In front of the movie screen two men in a tragedy which is as old as mankind itself: father and son, inextricably entangled to each other.

Everything seems to be peaceful at Bath House Road. A family that got through the war almost unharmed. Father, a famous actor, and two sons – the eldest very intelligent, very polite and easy going. When he decides to become an actor like his dad, life turns into a big ordeal.

The father recognizes the talent in his son pretty quick, but he must and will always outdo him. And where the quasi-friendly but withering comments fail to get father where he wants, his son accomplishes this with ease. The son becomes a master in self-humiliation.

He can only live life to the fullest once he’s in character. And he plays and directs his parts with desperation and full commitment. Soon with so much success that his father has to double his efforts to undermine his son for the rest of his live.

Hans Croiset wrote a magnificent, classical and autobiographical story in which the echoes of time resound with every nuance.

Hans Croiset (1935) has been on stage since age seventeen. He founded the theater group Het Toneel Speelt (The Theater Plays) and has been a director for many years. His acting and his directing were awarded several times. Bath House Road is his first novel.
 

‘An autobiography with the allure of a novel’ – Algemeen Dagblad

‘Bath House Road gives us interesting information on the history of the Dutch theater, on the insecurities of the trade and the personal highlights in Croisets acting, he calls ‘vanishing-moments’ – Lies Schut in De Telegraaf

‘Bath House Road is a merciless self-portrait and a novel about theater and the fights on stage’ – Nico de Boer in Het Parool

‘An honest and compelling autobiography’ – Jaap Goedegebuure in PZC

‘Above all, the author is a story teller’ – Karin Veraart in de Volkskrant