Helga Ruebsamen
(1934, Batavia - Den Haag 2016). Following the outbreak of the second worldwar the Ruebsamen family came to the Netherlands, only to have to go into hiding when the persecution of the Jews began. Helga Ruebsamen attended grammar school and after that went to work as a journalist. For several years she worked in Paris for the daily newspaper Het Vaderland. In 1964 she made her debut with De kameleon en andere verhalen (The chameleon and other stories). Downfall, impoverishment, hopelessness, death and alcoholisme play an important role in her stories and novels. The autobiographical novel Het lied en de waarheid (The song and the truth) (1997) was nominated for the Gouden Uil as well as the Libris Literature prize. Other important works of hers are: De heksenvriend (The witches friend(1966), Wonderolie (Castor oil)(1970), De ondergang van Makarov (The fall of Makarov (1971), Op Scheveningen (On Scheveningen (1988), De dansende Kater (The dancing tomcat) (1992) en Beer is terug (Bear is back)(1999), De bevrijding (The liberation) (1999), Jonge liefde en oud zeer (Young love and old pain) (2001), De verhalen (The stories) (2001-...). Helga Ruebsamen died in November 2016.
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Archive available for: Helga Ruebsamen
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Hella's lessons
At this time in the programma, writer Hella Haasse would have spoken on her latest book 'Bij de les' ( At the lesson ) on school-posters on the Netherlands-Indies, used in schools in the colonial era. Last Friday Mrs. Haasse informed us that she was ill and unable to perform at the festival. In all haste we have put together an alternative programme around her new book. Eight writers, all experts on the Dutch Indies and friends and admirers of Hella Haasse, have been asked to choose one of the school posters, give his or her commentary on this and also react to the accompanying text. They will compare Mrs. Haasse's memories with their own image evoked by the posters and comment on Mrs. Haasse's observatons. Up to now the following people have promised to take part: Adriaan van Dis, Helga Ruebsamen, Sitor Sitomorang - Indonesian poet and contemporary of Mrs. Haasse - writer Hans Vervoort, journalist and writer John Jansen van Galen and Peter van Zonneveld, who with Mrs. Haasse went over the rough version of her book. Paul van der Gaag, presentor of VPRO's radio programme O.V.T. will chair the discussion. In the course of this week more names of participants will be published. We are convinced that in this way the book 'Bij de les' (At the lesson) and Hella Haasse will receive the attention that they so justly deserve.
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Always on the Move
When we talk about diaspora, the first thing that comes to mind is the Jewish diaspora. No other people in history has been hunted so much. In what way do present-day Jewish writers deal with this old - and probably most extensively elaborated - theme? Host: Ed van Eeden (Dutch spoken).
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East- and West-Indian Winternight
With: Aart van Zoest, Arahmaiani, Arthur Japin, Astrid H. Roemer, Basha Faber, Coen Pronk, Cynthia Mc Leod, Frank Martinus Arion, Gamelan Ensemble Widosari, Grupo Zamanakitoki, Helga Ruebsamen, Michaël Zeeman, Monique Hoogmoed, Paula Gomes, Paulette Smit, Radhar Panca Dahana, Rudy Kousbroek, Shrinivási, Toeti Heraty, Warih Wisatsana
The third edition of the Indische Winternacht, this time from the East and West-Indiest. Apart form artists from Indonesia and The Netherlands, now also writers, musicans and story-tellers from Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles were invited.
Michaël Zeeman and Aart van Zoest interviewed the participating writers after their performance. They were introduced by Nelleke Noordervliet.
In the theatre programme: gamelan-music by Ensemble Widosari, stories by Coen Pronk, Moniek Hoogmoed and Paulette Smit and music by Eric Calmes and his Antillian-Dutch band Grupo Zamanakitoki.
In the film programme unique movies from the Dutch archives were shown: the first documentaries on the Dutch East-Indies, made in the beginning of the 20th century by J.C. Lammers, commissioned by the Colonial Institute. Furthermore the film Faya Lobbi , the classic documentary on Suriname from 1960 by Herman van der Horst, and Ava en Gabriel , the Antilliaanse movie from 1990 by Felix de Rooy and Norman de Palm.
