Maarten van der Graaff
(The Netherlands, 1987) debuted in 2013 with Vluchtautogedichten (Getaway Car Poems), which won the C. Buddingh' Prize. The jury praised his "boasting, swagger, and bravado." Van der Graaff escapes everyday reality in his very own getaway car — namely poetry — looking for new dimensions. His second volume Dood werk (Dead Work, 2015) won the J.C. Bloem Prize. He publishes poetry and prose in various magazines, performs regularly, and is editor and co-founder of the online literary magazine Samplekanon. His first novel Wormen en engelen (Worms and Angels, 2017) is a contemporary quest for the meaning of faith. In 2020 he published the poetry collection Nederland in stukken (The Netherlands in Pieces), followed by his second novel Onder asfalt (Under Asphalt, 2022). He curates compelling poetry recitation programmes each year for Writers Unlimited.
Go to website Maarten van der Graaff
Past events
Expelled Tongue: Poetry in Search of New Languages
Recitation by seven poets of recent or especially for this program newly written poetry.
Garbage In, Garbage Out: Poetry event
With Simone Atangana Bekono, Ronelda S. Kamfer, Astrid Lampe, Dewi de Nijs Bik and Zheng Xiaoqiong
Dreaming Pays Off: the poetry of Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer
Pfeijffers' masterful use of language and inventive style - both daring and humorous - invite an interesting discussion about his poetic oevre. Of course he will also present his own work.
Myths as Identity Arena
Old myths continue to influence our identity and relationship with the other. With the Indian mythologist Arshia Sattar, Jennifer Makumbi from Uganda and Maarten van der Graaf from The Netherlands. Writer Rodaan Al Galidi read from his work.
Artificial ignorance: Digital Failure
Eight authors read their literary vision on artificial ignorance.
Writing poetry in Dunglish and other languages
Which role does English play in the poetry of the Dutch language area? Seven young poets answer with new poems.
Saturday Night Wintercafé: Spot on Young Poets
Students of The Hague's high schools read their own poetry, the result of workshops given by members of The Hague Poet's Guild. The poets Salena Godden and Maarten van der Graaff appear with them.
My Secret City
The festival asked seven authors to write about their own "secret" cities. Not the city that they see when they walk out the door but the city that they occasionally and unexpectedly come across. They read in their own language, with English and Dutch translations projected simultaneously.
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?
Saturday Night Wintercafé: Who's Afraid of Youth
During this first hour, MC Francis Broekhuijsen presents students from The Hague secondary schools reading their poems, the outcome of a series of school workshops. They perform with poet Maarten van der Graaff.
