Renate Dorrestein (Aerdenhout, 1954-2018) was one of the Netherlands' foremost novelists. Her books received nominations for the AKO Literatuurprijs, the Libris Literatuurprijs and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Dorrestein worked as a journalist before her literary debut, Outsiders, came out in 1983. It was an instant success. Since then, she published an impressive number of titles while giving lectures at universities in the US and Europe. Dorrestein's international breakthrough came in 1998 with A Heart of Stone. So far, her books appeared in fifteen languages.
