(Vrede, 1935 - 2015) teached English at the University of Capetown. He spent some time in Paris as well. In his novels he experimented with themes as well as form matters. A Dry White Season (1979) was banned in South-Africa due to the similarities with the Steve Biko stories. International reactions were positive, and Brink was awarded the Martin Luther King Memorial Prize for his work. In South Africa he was awarded the important literary CNA Prize. He died in February 2015.

(Suriname, 1936) made her writer's debut with Hoe duur was de suiker? (How Costly Was the Sugar?, 1987), the novel that made her the most famous Surinamese writer overnight and was adapted for film in 2013. She was the first to describe the history, the slaving past and the colonization of her country from a Surinamese perspective. As an expert in the field, she lectures about the history of slavery at US and Canadian universities and organizes educational field and city trips. She has written historic novels, including De Vrije Negerin Elisabeth, gevangene van kleur (The Free Negress Elizabeth, Prisoner of Colour, 1992), as well as studies, children's books and children's musicals. Her No kwik in het bos (No Mercury in the Forest, 2017) is a YA novel about a ten-year-old girl and the dangers of mercury in the gold-mining process. McLeod is a daughter of Johan Ferrier, the first president of Suriname.

(Curaçao, 1936) studied Dutch Language and Literature at Leyden University. He lectured at Amsterdam University and from 1975 to 1981 taught at a teacher training college in Surinam. After that he returned to Curaçao to be appointed head of the Instituto Lingkwistiko Antiano. He founded a Papiamento secondary school based on humanistic principles: the Kolegio Erasmo. He writes stories, essays, poetry and novels. His successful debut novel Dubbelspel (Double Play, 1973) is presently being adapted for the screen. Following Dubbelspel the novels Nobele wilden (Noble savages, 1979) and De laatste vrijheid (The last freedom 1995) appeared, which won him the Cola Debrot Prize in 2001. In November 2001 the collection of stories De eeuwige hond (The eternal dog) appeared. His latest novel De deserteurs (The deserters) was published in 2006.

(1953, De Bilt). Studied history at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, graduated 1998 on a study of the history of Bali (Indonesia). Since 1985 he works at the Amsterdam University, from 1995 as a member of the department of Modern Asian History.

(1947-2005) was a painter and writer. He lived in South Africa since he was nine and after his studies in the arts remigrated to Europe. In 2001 Henk van Woerden made an international breakthrough. In that year he received for his book Een mond vol glas (A mouthful of glass) (1998) the prestigious Sunday Times Fiction/ Alan Paton Award, the award for the best book in South Africa. Een mond vol glas, a chronicle about Tsafendas, the murderder of prime minister Verwoerd, is the last section of a triptych about South Africa. His prose debut Moenie kyk nie (Don't look) (1993), which was crowned with the Geertjan Lubberhuizen award, was the first section. The second section was the novel Tikoes (1996). By the end of 2002 Notities van een luchtfietser (Notes from an air cyclist) appeared, in which van Woerden writes about both his imaginary and his real travels. In February 2003 Henk van Woerden received the Frank Kellendonk award. In October 2005 his last novel was published, Ultramarijn. It was awarded the Flemish literary prize the Gouden Uil in 2006.

(Marken, 1958-2009) was a poet, a writer and a commentator, with a regular column on the Forum page and the book pages of the Volkskrant. Zeeman was the editor of the arts section of the Volkskrant and from 2006-2007 its Rome correspondent. In 2006 he and the writer Abdelkader Benali published an exchange of letters, exchanging ideas on politics, life, love and literature. In 2002 Zeeman received the Gouden Ganzenveer (Golden Goose Quill) for his merits for Dutch literature. Zeeman became well-known in the 1990s as the host of his monthly book programme 'Late at night after a short walk', later to be renamed 'Zeeman with books'. In 1991 he published his first volume of poetry, Beeldenstorm (Iconoclasm), winning him the C. Buddingh Prize. His second volume Verhoudingen (Relationships) appeared in 1995. In the same year he published short stories entitled De Verduistering (The Darkening). He died in 2009.