First novel of the Belgian giant that I manage to finish (though admittedly I did not try as often as with Reve, the primus inter pares of Dutch literati). And I think it is wonderful, typical, iconic, a Flemish Romeo and Juliet, with all the beauty, coziness, vicious foulness and duplicity of Belgium as a nation thrown in. If this is the essence of the Claus’ style - a modern day parable that provides you with the DNA of a nation – then Claus is a giant.

Reading some reviews I now understand that this was the last novel written by Claus and that it was exceptional in the sense of applying a fast moving style, presenting many different POVs (Claus’ other novels apply the usual terse style that is used by many Dutch literati of his generation, making for tough reading and slow unfolding of the story).

The Romeo of the story is Rene Catrijsse, a recently returned deserter of a colonial war in Belgian Congo in the mid-1960s. This Rene has quite a reputation in the village (a typical Belgian village in West Flanders) as a hoodlum, irresponsible thief and playboy. His meek, soft hearted brother, and timid parents running a local bottlestore, do initially not know how to respond to his sudden re-appearance. Neither does Rene feel the urge to explain anything, being traumatized by his experiences in the Congo. This sets the scene for rumours. Rumours whispered in the local pubs, night clubs and homes (including the rectory). When next several people die suddenly of some mysterious illness that manifests itself in body parts turning blue and victims dying a slow and agonizing death, subdued voices add fuel to the rumours. Rene has been seen at night with a mysterious character in a car in the woods. Nosy investigators disappear (after being killed by Rene and his mate, their bodies dumped elsewhere). Rene’s mom is suspected to cover up for her son’s deeds and her past as nazi collaborator re-merges in village talks. Someone paints swastikas on their bottlestore front, people shy away from buying beverages from the family. Rene’s mom visits his real dad (a high-end Belgian collaborator, who impregnated her when working as a nurse in a labour camp in Germany) and requests protection of her son from high-up. The girlfriend of Rene’s brother visits Rene and spends some days frolicking with him in a sea-side hotel. In the end Rene has to disappear. He is called in to meet his captain (de kap), informed of the final judgement and killed. The diamonds left in his possession are sent to his mom and Julia, his brother’s girlfriend. Slowly normalcy returns to the village.

So what’s the DNA of Belgium? Catholic collaboration and suppression of whatever vices; nazi collaboration and State capture; Illegal diamond trading networks operating under the wings of post-colonial wars; illicit parentage and long lasting family secrets. But equally important: a culture of gossips, surprising sources of personal support and understanding (the scene where Rene’s brother loses his mind in the bar), high-flying love affairs and warm patronage networks. ( )

De geruchten is one of the last novels by the Flemish author Hugo Claus. It is a book that is very inaccessible and difficult to read because of its multifocus perspective, which recreates the way "gossip" in a small community works. The novels consists of dozens of turns, each only a few pages long, of many villagers from a small village, many of whom frequent the local pub "De Doofpot". But while problems in this community have disappeared from official public discourse, problems are all but smothered in "De Doofpot" which is more like a "Pot au Feu" in which these issues keep simmering for ever.

The problems are all centred around one family, the Catrijsses, who collaborated with the nazis in World War II; later, their son, René Catrijsse, was involved in obscure, criminal activities, and fought in Belgium's colonial war in the Congo. Coming back wounded from the war as a deserter, in 1966, and returning to the village, where time seems to have stood still, René lounges and gets laid with some of the girls in the village, before disappearing to Amsterdam. As a mysterious illness afflicts the people in the village, suspicious eyes are turned to Catrijsse, and the gossip mills start turning. Gossip about the Catrijsse family has persisted for ever in Alegem, ever since World War II, through the 1960s, when René came back from the Congo and long after he has disappeared, as becomes clear from the talks with and around Noël, Renés younger brother.

The postmodern style and structure make De geruchten very difficult to read. ( )

I don't know, i honestly don't. It's a nice book on simple people, living in a small village, getting involved in not so simple events, partially root caused in past and present wars. In part 1 we get in short chapters different viewpoints on the current events with now and then references to the past. In part 2 the only thing we get is an interview by the police of one of the main characters confessing a series of events that happened some undefined time later then the ones in part 1.
Allthough the author was for some time mentionned to be a candidate Nobel prize winner, or at least considered so here in Belgium, he never got to me. Not with his masterwork Het verdriet van België, and not with this one as well.
Good village life descriptions, a nice feeling of some characteristics of the "small" people, well written.....but not gripping, "the bite" completely missing.
I feel no sympathy with any of the characters, no compassion, nothing really. The events also start to look a bit grotesque to me as the story unfolds...
No, Claus, i gave him a second try, based on the recommendation by a notorious reader on the monthly bookevent "Uitgelezen" ("Finished reading") in Ghent, Belgium, but it's a fail. ( )

Begin jaren ’60 keert René Catrysse na 3 jaar terug uit Congo: hij is gedeserteerd uit het koloniaal leger dat daar heeft huisgehouden en heeft een tijd met enkele companen (contractuelen) rondgetrokken.
Zeker hoogtepunt in oeuvre: alle klassieke Claus-thema’s komen er in voor (de beknelling van familie en dorp, de kerk, de onmogelijkheid tot communicatie enz., obsessie met sexualiteit, perverse rol van collaboratieverleden).
Het Faulknerprocédé van de verschillende personages-invalshoeken wordt weer systematisch toegepast. De stijl is realistisch maar bij wijlen ook lichtironiserend en soms evolutie tot burlesk. Af en toe net over de rand van het ontspoorde. In essentie is De Geruchten een remake van De Metsiers, maar veel origineler en rijper ( )

Weer zo'n "hoogtepunt" uit de literatuur waar ik me overheen moest slepen. ( )