De Anton Wachterromans by Simon Vestdijk

A richly drawn, semi-autobiographical coming-of-age saga that follows a sensitive young man's passage from childhood into early adulthood in a small provincial town, where family tensions, a strict moral atmosphere, awkward school experiences, first loves and humiliations, and a restless inner imagination shape his search for identity and an artistic voice; the novels trace his friendships, losses and ambitions with psychological depth, irony and melancholic humor as he struggles to reconcile loyalty to home with the urge for self-expression.