"I love all animals, and even if I don't love them, I try to."
- Bibi Dumon Tak in a column for BNN Vara national radio programme Vroege Vogels

Why do Bibi Dumon Tak and Nikki Dekker enjoy writing about animals so much? Can we interpret the world through animals and their behavior? What is the relationship between humans and animals? Can authors give a voice to non-human animals?

Animals play a significant role in both authors’ work. Why do they feel drawn to them? Do we see the world differently through the eyes of an animal? Marjolijn van Heemstra will lead the conversation.

Bibi Dumon Tak (Rotterdam, 1964) debuted in 2001 with Het koeienboek, a non-fiction book for children about cows. With this debut, she immediately won a Zilveren Griffel. Many books would follow, mostly non-fiction for children, especially about animals. For her work, she received various awards, such as the Gouden Griffel for Winterdieren, the Woutertje Pieterse Prijs for Vandaag houd ik mijn spreekbeurt over de anaconda, and the Theo Thijssenprijs for her complete oeuvre. She also writes books for adults, among which Rotjongens caused a stir. In een groen knollenland is a pamphlet against hunting, and with De dag dat ik mijn naam veranderde, she wrote a tribute to her deceased sister. Besides her authorship, Bibi Dumon Tak is also known for columns in Vroege Vogels and opinion articles in various newspapers.

Recently, she published Rimpeling (De Geus), a novella for adults, with beautiful illustrations by Annemarie van Haeringen.

It is a story about Marthe, who fell because she wanted to save the life of a crane fly. After that fatal fall, her house at the edge of the forest remains abandoned. Only the insects, the mice, and her belongings knew who she was. As her house is cleared out, her story unfolds. With each object identified, Marthe becomes more complete. Through her chair, table, cupboard, and bed, we come to understand who Marthe was. Nothing special, Marthe would have said about it herself

Nikki Dekker is a writer and radio producer. Her debut novel, diepdiepblauw (2022), was awarded the CCS Crone Stipendium and was nominated for the Bronzen Uil (shortlist) and De Boon (longlist). Previously, Nikki published essays and poetry in her chapbook een voorwerp dat nog leeft (2018). She has created radio documentaries for NTR and VPRO and wrote the script for the fiction podcast series De Brandstapel. Nikki writes columns for Vroege Vogels and is on the editorial board of the literary magazine Tirade. De Volkskrant named her the literary talent of 2023.

In September 2024, her second book, Graafdier (De Bezige Bij), was published, where she digs a tunnel through the Dutch landscape, specifically the region of De Groote Peel. The deeper she goes, the further back in time she travels, encountering creatures like the mole cricket, sundials, and the vertebrae of whales, going back 300 million years. And she keeps coming back to one question: why do we exist? In her signature, lighthearted yet probing style, Dekker takes the reader deep underground, where fascinating stories and profound questions emerge.

The conversation will be moderated by poet, writer, theater maker, journalist, and podcast creator Marjolijn van Heemstra. In her work, she explores in an accessible way how we can think differently about ourselves and the world. Marjolijn van Heemstra has won several literary awards for her poetry collections and novels. Since 2019, she has written about how space can help us view earth differently, highlighted by her essay Wat is ruimte waard for the Month of Philosophy 2023, published by De Correspondent. The theater show based on this book, Maankoorts, premiered in June 2024. She also creates podcasts (including Sør, Stadsastronaut, Als geschiedenis in je opstaat) and recently conducted research on the value of the night with De Nacht-Wacht, which organizes twilight sessions, night walks, and the Amsterdam Dark Festival. Her new theater show Observaties van een theaterrat will premiere in January 2025.

This Writers Series program is in Dutch.
Following the event, De Vries Van Stockum will host a book sale, with an opportunity for signing. Program curated by Ilonka Reintjens (Writers Unlimited).

Writers Series: Humans and Animals in Literature. With Bibi Dumon Tak and Nikki Dekker
Wednesday, November 20, 2024, 20:30-22:00
Central Library, Podium B, Spui 68, 2511 BT The Hague

Each January, Writers Unlimited organizes the Writers Unlimited International Literature Festival The Hague (Dates: January 23–26, 2025) and hosts monthly Writers Series events throughout the year at various locations in The Hague, including the Central Library. The festival, featuring over a hundred writers, poets, spoken word artists, and musicians from the Netherlands and abroad, spans four days and takes place at venues including Theater aan het Spui, Filmhuis Den Haag, Paard, Amare, neighborhood libraries, and universities and high schools in The Hague.