The novels in the letters of Gerard Reve (1923–2006) became a real sensation. No other Dutch writer has ever dared to speak so openly about himself, his passions and secrets. Before the release of his first book, On the Road to the End (1963), Revé publicly admitted his homosexuality. The second novel in the letters, Closer to You, made Reve famous. For a passage in which he describes the coming of Jesus Christ in the form of a gray Donkey, with whom the author would like to copulate, Reve was accused of blasphemy, and Senator Algra sued him. At the so-called “Donkey Trial,” Reve defended himself, writing a brilliant speech, and all charges against him were dropped. Two books, published for the first time in Russian translation, played a decisive role in the life of Gerard Reve and became a true event in the literature of the 20th century.