Mathijs Deen
(Hengelo, NL 1962) is a radio journalist and a writer. His most recently published book is De Wadden (The Frisian islands; 2013), a poetic history of the Frisian islands. His book of short stories Brutus heeft honger (Brutus is hungry, 2011) was nominated for the AKO Literature Prize. Eating being the leitmotiv, Deen jumps through world history. The forty-four historical stories are fine miniatures of scarcely one and a half page long. After having studied Dutch in Groningen Deen worked for Radio Noord for some years. His radio columns from those days were collected in two publications. Since 2001 Deen has been programme maker with VPRO radio, hosting the historical radio programme OVT. A number of historical documentaries which he made for VPRO radio has been published as an audiobook. The radio series De lange weg naar Darwin (Long road to Darwin) appeared on cd and as a podcast. Deen was programme coordinator of the Winternachten Festival between 2009 and 2011.
Past events
Don't mention the War: China and Japan
How do we look back on the role of China and Japan in WO II? China and Japan expert Ian Buruma and the Chinese writer Geling Yan talk to Mathijs Deen about coping with war traumas, using film extracts. In English.
The Turning Point
Architect Andries Samuel, documentary maker and BBC reporter Aminatta Forna and building engineer Nihad Sirees decided to turn to fiction at a certain point in their lives. Mathijs Deen wants to know why. In English.
Raul Lemesoff and his 'Weapon of Mass Instruction'
Mathijs Deen interviews the artist on his tank overgrown by books. In English.
'Travellers' Tales'
The satirical author Nury Vittachi (Hongkong) and the Indonesian writer and poet Laksmi Pamuntjak read and talk to Mathijs Deen on stereotype images of East and West. In English.
