Sholeh Rezazadeh
(Iran, 1989) -- writer, poet and columnist -- received much praise and many prizes for her debut novel De hemel is altijd paars (The Sky is Always Purple, 2021). Readers were moved by the story of a young woman working in a charity shop, who falls in love with a musician and reflects on her homeland of Iran with mixed feelings. Rezazadeh, who studied medicine, came to The Netherlands in 2015. Her second novel, Ik ken een berg die op me wacht (I Know a Mountain Waiting for Me) appeared in 2023. In her characteristic poetic style, she writes about a woman who upends her life and travels from Amsterdam to Iran to join a nomadic family -- a story about yearning for quiet and space, told from the perspective of a river. Her first poetry collection, Neem ruim zei de zee, was published in 2024.
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Archive available for: Sholeh Rezazadeh
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De Situatie Leesclub & VPRO Club Lees x Writers Unlimited Festival - Waar brandt mijn haard?
With: Adriaan van Dis, Dario Goldbach, Firoza Mulahella, Hanneke van der Paardt, Mahat Arab, Naaz, Noah de Campos Neto, Sholeh Rezazadeh
For all readers, reading clubbers and festival fans: on Saturday afternoon 25 January, De Situatie Leesclub, VPRO Club Lees and Writers Unlimited will together create a literary double bill during the International Literature Festival The Hague. In this live meet-up, you can listen or ask questions yourself to authors Adriaan van Dis and Sholeh Rezazadeh, and musician Firoza Mulahella.
De Situatie, the literary platform of The Hague cultural organisation PIP, will open the programme with author Adriaan van Dis and musician Firoza, both also creators of programmes and podcasts. Adriaan van Dis devoted much of his oeuvre to his Indonesian background, Firoza looked closer to home and spoke to people who had to live creatively because of the housing crisis. When do you really feel at home? And what does 'home' mean in relation to identity, uprooting and migration?
In conversation with Dario Goldbach, Van Dis and Firoza talk about what it is like to make programmes, the differences between writing scripts, song lyrics and prose, and explore their shared theme of 'home'.
Next, the VPRO Club Lees' regular team members continue on this theme in a conversation with novelist and poet Sholeh Rezazadeh, based on her novel De hemel is altijd paars (The sky is always purple), about a young Iranian woman who left the raw, mountainous landscape of Iran behind for good and moved to the flattest country in the world: the Netherlands. She marvels at this country where everyone is in a hurry and where it seems impossible to be connected to others.
Club Lees is VPRO's online book club with now more than 18,000 members. In the Club Lees app, young people read a free favourite book of one of the four regular club members every month: singer-songwriter Naaz (25), BookTokker Noah de Campos Neto (22), spoken-word artist Mahat Arab (28) and actress and theatre maker Hanneke van der Paardt (28); all young creatives for whom reading is important. Each book is enriched with content, such as notes, memes, videos or articles, by that month's leading club member. All readers can interact with each other in the app or on social media, and the month ends with a digital meet-up.
Adriaan van Dis grew up in a family with an Indonesian background, which is reflected in several of his novels including Indische duinen (1995), Familieziek (2002) and most recently in Naar zachtheid en een warm omhelzen (2023). Van Dis became famous with his TV programme Hier is... Adriaan van Dis (1983-1992). Besides novels, he writes novellas, travel stories, collections of essays and plays; presented TV documentary series and makes the podcast series Van Dis Ongefilterd, of which a live recording - free access, reservation required - will take place within the festival on Sunday morning 26 January 2025 in the Theater aan het Spui.
Firoza Mulahella is a music artist and presenter at KRONCRV of, among other things, episodes of the YouTube series Stereotypical in which she meets young people who have to deal with prejudice, clichés and breaking through them. She joined Burning Fik, the hip-hop label of Abel van Gijlswijk (known from punk formation Hang Youth) and Pepijn Lanen (Faberyayo of De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig) where she writes and releases songs under her (for)name Firoza.
