''Character'' (original Dutch title ) is a

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

by Dutch author

Ferdinand Bordewijk Ferdinand Bordewijk (10 October 1884 – 28 April 1965) was a Dutch author. His style, which is terse and symbolic, is considered to belong to New Objectivity and magic realism. He was awarded the P.C. Hooft Award, P. C. Hooft Award in 1953 and ...

published in 1938. Subtitled "", "a novel of son and father", it is a ''

Bildungsroman In literary criticism, a bildungsroman () is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth and change of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood (coming of age). The term comes from the German words ('formation' or 'edu ...

'' that traces the relationship between a stern father and his son. ''Character'' is Bordewijk's best-known novel, and the basis for a 1997 film of the same name.

References

1936 novels Dutch bildungsromans Realist novels Novels set in the 1920s Novels set in the Netherlands Dutch novels adapted into films {{1930s-bildungsroman-stub