Hester Knibbe
(Harderwijk, NL, 1946) debuted in 1982 as a poet with Tussen gebaren en woorden (Between Gestures and Words). After that, she published another dozen volumes of poetry. Major themes in her work are transience and the loss of a child. Through the voices of mythical figures, or by allowing a garden, river, or dune to speak, she combines permanence and transience and gives meaning to the human struggle with fear and shame. Her latest volume Archaïsche dieren (Archaic Animals) wonderfully links reflection with everyday worries and needs; it is nominated for the 2015 VSB Poetry Prize. Her work has won awards including the Herman Gorter Prize, the Anna Blaman Prize, and the A. Roland Holst medal. From 2008 to 2010 she was president of the Dutch branch of PEN. Her poems have been translated into English, French, German, Spanish, Turkish, and Hebrew. Knibbe has been published in literary journals such as Raster, De Gids, and Maatstaf, and has participated in various poetry festivals at home and abroad.
Past events
Ode to Remco's Coat
A programme celebrating Remco Campert. Fado singer Cristina Branco and pianist João Paulo have set the celebrated Dutch poet's Ode aan mijn jas (Ode to My Coat) to music. Mustafa Stitou, Hanneke van Eijken, and VSB Poetry Prize nominees Hester Knibbe, Alfred Schaffer, and Peter Verhelst each dedicate a poem to him. Concluding performance by the Blue Moon choir. A collaboration with Poetry International and the VSB Poetry Prize.