Sholeh Rezazadeh is a writer and poet. Her first novel De hemel is altijd paars (The sky is always purple, 2021) has won several awards: readers are moved by the story of a young woman who falls in love with a musician, thinking back to her native Iran with love and pain. Her second novel Ik ken een berg die op me wacht (I know a mountain waiting for me, 2023) is about a woman who turns her life around and travels from Amsterdam to Iran to join a nomadic family: a story about longing for peace and space, told from the perspective of a river.
Festival tip 1: for the full festival experience, join us for the grand festival events Friday Night Unlimited (24 January) and Saturday Night Unlimited (25 January)! Both nights you choose your own route along some 20 performances, readings and conversations on five stages in Theater aan het Spui and Filmhuis Den Haag. English and Dutch spoken.Festivaltip 3: as Writers Unlimited presents its literature festival for 30 years, we celebrate this anniversary with Playing with Fire, a show full of music, dance and literature at Amare (Danstheater) on Sunday afternoon, 26 January. You will see and hear Spinvis, Shirma Rouse, XILLAN, Babs Gons, Joost Oomen, Zaire Krieger, Claudia Karapanou Flamenco Trio, Royal Conservatoire Dance and percussion group Pulse led by Eli Wing, among others. Book now! Tickets are 11 euros (under 29s or students), or 16 - 35 euros (depending on seat chosen). Note: Dutch spoken.
From 23 to 26 January 2025, Writers Unlimited International Literature Festival The Hague is to be found in theatres, libraries and schools throughout the city: from Theater aan het Spui, Filmhuis Den Haag, Amare and Paard to Theater Dakota, Theater De Vaillant, the Laakkwartier, Nieuw Waldeck, Schilderswijk and Ypenburg libraries, the Institute of Social Studies and De Haagse Hogeschool. With over 120 writers, poets and spoken-word artists and musicians from the Netherlands and abroad. With readings, prose, poetry, storytelling, spoken word, author interviews, topical talks, films and music. -
Opening Night Writers Unlimited International Literature Festival The Hague
With: Adriaan van Dis, Aminatta Forna, Burhan Sönmez, Celeste Ng, Daniëlle Zawadi, Emilienne Malfatto, Hashem Kabreet, Jan van Zanen, Jörgen Tjon A Fong, Judith Uyterlinde, Sholeh Rezazadeh
Freedom to speak or write is important but impossible for many. The festival opened with "human voices" (the theme of this edition) from The Netherlands and beyond: a unique lineup of famous writers speaking out. This was one of those evenings of inspiration, creative thoughts and apt words that make a deep impression. Meet the authors who make their voices heard for four delightful days of this Hague festival!
Opening Night 2024 was focused on freedom of speech and the power of literature, with appearances and readings by US author Celeste Ng, internationally one of the most-read authors with Asian roots; the British writer Aminatta Forna (The Hired Man); Adriaan van Dis, whose moving new novel Naar zachtheid en een warm omhelzen was published Fall 2023; Burhan Sönmez, author of Istanbul, Istanbul and chair of the writers organization PEN International.
Young spoken-word artist and writer Daniëlle Zawadi from The Hague and, accompanied by percussionist Hashem Kabreet, writer and novelist Sholeh Rezazadeh gave spoken word performances.
Host Jörgen Tjon A Fong discussed with the US novelist Celeste Ng (Our Missing Hearts) and French writer and photojournalist Emilienne Malfatto (Le Colonel ne dort pas; The Colonel Doesn't Sleep) what "human voices" means to them in relation to freedom of speech. Finally, Hague mayor Jan van Zanen kicked things off by officially opening the festival!
The programme included the short film Monument for murdered writers and journalists 2023, a project by Theatre of Wrong Decisions, Committee To Protect Journalists (CPJ) and PEN International.
