The Writers' Fest

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A festive program built around the presentation of the Jan Campert Prizes, the literary awards of the City of The Hague. We celebrate Dutch literature with a variety of performances by writers, poets and musicians. Writer Karin Amatmoekrim gives us her views on "The State of Dutch Letters." Hassnae Bouazza is the MC.

Before Joris Wijsmuller, alderman for Culture of The Hague, hands out the prizes, the audience will determine which of the three middle-school nominees will receive the first young poet prize of The Hague, The Young Campert Award. Afterward, Jan Baeke receives the Jan Campert Prize for his volume of poetry Seizoensroddel ('Season's Gossip'). He is honoured by video-artist Alfred Marseille, who presents a short film. Anton Valens receives the F. Bordewijk Prize for his novel Het Compostcirculatieplan. His laudatio is gevin by stand-up comedian Katinka Polderman. The essay award, the Greshof Prize, goes to Kees 't Hart for Het gelukkige schrijven. Benno Tempel, director of the The Hague Municipal Museum, will honour him in a speech. The afternoon culminates with the presentation of the Constantijn Huygens Prize for a body of work, which will be given to Atte Jongstra this year. Trumpet player Eric Vloeimans will create a musical improvisation to honour him, and Max Pam will honour him in a speech. The young flemish poet Charlotte Van den Broeck will read her poems to us. This event is a collaboration between the Jan Campert Foundation and the Literatuurmuseum. Programme in Dutch.

Information

Date and time Sunday 22 January 2017 from 14:00 to 16:30 hrs
Location Theater aan het Spui - Zaal 1

Line-up

Atte Jongstra

(Terwispel, 1956) is a prolific prose writer, poet, critic and essayist. His first publication was the anthology De multatulianen on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Multatuli Society. De psychologie van de zwavel (The Psychology of Sulphur, 1990) was awarded with the Geertjan Lubberhuizen Prize. After that many titles followed, among others Cicerone (1992), Het huis M. Memoirs of a Speaker (The House M. Memoirs of a Speaker) (1993), Familieportret (Family Portrait) (1996), Disgenoten (Table Companions) (1998). The novels fit into the 26-volume 'modern memory lexicon' the writer is working on. His recent novels Worst (Sausage, 2014) and De aardappelcentrale (Potatoe Center, 2019) deal with opportunism in times of war. Jongstra was awarded the Constantijn Huijgens Prize 2016 for his body of work.
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Aad Meinderts

(1957) is director of the Literatuurmuseum in The Hague and chair of the Jan Campert Foundation. He studied Dutch language in Leiden and, as of 1982, worked for the organisation that looks after the national Dutch literary heritage (formerly the Letterkundig Museum). He organised exhibitions about writers such as Remco Campert, Miep Diekmann, and Cees Nooteboom. From 2002 to 2005 he was director of the Haags Historisch Museum/Museum de Gevangenpoort, and afterwards of Stichting Lezen. In 2009 he returned to the Literatuurmuseum as director. Meinderts has publications to his name on writers Anna Blaman, Emmy van Lokhorst and Sonja Witstein. He also wrote Een literaire roadtrip: in 30 dagen langs 100 schrijversgraven (2010), ‘Uit geil en bloed bestaat dit rotte leven!’: Max Kijzer (1893-1944) (2021) en In gekroonde stoeten (2022).
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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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Hassnae Bouazza

(Morocco, 1973) is a journalist, columnist, translator, researcher and producer. She publishes in various media (including Dutch national daily newspaper NRC and women's magazine Linda); runs her own online magazine for culture lovers, Aicha Qandisha. She compiled a story collection about Arab women, Achter de sluier (Behind the Veil, 1999); 2013 saw the publication of her book Arabieren kijken (Looking at Arabs), about "ordinary" people in the Arab world. She made TV programs for various broadcasters, including the documentary series Seks en de Zonde (Sex and Sin). Together with Michelin-starred chef Soenil Bahadoer, she wrote the culinary books Spicy Chef (2020) and Streetfood (2022). She published two further books in 2022: Een koffer vol citroenen (A Suitcase Full of Lemons), a requiem for and portrait of her mother, and Arbeidsmigranten in Nederland (Migrant Labourers in the Netherlands).
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Karin Amatmoekrim

