What is left of grande dame Europa? Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer takes to the couch in the role of this ailing part of the planet. Together with psychiatrist Damiaan Denys, he discusses the status of important themes such as migration, tourism and the environment, and looks into the future.

Via excerpts from his masterful novel Grand Hotel Europa, the Pfeijffer takes you on a journey through a once-grand Europe, now in decline and a shadow of itself. With intermezzos by violinist Noa Eyl, a virtuostic interpreter of classical music, klezmer and jazz.

After the performance, Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer and Damiaan Denys will be available in the foyer for a meet & greet, or for a booksinging.

This beloved and intriguing event debuted at preceding Writes Unlmited festivals returns, now as an independent evening program. The writer - a presumed specialist in bringing characters to life - lets psychiatrist Damiaan Denys accompany him into the world of his novel. The writer on the couch IS the novel or the character in this fascinating and unpredictable roleplay.

**** "Grand Hotel Europa doesn't shrink from anything, wants to impress and impresses indeed. Its big-bigger-biggest scope turns the novel into an amazing masterpiece. On top of this, it's a wonderful book that you read with an eagerness that becomes more and more feverish. Pfeijffer has caught the zeitgeist and served it up in irresistible fashion. He's written the novel of the year." NRC Handelsblad

"Grand Hotel Europa is not only an overwhelming reading experience, Pfeijffer also dishes up tons of food for thought. Who can match him in today's Dutch literary scene, with his enormous ability to light a fire under the zeitgeist and thumb his nose at all the decent, fussy novels full of first-world problems?" De Morgen

"You can easily call Grand Hotel Europa a pageturner. The most admirable aspect of the novel is Pfeijffer's fascination with his subject, and his engagement. Grand Hotel Europa is not only a consideration of our identity but also a contribution to its continuation." De Volkskrant