Lucas Rijneveld
(The Netherlands, 1991) is a writer and poet. The first Dutch writer to do so, Rijneveld won the 2020 International Booker Prize for The Discomfort of Evening, the English translation by Michele Hutchison of his 2018 debut novel De avond is ongemak. His Kalfvlies (Calf's Membrane, 2015) won the C. Buddingh Prize for best poetry debut, was followed in 2019 by his collection Fantoommerrie (Phantom Mare). His poems are riddle-like prose stories featuring notably strong metaphors. He writes about grand themes like death and loneliness, and about his experiences as the country child who goes to study in the big city. In 2021 he published his second novel Mijn lieve gunsteling, in which a veterinarian and a farmer's daughter develop a mutual obsessive fascination. Its English version My Heavenly Favorite was awarded the James Tait Black Prize for Fiction in 2025. His poetry collection Komijnsplitsers (Cumin Splitters, 2022) explores what it means be home: in a house, within oneself, and in relation to others.
Instagram: @lucasrijneveld
Past events
Friday Night Wintercafé: Spot on Young Poets
High-school students from the Hague region reading their own poetry, the result of workshops led by members of the Hague Poets' Guild. Professional poets Salena Godden and Marieke Rijneveld accompany the up-and-comers.
The Secret Space - Poetry
Within De verborgen ruimte (The Secret Space), the map is newly read and drawn by nine poets. Which sounds and tones belong in it, what has not yet been said, and what is continually misunderstood?
