(Holwerd, 1969) made her debut in 1995 with a collection of poems Gearslach, written in Friesian. Her first collection of poems in Dutch is entitled De hengstenvrouw (The stallion woman) (1997), this is a translation and adaption of the collections Gearslach and De twirre vn de tijd (1997). Being multilingual is an importan theme in her poetry. Another important theme in her work is landscape, such as the Frisian mud flats where she grew up, but her travels in Spain, Ireland, Scotland and Morocco also play a part. Music and her own drawings and paintings influence her writing as well. Recent works are the collections De dieptering (2001) and Het nachtland/De knotwilg (2003). Besides writing poetry Albertina Soepboer writes prose and plays and works as an editor and teacher.
WIN 2005

(Amsterdam, 1945) studied piano and psychology. Up until the year 2000 she worked as a psychoanalyst. In 1991 she made her debut with her collection of poems Soldatenliederen (Soldier’s Songs) for which she was awarded the C. Buddingh’ Prize. Her second collection, Jachtscènes (Hunting Scenes) appeared in 1992 and it earned her the Lucy B. en C.W. van der Hoogt award. Her first novel Het meesterstuk (The Masterpiece) (1994) sold 70.000 copies within two years. This novel was awarded the Debutant prize. Her second novel Het geheim (The secret) was published in January 1997 and it won the Trouw Publieksprijs (Trouw public award). In the spring of 1999 Enquists first collection of stories De kwetsuur (The injury) appeared. Her most recent publications are the novel De Sprong (The jump) (2003) and the collection of poems Tussentijd (Between time) (2004). Anna Enquist regularly publishes poems and short stories in the literary football magazine Hard Gras.
WN2005

(Nijmegen, NL, 1960) writes essays, short stories and plays, and is a columnist with the daily newspaper NRC Handelsblad. He published the novels Laatste woorden (Last words) and Suez and received the Henriëtte Roland Holst Prize in 2005. In 2011's Moeten wij van elkaar houden, het populisme ontleed (Do We Have to Love One Another? Populism Dissected) Heijne shows how globalisation and individualism pave the way for populism. Angst en schoonheid (Fear and Beauty) was published in 2013, an essay about Dutch writer Louis Couperus, whom Heijne admires. In the same year his documentary about Couperus was broadcast. In 2015 he hosted the five-part documentary De volmaakte mens (The Perfect Human). In 2016 his essay Onbehagen – nieuw licht op de beschaafde mens (Discontent - new light on civilized man) was published. In 2017 Heijne received the P.C. Hooft Award for his essayistic works.

(1939, Bonnievale) is a South-African writer and painter with French citizenship. He studied at the University of Cape Town. He became a committed opponent of apartheid and left South Africa for Paris in the early 1960s. On returning to South Africa in 1975 he was arrested and sentenced to nine years of imprisonment. In his work The True Confessions of an Albino Terrorist he describes aspects of his imprisonment. After his release in 1982 he returned to Paris. Breytenbach wrote poetry, novels, essays and plays. His poems are rich in metaphores and are a complex mixture of references to Buddhism, Afrikaans idiomatic speech, and memories of the South African landscape. Breytenbach is also known as a painter. Many of his paintings portray surreal human and animal figures, often shown in captivity. He has been honored with numerous literary and art awards. Breytenbach is active in different organizations for South-African political exiles.

(1965). She studied at the Academy for Higher Arts and Culture. One of the first in Surinam to write poetry in Sarnami. Most of this work was published in Bhasa magazine. She also wrote poetry in Dutch. The Hindu view of the world forms the background for her dark and sombre work. Her first collection Ghungbru tut gail is to appear.

(The Hague, 1933) debuted in 1955 with the novel Philip en de anderen (Philip and the Others), a melancholic tale of an adolescent traveller through France. After that, he single-handedly introduced the genre of travel journalism in the Netherlands. His Berlijnse notities (Berlin Notes) was awarded the first Literaturpreis zum 3. Oktober. Rituelen (Rituals) got a lot of attention. Among his other works are (poetry): De doden zoeken een huis (The Dead are Searching for a House); Het zwarte gedicht (The Black Poem); Het gezicht van het oog (The Face of the Eye); (prose): De verliefde gevangene (Prisoner in Love), Een middag in Bruay (An Afternoon in Bruay); Een nacht in Tunesië (A Night in Tunesia); Een ochtend in Bahia (A Bahia Morning); De Parijse beroerte (The Paris Stroke); Een avond in Isfahan (An Evening in Isfahan); Voorbije passages (Past passages); De filosoof zonder ogen (The Philosopher Without Eyes).