(Suriname, 1976) debuted with Knipperleven (2004), followed by Wanneer wij samen zijn (When We Are Together, 2006), based on the history of her Javanese-Surinamese family. Her novel Het gym (The Gymnasium, 2011) describes Sandra, a Surinamese outsider, holding her own among preppy white girls. De man van veel (The Man of Much, 2013) is based on the life of the Surinamese national hero and writer Anton de Kom, and was followed by her memoir Tenzij de vader (Unless the Father, 2016), a painfully honest report of getting to know her father at age 22. Her PhD thesis on the late author Anil Ramdas (University of Utrecht) was published as the biography In welk land leef ik eigenlijk? (What Kind of Country Do I Actually Live in?, 2023). She regularly publishes stories, columns and opinion pieces.
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Eric Vloeimans

is a trumpet player who has been active in a wide variety of ensembles. He toured the US twice with his acoustic ‘chamber/jazz’ 'Fugimundi' trio. His other band is Eric Vloeimans' Gatecrash. Vloeimans expands his trumpet mastery with electronics special effects. Gatecrash has earned a reputation as one of Europe's top cross-over bands between jazz and pop. Vloeimans' performances and recordings with a multitude of other formations has shown his versatility. He played with national and international artists such as Mercer Ellington, John Taylor, Peter Erskine, soundartist Michel Banabila, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and many, many others. Eric has also ventured into film music, writing (with Fons Merkies) and performing the music for the feature film Majesteit (2010), as well as for the animation film Audition (with Martin Fondse). He has been honored because of his many works covering genres ranging from classical to pop, film music, world and jazz. In between playing all over the world, he shares his talent with the students of the Codarts College for the Arts in Rotterdam, and the Royal Conservatory in the Hague.
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Jan Baeke

(Roosendaal, 1956) is a poet and translator. Baeke’s collection Groter dan de feiten (Bigger than the Facts), was reviewed positively and nominated for the VSB Poetry Prize. In this book he takes the reader via often ambiguous cinematic poems on a journey to a sunbaked but oppressive mediterranean provincial town where nostalgia, uneasiness and love lie in wait. Baeke made his debut in 1997 with the poetry book Nooit zonder paarden (Never without Horses). Baeke' s work is influenced by filmmakers like Luis Buñuel and Andrej Tarkovksy and poets such as Ingeborg Bachmann and Jaap Kaplinski. His work has been translated into English and French. Since 2009 Baeke works for Poetry International in Rotterdam.
Jan Baeke receives the Jan Campert Prize 2016 for his collection Seizoensroddel (Seasonal gossip). The jury states: "As obvious as the poems of Jan Baeke sound, as little flexible is the world he describes in his masterful collection. These uncomfortable poems offer little protection but do console with the awareness that we have all lost our way."
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Kees 't Hart

(The Netherlands, 1944) is a writer and poet. His novel De Keizer en de astroloog (The Emperor and the Astrologer, 2008) sees apprentice psychiatrist Simon employed as an astrologer at the court of Emperor William II in Doorn, ending up in absurd situations. In 2000 he wins the Multatuli Prize for his novel The Revue (1999). In Teatro Olimpico (2014) Dutch theatre professionals try to stage their show in Italy. Wederzijds (Mutual, 2017) is a satire about neighbourhood help and in the historical and humorous De ziekte van Weimar (The Disease of Weimar, 2019), a man from Franeker travels to Weimar to meet Goethe. VICTORIEN, ik hou van je (2021) is a collection of 'stories and outpourings'; 2023 will see the publication of his third collection of poems, Vogelkerkhof.
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Anton Valens

(Paterswolde, 1964) got critical acclaim and various literary awards for his debut Meester in de Hygiëne (Master in Hygiene, 2004). In this strongly autobiographical collection of short stories Valens writes about his experiences in home care. Just like Valens, the main character Bonne is a visual artist with ties with Groningen. His second book Dweiloorlog (Mop War, 2008) is a sequel to his debut, with more stories about Bonne's experiences. In 2009 he published the novella Vis (Fish). Again the main character is a visual artist who this time sails on a fishing boat, and so gets to know the rough life of a fisherman. In between he wrote a travelogue on China, Ik wilde naar de rand van Beijing (Journey to the Outskirts of Beijing, 2008). In 2012 he published Het boek Ont (The book Ont) and in 2016 Het compostcirculatieplan (The compost circulation plan), the novel for which he has been awarded with the F. Bordewijk Prize. The jury states: "Gardening is garden warfare in this wonderful novel about friendship and mourning. In superb style Valens shows the effort with which we, season after season, try to get to grips with life - with our feet in the mud, in which we finally all will have to disappear."
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Benno Tempel

