Ghayath Almadhoun
(Damascus, 1979) published Weg van Damascus (Away from Damascus, 2015), a Dutch language collection of his poems that was for weeks in the top ten of best-selling poetry volumes, followed in 2017 by Ik hier jij daar (Me Here You There), a collection he wrote with poet Anne Vegter. Almadhoun was born in a Palestinian refugee camp, the son of a Palestinian father and a Syrian mother. He studied Arabic literature and worked as a cultural journalist in Damascus, where he also set up a house of poetry. In 2008 he asked for political asylum in Sweden. Two poetry collections were published there, one of them written with Marie Silkeberg, with whom he also created poetry films. His poetry is imbued with feelings of homesickness and the guilt of a young intellectual who left his native country. His work has been translated into many European languages as well as Chinese.
Past events
Distance and Nearness - Poetry in a Time of War
Poetry and music blend in this one-off performance based on the poem collection Ik hier jij daar co-written by Vegter and Almadhoun.
Ode to Joy
Schiller's idealistic poem adapted to the here and now! Eight writers and poets present their versions, accompanied by song and music on accordion and cello.
Borders and Secret Doors
How do we deal with borders in an era of globalization? A conversation, with musical contributions and drawings, about the necessity and impossibility of national borders.
