Het Woeden der Gehele Wereld is a 1993 Dutch novel by Maarten 't Hart

Maarten 't Hart

Maarten 't Hart is a Dutch biologist who studied zoology and ethology at the University of Leiden and taught that subject before becoming a full-time writer in the 1980s. He is the author of many novels, including Het Woeden der Gehele Wereld and De kroongetuige...

. The title translates as "The fury/rage/raging of the whole world" and is derived from the text of the poem Au bord de l'eau by Sully Prudhomme

Sully Prudhomme

René François Armand Prudhomme was a French poet and essayist, winner of the first Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1901....

, set to music by Gabriel Fauré

Gabriel Fauré

Gabriel Urbain Fauré was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th century composers...

. It is about the coming of age

Coming of age

Coming of age is a young person's transition from childhood to adulthood. The age at which this transition takes place varies in society, as does the nature of the transition. It can be a simple legal convention or can be part of a ritual, as practiced by many societies...

 of Alex Goudveyl, who is bullied by other children and protected by Vroombout, and about a murder, in the time of the German occupation of The Netherlands in World War II

The Netherlands in World War II

The history of the Netherlands from 1939 to 1945 covers the events in the Netherlands that took place under the German occupation that started on May 10, 1940 with the Battle of the Netherlands. The Netherlands hoped to stay neutral when World War II broke out in 1939 but this failed to happen when...

.

It is also a Dutch 2006 film based on the novel

Het Woeden der Gehele Wereld (film)

Het Woeden der Gehele Wereld is a 2006 Dutch film, based on the novel of the same name by Maarten 't Hart. It was directed by Guido Pieters and produced by Rob Houwer...

, directed by Guido Pieters

Guido Pieters

Guido Pieters is a Dutch film director.His films include:*Op Hoop van Zegen*Het Woeden der Gehele Wereld-External links:...

, and produced by Rob Houwer

Rob Houwer

-Awards:*1999 Bavarian Film Awards, Best Production -Selected filmography:* Hunting Scenes From Bavaria * Man on Horseback * Business Is Business * Turkish Delight * Katie Tippel * Soldier of Orange...

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Comments by the author

Maarten 't Hart has commented that the film is quite different from the book. He is fine with the film, but, apart from the fact that it was based on his book, he was not and did not want to be involved in it. He especially likes how Inspector Douvetrap and his son with Down syndrome

Down syndrome

Down syndrome, or Down's syndrome, trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. The condition was clinically described earlier in the 19th...

are depicted, just as described in the book.