(Harderwijk, 1972) is an art historian and director of the Municipal Museum in The Hague. He started his career as guest curator at the Dordrecht Museum, worked as assistant curator at the Van Gogh Museum from 1997 to 2000, as curator at the Mesdag Museum and as a member of the scientific staff at the Rijksmuseum. He was curator of exhibitions at Kunsthal Rotterdam from 2000 to 2006. He briefly returned to the Van Gogh Museum in 2009 before taking on his current position in The Hague. He was a jury member for the TV programme The New Rembrandt, searching for new artistic talent. Tempel has written a number of books on art, including Escher Meets Islamic Art (2014), which investigates how the patterns of Moorish art from southern Spain influenced his work. In Discover the Modern (2012), he shows how political and social events have influenced the development of art.
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Alfred Marseille

Is a designer and media artist with a background in philosophy and electronic music working in video, sound, photography and installation art. Marseille collaborates with poet Jan Baeke as Public Thought since 2006. Jan Baeke and Alfred Marseille create cinépoèmes, data poems, moving shorts and practice the art of speculative analysis. Their work counts among the most prolific digital poetry in the Netherlands. He is active in artist collective De Tropisten that has taken part in major exhibitions and performances in Fabriek, Eindhoven, Zeebelt theatre, The Hague, Time Based Arts, Amsterdam, Oude Kerk, Amsterdam, Plasy monastery, Czech republic, Interazoni Festival, Cagliari, and since 2012: Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, Amsterdam Light Festival, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Since 1995, Marseille designs interactive media; he founded design studio Zeezeilen in 2000.
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Katinka Polderman

('s-Heer Abtskerke, 1981) studied at the Cabaret Academy in Rotterdam and the Koningstheaterakademie in Den Bosch. February 2005 she won both the Jury and the Audience Prizes of the prestigious Leiden Caberet Festival. Since then she tours the Dutch and Flemish theatre circuit ('Dullard Polderman is one of the best kept secrects of theatres in The Netherlands and Belgium. Yet she made already four stage productions loaded with happy cynicism, subtle clumsiness, engagement, striking observations and well-build songs', she writes about herself). Polderman made television programmes for Dutch regional broadcaster Omroep Zeeland. She published columns in, among others, daily newspapers Spits and Trouw and currently in theater magazine Scenes. She write songs for Radio 5 cabaret programme Andermans Veren and for NTR's 'Snapjes', short educational songs awarded with the Cinekid Gouden Kinderkast Prize. During the theatre season 2016-2017, Polderman plays her production Polderman Tiert Welig (Flourish with exuberance) throughout The Netherlands and Belgium, while writing for and performing in a play with composer Jorrit Tamminga and video artist Menno de Nooijer.
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Charlotte Van den Broeck

(1991) is a Flemish poet from Turnhout. After finishing her Language and Literature Studies at the University of Ghent, she explored word art at the Antwerp Conservatory. In the Poëziebordeel van Vonk en Zonen, Ondernemers in de letteren she performs as Lulu Wedekind. She toured with Saint Amour 2015. The same year, she was the closing act of the 33rd Night of the Poetry in Utrecht; in 2016, therefore, she opened the 34th Night of the Poetry. January 2015, her debut Kameleon was published by De Arbeiderspers. October 2016, she opened the Frankfurter Buchmesse together with Arnon Grunberg, as the youngest guest-country speaker ever. Her second poetry collection Nachtroer (2017) is nominated for the VSB Poëzieprijs (VSE Poetry Award) 2018.
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Max Pam

(1946) is writer and a journalist who publishes columns, essays and other articles in national Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant, in Amsterdam newspaper Het Parool, weekly magazine Binnenlands Bestuur and literary magazine Hollands Maandblad. Additionally he was columnist in the Sunday morning national TV news magazine Buitenhof and literary critic of opinion weekly HP/De Tijd. In 1994 he was awarded with the Audax Columnisten Prize. In Het Parool he writes a weekly article about chess - he thinks Gary Kasparov is a greater chess player as Bobby Fischer.
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