Opening Night: Free the Word!

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A special opening night featuring a keynote speech by Karl Ove Knausgård, the Oxfam Novib PEN Awards for Freedom of Expression, a debate moderated by Petra Stienen, and concluding words by David Van Reybrouck.

Freedom of speech and the power of the word are central issues on the festival's opening night. The president of PEN International, John Ralston Saul, will introduce the Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgård, who delivers the keynote Free Word Speech. Farah Karimi, director of Oxfam Novib will announce the laureates of the prestigious Oxfam Novib PEN Awards for Freedom of Expression. The awards honour writers who seek out and propagate the truth, sometimes at the risk of their own lives. Razan al-Maghrabi was one of the laureates, who could be present at the festival to receive the award. After an interview with Manon Uphoff (president of PEN Nederland), there will be adebate, moderated by Petra Stienen, on religious extremism and the value of provocation. Panellists include writers Mohammed Benzakour, Mano Bouzamour, cartoonist Leela Corman and Dinar Rahayu (Indonesia). David Van Reybrouck rounds out the evening with one his poems. After the programme, Writers Unlimited chair Nelleke Noordervliet and Alderman for culture of The Hague Joris Wijsmuller adress founder and festivaldirector Ton van de Langkruis on the occasion of the 20th edition of the festival. This event was put together with the collaboration of PEN International, PEN Nederland and Oxfam Novib.

Information

Date and time Thursday 15 January 2015 from 20:00 to 21:45 hrs
Location Theater aan het Spui - Zaal 1

Line-up

Razan al-Maghrabi

(Libya) is a well-known novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. She has published five collections of short stories, two novels, and one volume of poetry since 2000; her novel Women of Wind was longlisted for the 2011 International Prize for Arabic Fiction. Al-Moghrabi is known for her advocacy of women’s rights and freedom of expression, and for her criticism of religious extremism. She has written for Arabic-language newspapers since 1991, edited cultural publications, and produced programmes for Libyan television about cultural issues. Her outspokenness and refusal to wear a veil has led to regular anonymous street harassment and threats to her life. She lives in constant fear of attack, kidnapping, or arrest; in December 2013 armed militia men fired shots at the entrance of her house in Tripoli. In 2012 Al-Maghrabi organised the first-ever conference on women’s rights in that city, and in 2013 she spoke at the UN Commission on the Status of Women about violations of women’s rights taking place in Libya.
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Karl Ove Knausgård

(Norway, 1968) is a writer, translator, and literary "rock star." He debuted in 1988 with Ute av verden (Out of this World), which won the Norwegian Critics' Prize. His second book En tid for alt from 2004 was published in Dutch as Engelen vallen langzaam (Angels Fall Slowly).On the basis of biblical fragments it reveals links between religion and science. His six-part autobiographical novel cycle Min kamp (My Struggle) from 2009-2011 is a global hit. In it, Knausgård talks about his life and his relationships with parents and friends. In revealing language he describes the downfall of his alcoholic, divorced father. Other parts of the cycle were published in Dutch as Liefde (Love, 2012), Zoon (Son, 2013), Nacht (Night, 2013), Schrijver (Writer, 2014) and Vrouw (Wife, 2015). In 2015 and 2016 he published the four-part The Four Seasons, an autobiographical series about his newly born daughter Anne.
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David Van Reybrouck

(Belgium, 1971) is an author, historian and archaeologist, known for his multifaceted contributions to literature and intellectual discourse. He is currently Philosopher Laureate of the Low Countries. Upon his appointment, he published De wereld en de aarde (The World and the Earth, 2025), in which he makes a groundbreaking proposal to radically broaden our thinking—and our politics. For the greatest security issue of our time is not the world with its mutual conflicts, but the earth, which is becoming increasingly disrupted. His oeuvre covers a range of genres, including historical non-fiction, poetry, and theater. Among his best-known works are Congo (2010), about the country's bewildering history, and Revolusi (2020), which places Indonesia's struggle for independence in a global perspective through eyewitness accounts. In addition to his literary work, Van Reybrouck is known as ‘one of Europe's leading intellectuals’ (Tagesspiegel), whose ideas relate to themes such as democracy, climate, and colonialism. He regularly publishes opinion pieces in international publications. 

