This internationally acclaimed novel is the fictional monologue of Hendrickje Stoffels, Rembrandt's last mistress. It combines all the qualities of a naturalist tragedy, historic novel and exposition of 17th-century Dutch society. Matton has researched not only Rembrandt's life and works, but also contemporary Amsterdam and the Black Death to provide an intriguing, intimate and privileged view into the painter's life.
Above all, this in Hendrickje's story. A sensitive innocent, she 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. "Reborn at Twenty" in Rembrandt's studio, enlightened by the positive values of beauty, truth, love and art, Hendrickje is fated to discover the hypocrisy and fickleness of Amsterdam society, which ostracises her and precipitates Rembrandt's final collapse.
