Writer and journalist Hassnae Bouazza talked about her book Een koffer vol citroenen (A suitcase full of lemons) at the Bibliotheek Schilderswijk. She also read excerpts from it and answered questions from the audience. The book, a loving portrait of a mother and a daughter, powerfully depicts the confusing feeling of displacement and the comfort of tastes and smells.

In a biscuit shop at Casablanca airport, Hassnae Bouazza realises that with the sudden death of her mother, she has lost more than just a parent. In Een koffer vol citroenen, she describes their loving relationship, the raw pain of loss, the wonderful funeral director with whom the family is saddled, and the search for a happy life without an unmistakable home.

Hassnae Bouazza (Morocco, 1973) is a journalist, columnist, translator, researcher and programme maker. She publishes in various media (including NRC and Linda) and runs her own online glossy for culture lovers, Aicha Qandisha. She compiled a collection of stories about Arab women, Achter de sluier (Behind the Veil, 1999); 2013 saw the publication of her book Arabieren kijken (Arabs Watching, about ordinary people in the Arab world.

Together with Michelin-starred chef Soenil Bahadoer, Hassnae wrote Spicy Chef (2020) and Streetfood (2022), two culinary books with stories and Surinamese-Indian recipes.

Festival tip 1: the grand festival events Friday Night Unlimited (24 January) and Saturday Night Unlimited (25 January) offered the full festival experience! Both nights you chose 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.

From 23 to 26 January 2025, Writers Unlimited International Literature Festival The Hague was 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.