Herman Koch (b. 1953) made his debut with the story collection De voorbijganger (The Passer-by, 1985) in which the protagonists are misunderstood loners struggling with their surrounds. His first novel, a huge success, was Red ons, Maria Montenelli (Save Us, Maria Montenelli, 1989), a mixture of confession and tirade, in the style of Salinger, about a victim of Montessori education and the swank of South Amsterdam. In his subsequent novels he developed into an ironic-realistic writer relating dramas worth telling. His central characters are burdened by their empty existence, they feel unjustly treated and search for a way out either through other people’s stories (Eindelijk oorlog / War At Last, 1998), a temporary stay abroad (Eten met Emma / Eating With Emma, 2000) or dangerous friendship (Odessa Star, 2003). In Denken aan Bruce Kennedy (Thinking of Bruce Kennedy, 2005) Koch found his form: the tragicomedy.