations, but overall this is a fascinating, illuminating look at the pressures he faced in the later stages of his life. Despite the tantalizing gaps in this unusual character study, the distinctive conceit and Matton's ability to follow through on it make this a noteworthy book.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

"A fascinating, illuminating look at the pressures he faced in the later stages of his life. . . . the distinctive conceit and Matton's ability to follow through on it make this a noteworthy book."  —Publishers Weekly

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Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Canongate UK (April 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841953229
• ISBN-13: 978-1841953229
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,234,998 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars extraordinary imaginative work, January 20, 2003

By 

Robert Spencer (Portland, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rembrandt's Whore (Hardcover)

Writing historical fiction or biography presents unique challenges. The author must reconcile what is known with an act of the imagination to create characters and story. This is true even when writing non fiction, with fiction it is even trickier. I have recently read "Girl with Pearl Earing" and "Girl in Hyacinth Blue", two other novels attempting to portray the golden age of art in Holland, both centering around Vermeer. Both are noteworthy, but this effort, about Rembrandt, surpasses both.
First of all, the main character, from whose point of view the story is told, thinks more like someone in the 17th century than the characters in the other two novels. There is the omnipresence of religion, the imagery with which thought occurrs(the little white worms!). Then there is the sense of time and place..Amsterdam here is not some nostalgic spot in the Dutch past, but a complex culture mixing religion, innovation, and art in the country where modern capitalism arguably emerged. It is the merchants who rule this world, not the old aristocracy, and this world is in flux. The tension between the merchant class, the religious reaction to them, and artist as personified by Rembrandt is fascinatiog. One also feels the force of natural events, the Plague, and the floods which always threatened Holland.
There is much about Rembrandt here, much about the struggle of an artist who attempts to remain true to his vision, both as an artist and as a human being, against the spirit of a conservative phillistine society.The descriptions of Rembrandt's way of seeing the world, and most importantly the people in it, will change the way you look at his art.
Lastly, this book is simply a joy to read. Mattons language is rich and evocative and lingers in the mind. Her observations about the people who live in this world ar sharp and true. The love story in these pages is erotic and powerful. She also has a unique way of blending story lines with the Rembrandt's paintings that enriches the story even more.
My highest recomendation!

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Could have been an outsanding novel...., April 27, 2005

By 

Juan C Villamil (Bogota, Colombia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rembrandt's Whore (Paperback)

REMBRANDT'S WHORE takes place during the second half of Rembrandt's life, in Amsterdam. It tells the story of Hendrickje Stoffels, a 20 year old girl who moves in from the country, in order to serve as maid in Rembrandt's household.

Rembrandt has her pose for his paintings, and soon falls in love with her. Because of a contract he has signed, regarding not being able to marry after his former wife's death, at the expense of having to pay a sum which he does not posses, he is not able to marry her, and thus she becomes his "whore".

From a historical perspective, we are exposed to war, the plague, religious intolerance, and politics. All of these factors play important roles as they compose the background of the story.

The second half of Rembrandt's life was characterized by bankruptcy, illness, and his downfall from Amsterdam's best known painter to his being exploited by various political figures, who took advantage of his precarious situation. Hendrickje stands by him and provides him with care, emotional support, and a child, Cornelia.

It is because of her that Rembrandt is able to live, having lost his wife Saskia and children in a tragic manner.

The plot is well conceived and interesting.

I was unpleasantly surprised by the book's form. REMBRANDT'S WHORE is basically a monologue by Hendrickje, sometimes in first person, and others in second, as she talks directly to Rembrandt. Quite franky, the novel is often confusing.

Also, due to the fact that a 20 year old, practically illiterate, peasant girl narrates the story, the novel's flow is absolutely nonexistent. This makes it difficult to read and quite franky boring.

I have read quite a few biographical novels regarding the lives and times of famous painters, and this one rank's pretty low, and cannot be compare this to other books of the same genre. A specific example is Irving Stone's LUST FOR LIFE, about Vincent VanGogh. Now, that's a masterpiece.....

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meet Rembrandt van Rijn, March 30, 2007

By 

Paul Azzopardi (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rembrandt's Whore: A Novel (Paperback)

This is a great little book. I enjoyed it tremendously. It brings the artist to life and shows how life with the Rembrandt felt like for Hendrickje, a country girl who became Rembrandt's common law wife. The book shows how it was to live in Amsterdam back in the mid-1600s, in all the little details. It is also a study of the intricate social structures which dominate small communities everywhere. The book is thick with atmosphere and envelopes the reader in another age showing what it must have felt like to live with a genius, at the time of the Plague, and submerged in religious bigotry. It also artfully weaves into the story the feelings of a good woman as she copes with her love, her passions, people, misunderstanding, prayer and fears. A great read for those interested in Rembrandt and Holland during the 1600s. I read the book in the silence of my room, alone, so nobody could lurch me out of that atmosphere and that age !