(Surinam, 1954). Gajadin moved to The Netherlands in 1972. Her poetry describes the changing of life’s balance for Hindus leaving Surinam. Despite being part of the Sarnami movement (promoting the Surinamese/Hindustani Language), her first three poetry collections were written in Dutch: Van erf tot skai (collected in From grounds to imitation leather , 1977). The collection Kab ke yaad/Van wanneer een herinnering ( From when a memory , 1984) anthologises the Sarnami poetry, along with translations in Dutch. In her stories, collected in Bari dopahar, ( The Hottest Hour of the Day , 1989), she remembers and describes the country she has left. Her latest novel is Schoorvoetige tijden (2000, Hesitant Times ).
(WIN 2004)

(Nijmegen, 1957). De vogelspin (The bird spider) is his first novel. In April 2000 the thriller Dossier Jeugdbende (File: Juvenile Gangs) was published, the first part of a series District Noord. Part two, Dossier Gifmoord (File: Poison Murder) was published a year later. He studied Dutch language and literature, Philosophy and Comparative Literature and works as a freelance literary journalist, writer and translator (Amin Maalouf, John Updike, among authors). He worked for Boekblad and writes for Ook dat nog (KRO Dutch television). Under the pseudonym Steven Klamm he writes horror stories for children.

(Paramaribo, Surinam, 1948) moved as a teenager, together with her family, to Amsterdam where she attended secondary school and afterwards studied social sciences. Working in mental healthcare provided her with inspiration for her books. At the age of 44 Ellen Ombre made her debut with the much praised book Maalstroom (Maelstrom) (1992). In this collection of short stories she reflects on her early years in the Netherlands. She also wrote Wie goed bedoelt (Who means well) (1996), an autobiographical travel journal, in which she sketches a picture of the triangular slave trading route between Surinam, the Netherlands and Benin. In 2000 she published the novel Valse verlangens (False desires), where she touches on the prejudices between the Surinamese and the Dutch. In 2004 she published Negerjood in Moederland (Negro-jew in the motherland). Ombre is a member of the international advice committee of the Prins Claus Fund. In 2005 she returned to Surinam.

(1934, Batavia - Den Haag 2016). Following the outbreak of the second worldwar the Ruebsamen family came to the Netherlands, only to have to go into hiding when the persecution of the Jews began. Helga Ruebsamen attended grammar school and after that went to work as a journalist. For several years she worked in Paris for the daily newspaper Het Vaderland. In 1964 she made her debut with De kameleon en andere verhalen (The chameleon and other stories). Downfall, impoverishment, hopelessness, death and alcoholisme play an important role in her stories and novels. The autobiographical novel Het lied en de waarheid (The song and the truth) (1997) was nominated for the Gouden Uil as well as the Libris Literature prize. Other important works of hers are: De heksenvriend (The witches friend(1966), Wonderolie (Castor oil)(1970), De ondergang van Makarov (The fall of Makarov (1971), Op Scheveningen (On Scheveningen (1988), De dansende Kater (The dancing tomcat) (1992) en Beer is terug (Bear is back)(1999), De bevrijding (The liberation) (1999), Jonge liefde en oud zeer (Young love and old pain) (2001), De verhalen (The stories) (2001-...). Helga Ruebsamen died in November 2016.

(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.

(The Hague, NL, 1951) is a sinologist, japanologist, journalist and writer. Asian culture, democracy, religion, politics, Islamic fundamentalism, and the aftermath of World War II are returning subjects in his vast body of work. His essays have appeared in publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, NRC and The New York Review of Books. Buruma grew up in The Hague, the child of a British mother and a Dutch father. His book Their Promised Land: My grandparents in times of love and war tells the story of his London-born, German-Jewish grandparents. He has been a professor of democracy, human rights and journalism in New York since 2003. He received the Erasmus Prize in 2008.

(Curaçao, 1969) is a singer-songwriter as well as a composer. In her compositions she intertwines the traditional music of her island of birth, Curaçao, with jazz. A speciality of Calister is that she is recognized internationally, while singing jazz in a minority language, Papiamento. On Curaçao she scored two number one hits with it. Calister came to the Netherlands when she was eighteen and studied singing at a conservatory. She performs with her own band, but frequently works with other groups and theatrical companies. Commissioned by Winternachten, she collected stories on the Dutch Antilles, Aruba, in South Africa, Indonesia, Suriname and the Netherlands, adapting them to music. Thus giving rise to a repertoire of sung stories about the spider Anansi, the legend of Borobudur and The Saleswoman of Stavoren, among others.

(1926, Ridderkerk). In 1945, shortly after the liberation of The Netherlands, he joined the Dutch army. In the next five years he takes part in the Dutch colonial war in Indonesia. Its horrors he afterwards suppresses, instead of trying to digest the experiences. Back in The Netherlands, he starts his studies English and Political Science. He becomes the editor of Propria Cures when Aad Nuis and Renate Rubintsein also wrote for it. In 1957 he joins the editorial staff of Tirade. Two years later he becomes vice principal editor in chief of Vrij Nederland for which he already worked as a journalist. He also wrties for De Dordtenaar and Het Vrije Volk. He starts writing poetry when under psychotherapeutic treatment (in relation to his Indonesian experiences). In 1980 the collection Wat blijft komt nooit terug (What remains never returns) appears, in 1983 he is awarded the Herman Gorter Prize for his collection De gouden Man (The Golden Man). He died in 2008.

