Hein Donner (1927-1988) was a Dutch Grandmaster and one the greatest writers on chess of all time. He scored several excellent tournament victories but never quite fulfilled the promise of his chess talent. Donner developed from a chess player-writer into a writer-chess player. His provocative writings and his colourful persona made him a national celebrity during the roaring sixties. His book 'The King', a fascinating and often hilarious anthology spanning 30 years of chess writing, features on many people's list of favourite chess books. The novelist Harry Mulisch, his best friend, immortalized Hein Donner in his magnum opus The Discovery of Heaven. After suffering a stroke at the age of 56, Donner lived his final years in a nursing home. He continued writing however, typing with one finger, and won one of the Netherlands' most prestigious literary awards. Alexander Münninghoff has written a captivating biography of a controversial man and the turbulent time and age he lived in.