Go to the website of David Van Reybrouck
Instagram: @david.vanreybrouck
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Dinar Rahayu

(Indonesia, 1971) studied chemistry, mathematics, and physics at the Technical Institute in Bandung. Her novel Ode aan Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch (Ode to Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch) created quite a stir. As of page one, it's an explicit book full of strippers, child rape, and S&M. Some consider this book by the now-traditionally dressed Muslim woman to be pornography, although it also incorporates Greek and Nordic myths. In 2009 Rahayu published a collection of short stories, Lacrimosa, which combine ancient myths with science and technology. Her stories have also appeared in various Indonesian magazines. She works as a teacher.
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Ton van de Langkruis

(Netherlands, 1957) was, for 25 years, director and programmer of Writers Unlimited which he founded in 1995. After studying English Language at Leiden University and Theatre Sciences at Utrecht University, he worked in theatres as a dramaturge, director, critic and tour organiser. In 1992 he organised the Samuel Beckett Festival in The Hague, a collaboration of the city's arts organizations. In 1995 he organised the Indië/Indonesië Festival (Dutch East Indies/Indonesia Festival), which brought together the arts of Indonesia and the Netherlands to celebrate the Republic of Indonesia's 50th anniversary. This event, ending with the Indische Winternacht (East-Indies Winternight), was the start of the Winternachten international literary festival The Hague. Under his guidance, Writers Unlimited and Winternachten festival grew out to become a both nationally and internationally reputed platform where writers, poets, scientists and journalists from all over the world met their audiences for conversations, recitations and performances about culturally diverse, social, literary, scientific and other topical themes.
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Farah Karimi

(Iran, 1960) is a member of the Senate of the Dutch Parliament (Eerste Kamer) since June 2019 for GroenLinks. From 2008 to 2018 she chaired the Executive Board of Oxfam Novib. Karimi is highly experienced in the field of international cooperation and human rights, and she is a strategic delevopment coach for leadership and organisational change. She came to Europe as a political refugee in 1983. She studied in the Netherlands and was a member of the Dutch House of Representatives for GroenLinks (Green Left) from 1998 till 2006. In 2007 she helped to establish the Afghan parliament as a consultant with the UN branch UNDP. As an administrator, she was involved with the advisory board of the International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World, among other projects. She chairs the Board of Stichting Writers Unlimited since 2018. Karimi has written thee books: Slagveld Afghanistan (Battlefield Afghanistan, 2006), with co-author Chris Keulemans Het geheim van het vuur (The Secret of Fire, 2007) and In naam van de vrijheid: hoe de wereld na 9/11 steeds onvrijer is geworden (In the name of freedom: how our world has become increasingly unfree after 9/11, 2021).
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John Ralston Saul

(Canada, 1947) has been president of PEN International since 2009. Time magazine called him "a prophet," and he is seen as one of the great thinkers of our time. In 2005 he predicted the global economic crisis in The Collapse of Globalism and the Reinvention of the World. Saul has written 14 books that have been translated into 25 languages. He is internationally renowned for his philosophical trilogy Voltaire's Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West, The Doubter's Companion: A Dictionary of Aggressive Common Sense, and The Unconscious Civilization. For Penguin Canada he produced a series of 18 biographies about Canadian historical figures, written by well-known Canadian writers. Saul made his debut as a novelist in 1977, and in the 1980s a thriller and an adventure story by him were published in Dutch. He has been active with PEN Canada since 1990. He is also the founder of The Institute for Canadian Citizenship, which helps newcomers integrate into Canadian society.
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Petra Stienen

(Roermond, NL, 1965) studied Arabic and Middle East studies. Her second book was published in 2012: Het andere Arabische geluid (The Other Arab Voice), about voices of humanity and hope during the hectic transition period in the new Middle East. Her first book Dromen van een Arabische lente (Dreaming of an Arab Spring, 2008) was about the life and work of a human-rights diplomat in the Arab world. In both books she goes in search of the kind of stories that get little attention in Western media. Currently, Stienen is a publicist and independent consutant. She writes for NRC Handelsblad and De Volkskrant newspapers, has a column in the women's monthly magazine Opzij, and reguarly appears as a commentator on radio and television programmes and in debates at home and abroad.
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Mano Bouzamour

(Amsterdam, 1991) won first place as a storyteller at the Rozentuin Festival and has been a columnist for Het Parool newspaper since 2014. His debut De belofte van Pisa (The Promise of Pisa, 2013), based on the author's Amsterdam life, caused a stir and was a great success. Some Moroccans considered him a traitor while others regard him as a role model. His novel, full of delectable Moroccan slang, is especially popular among students. Protagonist Sam, called Samir at home, is an elitist rascal who doesn't seem to have many chances in life. His parents barely speak Dutch, his brother is criminal, his sisters work cash registers, and his friends have no life goals. But Sam is different; he loves classical music and wants to attend grammar school. However, he can barely assert himself at the elitist white school.
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Mohammed Benzakour

