Shervin Nekuee

(Iran, 1968) is a sociologist, writer and producer. He studied at the University of Utrecht and lives in The Hague. He wrote De Perzische paradox: verhalen uit de islamitische republiek Iran (The Persian Paradox: Stories from the Islamic Republic of Iran) in 2006, published by De Arbeiderspers. At age 19 he fled Iran because he refused to fight in the war against Iraq. In his professional life he is especially interested in the cultural and social aspects of multicultural society and political developments in the Middle East. Nekuee is a curator and programmer of the Winternachten international literature festival of The Hague, as well as artistic director of the Mystic Festival Rotterdam. He is also a member of the Grote Midden Oosten (Great Middle Eastern) Platform, an organisation that brings together experts from the Middle East living in The Netherlands for training, analysis and publications.