Dimitri Verhulst, author of the awarded, semi-autobiographical novel of the same name on which Felix van Groeningen's successful 2009 film adaptation is based, spoke with Gerlinda Heywegen about his book and his writing after the screening of the film.

The novel and the film are about growing up with a drunkard for a father – and three equally drunken uncles – in the East Flemish backwater of Reetveerdegem. The nostalgic narrator from the novel gladly re-appears in the film, as has the succession of hilarious memories of, among other things, the Tour de France for alcoholics, playing darts with billiard cues and listening to Roy Orbison at the Iranian neighbours' house. It is a raw, but above all a beautiful and poetic portrait of a seemingly hopeless childhood.

Dimitri Verhulst has written an extensive body of novels, stories, novellas, poetry and plays. His work has been published in more than 20 languages. He is known for his sharp, humorous, and unvarnished writing style. His big breakthrough came in 2006 with The Misfortunates, an autobiographical sketch of a Flemish suburb that spawned a screen adaptation. Godverdomse dagen op een godverdomse bol (Goddamned Days on a Goddamned Ball, 2008) depicts the history of mankind in 200 pages and won the Libris Literature Prize. De pruimenpluk (The Plum Harvest, 2019) is Verhulst's homage to failing humanity. Onze verslaggever in de leegte (Our Reporter in the Void, 2020) is a painfully honest book, showing a writer as he does not want to be seen. Recently published novels are Hebben en zijn (2022), about a rehab clinic to kick the habit of life, and Bechamel Mucho (2024), about Alex, an entertainer at a club hotel in Mallorca.

Gerlinda Heywegen is a programmer, writer, organizer, lecturer and podcaster, mainly on the subject of film and often in combination with literature. Koning Film is the collective of speakers on film that she established. Heywegen's books include The Other Director, about directors of photography; she collaborated with Frans Westra on Passie voor Cinema (Passion for Cinema), which highlights four decades of film screenings in the Netherlands; and she edited and wrote for the film magazine Skrien. Currently, she writes regularly for the websites of the Netherlands Society of Cinematographers and literary magazine Elders.

Dimitri Verhulst was a guest at the Writers Unlimited International Literature Festival The Hague 2026. After the discussion on Saturday afternoon, 24 January, at the Filmhuis Den Haag, he appeared later that day at Writers Unlimited Festival x De Situatie Leesclub at HaagsPianoHuis (Noordeinde 64A, The Hague, starting at 20:30 hours) in a conversation with Kim Holland and interviewer Dario Goldbach. >> More info here!