(Morocco, 1972) is a publicist, columnist, writer, and poet. In 2014 he won the 2013 E. du Perron Prize for his novel Yemma, based on the story of his mother, who has a stroke and ends up in care institutions not geared to illiterate Moroccans. Benzakour grew up in a first-generation family of migrant workers in Zwijndrecht, NL, where he became a city councillor while studying sociology and public administration. As of 1998 he has taken part in public debates on issues ranging from the long arm of the Moroccan government to the squandering of leftist ideology by the Dutch Labour Party to the captive polar bear Knut. His columns and opinion pieces for the Volkskrant newspaper and other publications regularly stir things up, and have been collected in Osama's Grot, Allah, Holland en ik (Osama's Cave, Allah, Holland and Me, 2005) and Stinkende heelmeesters (Stinking Surgeons, 2008). His book Abou Jahjah, nieuwlichter of oplichter? (Abou Jahjah: Innovator or swindler?, 2004) describes how the Netherlands and Belgium handled the Muslim activist.
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Manon Uphoff

(The Netherlands, 1962) is a Dutch writer, screenwriter and visual artist. She made her debut in 1995 with the collection of short stories Begeerte (Desire), which was nominated for the AKO Literature Prize, the Anton Wachter Prize and the ECI Prize. The title story was awarded the Rabobank Spring Prize for Literature. Her first novel Gemis (1997) was nominated for the Libris Literature Prize. Her most recent book, Vallen is als vliegen (Falling is Like Flying, 2019), was shortlisted for both the 2019 Bookspot Literature Prize and the 2020 Libris Literature Prize. The novel was named the best Dutch-language novel of 2019 by NRC Handelsblad and Humo. Uphoff was editor of the literary magazine De Revisor and board member and president of PEN Netherlands. As a screenwriter, she wrote the feature film screenplay Een Groot Geweld (Topkapi Films).
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Pauni Trio

is unique in the Dutch music scene. The trio specializes in Bulgarian polyphony and is known for its fresh and innovative approach to folk music. Their singing begs comparison with the famous Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares. The musical background of the Pauni singers (Marielle Winter, Iris Ficker, and Juliëtte van Dijk ) ranges from classical and world music to alternative rock, but regardless of the trio's performance style (a cappella, with accordion, or with Orkestar), its razor-sharp Bulgarian singing remains the unmistakable core. A great variety of vocalizations are typical of this Bulgarian sound: complex ornamentations, long glissandos, and shrill antiphony. The irregular rhythms can also easily throw you for a loop. The three singers like to break new ground by seeking collaboration with other disciplines and in other musical styles. In their latest show Melk & Honing (Milk & Honey), they combine Bulgarian music with Dutch lyrics. Pauni Trio has released two albums: Pauni Devojka (2009) and Melk & Honing (2013).
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Leela Corman

(New York, 1972) is an American graphic novelist and cartoonist. Her book Meideles (original title: Unterzakhn, which means "underwear") was also published in Dutch. This 2012 book in particular brought her international attention. In Meideles she portrays the twin sisters Esther and Fanya in a New York Jewish immigrant neighbourhood at the start of the 20th century, whose mother runs a corset shop. The sisters grow apart when Esther becomes a prostitute. Corman sketches a wonderful portrait of the Lower East Side, and of the hypocrisy and conservatism of New York's immigrant community at that time. She studied painting and illustration, works for The New York Times and other publications, and is a belly dancer.
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Nelleke Noordervliet

(Netherlands, 1945) writes novels, stories, essays, lectures and columns with a strong historical bent. She debuted with 1987's Tine of de dalen waar het leven woont (Tine, or the Valleys Where Life Lives), a fictitious biography of 19th-century Dutch writer Multatuli's first wife. Her book De naam van de vader (The Name of the Father) won the 1994 Multatuli Prize. In 2002 she wrote Pelican Bay, about slavery in the Caribbean and the Netherlands. Her essay collection Schatplicht (Tribute) appeared in 2013, and her 2016 novel Aan het eind van de dag (At the End of the Day) is simultaneously a portrait of a career woman and a snapshot of the second half of the 20th century. De val van Thomas G. (The fall of Thomas G.) tells about the publisher of a controversial book. Noordervliet's body of work was awarded the 2018 Constantijn Huygens Prize.
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Joris Wijsmuller

(Rosmalen, NL, 1965) has been the SWDC councillor for urban development, housing, sustainability, and culture for the city of The Hague since 2014. From 1998 to 2014 he was a councillor and floor leader of the Hague City Party. Wijsmuller studied at the Polytechnic Institute for Photography in The Hague and worked at the World Wide Video Centre (the former Kijkhuis), among other jobs.
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