Joost de Vries studied journalism and history in Utrecht. He is the arts editor at influential Dutch magazine De Groene Amsterdammer. He is the author of three novels and an essay collection, all of which have been published by Prometheus in the Netherlands to critical acclaim. De Vries burst onto the literary scene with Clausewitz, inspired by the work of one of his great heroes, Harry Mulisch. His second novel, De Republiek (The Republic), won the ‘Gouden Boeken Uil’ – the most prestigious Belgian literary prize, and was nominated for the BNG Literatuurprijs and the Libris Literatuurprijs. De Republiek will be translated into 10 languages. His essay, A Room of My Own (translated by David Colmer), featured in The Penguin Book of Dutch Short Stories (Penguin Modern Classics). De Vries ranks as one of Dutch literature’s major new talents.