Our favourite Hague bookstore De Vries Van Stockum had well-stocked tables of books for sale in the foyer of the Theater aan het Spui throughout the festival (English and Dutch language) by the authors appearing at the festival. Browse to your heart's content, and maybe the author is even present to personally sign your freshly bought book.
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Poetry and music: Sholeh Rezazadeh & Hashem Kabreet in Laak
With: Hashem Kabreet, Sholeh Rezazadeh
On Thursday afternoon, 18 January, writer and poet Sholeh Rezazadeh was in Laak courtesy of the Writers Unlimited International Literature Festival The Hague (18-21 January). She recited poetry, accompanied by percussionist Hashem Kabreet on handpan in Bibliotheek Laakkwartier, Vadercentrum-ADAM and the VrouwenBuurtLab. Free entry, everyone was welcome!
Rezazadeh won the El Hizjra Prize for her poetry in 2019 en reached the finals of the Dutch Championship Poetry Slam in 2020. She wrote two wonderful bestselling novels in Dutch: De hemel is altijd paars (The Sky is Always Purple) and Ik ken een berg die op me wacht (I Know a Mountain Waiting for Me). Her books, poems and spoken-word performances are about family, identity, love, migration and nature.
Rezazadeh and Kabreet perform:
15:00-15:30 uur at Bibliotheek Laakkwartier, Linnaeusstraat 2
15:45-16:15 uur at Vadercentrum-ADAM, Jonckbloetplein 24
16:30-17:00 uur at VrouwenBuurtLab Laak, Van Meursstraat 1Sholeh Rezazadeh (Iran, 1989) -- writer, poet, performer and columnist -- received much praise and prizes for her first novel De hemel is altijd paars (The Sky is Always Purple). Readers were moved by the story of a young woman working in a charity shop, who falls in love with a musician and remembers her native country of Iran with love and pain. Rezazadeh studied medicine and came to The Netherlands in 2015. She has been published in many Dutch publications and is a columnist with Het Financieele Dagblad newspaper.
Her second novel, Ik ken een berg die op me wacht (I Know a Mountain Waiting for Me), appeared in 2023. In the same poetic style as the first novel, Rezazadeh writes about a woman who turns her life upside down to travel from Amsterdam to Iran to join a nomadic family; it is a story of longing for space and quiet, told from the perspective of a river.
Hashem Kabreet is a percussionist, trainer and workshop leader. He plays on Eastern and world percussion instruments (frame drum, darbouka, djembe, cajon, handpan) in bands such as Étoiles Électriques and HAN Here & Now, in various musical styles. He leads music workshops and creative trainings for organizations such as Sounds of Change, Raw Resonance, Art Root Collective, Orchestre Partout and Fort van de Verbeelding.Organization by Laaktheater and Writers Unlimited International Literature Festival The Hague.
Festival tip: Sholeh Rezazadeh and Hashem Kabreet also appeared on Opening Night (18 January, Theater aan het Spui); and Rezazadeh also performed during the grand festival event Friday Night Unlimited (19 January) where you chose your own route along some twenty programmes on five stages at Theater aan het Spui and Filmhuis Den Haag.
From 18 to 21 January 2024, the festival could be found in theatres, libraries and schools throughout The Hague: from Theater aan het Spui, Filmhuis Den Haag, Koninklijke Schouwburg and Paard to Theater Dakota, the Nieuw Waldeck, Schilderswijk and Ypenburg libraries and Haagse Hogeschool. With over ninety writers, poets and spoken-word artists and musicians from the Netherlands and abroad. With readings, prose, poetry, storytelling, spoken word, author interviews, topical talks, films and music.
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Book of My Life with Sholeh Rezazadeh
Writers tell us about their favourite book: the book that inspires or touches them, that set their artistic, moral or intellectual compass. In short, the book they would recommend to everyone. Interview: Abdelkader Benali.
Sholeh Rezazadeh chose as her favorite the novel Demian: The Story of Emil Sinclair's Youth (1919) by Hermann Hesse.