(Jidt Narainsingh Baldewsingh, Livorno, Surinam, 1948) Born in Suriname, Jit Narain is the grandson of Indian immigrants. In 1969 he went to the Netherlands to study medicine and became a doctor in The Hague. He returned to Suriname in 1991. Since then he has been heading the head of an outpatients clinic in Saramacca. He is a fervent defender of the emancipation of Sarnami, the Hindu-Surinamese language and for his efforts received the Rahman Khan prize. Narain writes poems which can be read and sung. The poems reflect the history and memories of Hindustan immigrants in Suriname. He writes in Sarnami and in Dutch, approaching the same secret history of immigrants from different perspectives. He made his debut in 1977 with the poetry collection in Sarnami Dal Bhat Chatni (Rice, yellow peas and chutney). His debut has been followed by six other collections of poetry.

(Aruba, 1959) Lasana M. Sekou is the author of 13 books of poetry, short stories, monologues and essays. Born Harold Hermano Lake in Aruba in 1959, he grew up in Sint Maarten. Sekou studied political science and mass communication in the USA, where he changed his name to Lasana (poet) Sekou (warrior). His books, such as The Salt Reaper and Nativity, have been required reading at Caribbean and North American universities. He is the editor of National Symbols of St. Martin and The Independence Papers – Readings on a New Political Status for St. Maarten/St. Martin. He also produced Fête – The first recording of traditional St. Martin festive music. Sekou lectures on history, culture, politics and literature at schools, universities and festivals throughout the world. His poetry has appeared in journals such as The Massachusetts Review, Del Caribe, De Gids, and Boundary 2. In 1982, Sekou founded House of Nehesi Publishers in New York. In 1984, he established the small press in Sint Maarten, where he lives and continues to publish well-known and new writers www.houseofnehesipublish.com.

(1957, Enschede) moved to Assen when he was 11, where he grew up and attended high school. At thirteen, he decided to become a writer. In order to do so he quit his education and took on several jobs to provide for himself. In 1990, his debut, Mendels erfenis (Mendels heritage) was published, which was awarded the Geertjan Lubberhuizen Prize for the best debut. Two years later, his second novel Het grote verlangen (The Great Desire) was awarded the Ako Literature Prize. In 1995, the short novella Bederf is de weg van alle vlees (Decay is the way of all flesh) and the collection Het derde testament (The third testament), a collection of Jewish texts of writers and scientists. In 1997 In Babylon was published, a great epic novel about a special family in history: as much a magical realist novel as it is a horror story.  Six years after his previous novel Moring came forcefully bacj with his new novel Eden. Eden is the final part of the trilogy that Moring began with Dis (2006) and Louteringsberg (2011). Marcel Moring is without any doubt one of the most ingenious authors of our time and also has the most imagination." -The Time Literary Supplement

(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.

(Tetouan, Morocco, 1974) studied philosophy at the University of Amsterdam. In 1994, he made his debut with the poetry collection Mijn vormen (My Forms). It was followed by Mijn gedichten (My Poems) (1998), Varkensroze ansichten (Pig pink postcards) (2003), awarded the Jan Campert Prize, among others, and Tempel (2013), for which he received the Awater Poetry Prize. He was Amsterdam's City Poet for a year, has performed at numerous festivals at home and abroad, and collections with selections of his work were published in both Swedish and English translations. Waar is het lam (Where is the Lamb?, 2022), his fifth collection of poems, is a probing investigation into the meaning of sacrifice; an intriguing collection of poems in which the personal and political, dream and reality, fear and desire continually interact. The collection is competing for the Grote Poëzieprijs, the leading Dutch award for poetry, the winner of which will be announced on 17 May 2023.

(Dokkum, the Netherlands, 1967) who used to call himself The Man of Language, is a performing poet, anthologist and host. His poetry has taken him from stages all over Holland to the far corners of Europe - Albania, among others. His voice is unique within Dutch poetry, combining clarity and wit with metaphysical aspirations. His work is available in the collection Aan het eind van het begin (At the End of the Beginning, 2001) and Zoekmachines (Search Engines, 2002). In January 2006, his collection Klein Oera Linda (Oera Linda Minor) appeared, a collection in experimental lay-out reflecting contemporary society and culture.
Van Gogh has been very active the last couple of years, all over the world: in 2003 he contributed to the Taipei International Poetry Festival in Taiwan, Dichter aan Huis in The Hague and the Stockholms Poesifestival. 2004 saw him performing in Milan and Biddinghuizen (Lowlands Festival). He presented at the Rotterdam Poetry International and performed in Germany. For Yo! Opera Festival he wrote two libretti for so-called ‘Bus Opera’s’, as well as an ode to water..

(Liberia, 1973) is a novelist, essayist, journalist and film critic. His debut novel Land of the Fathers (1999) is partly based on his grandmother's stories and deals with the clash between slaves returning from the US and other Liberians. The novel The Black Napoleon (2015) portrays Samori Touré, who founded the Wasulu-empire in western Africa in the 19th century. His journalism, including film reviews, appears in publications such as The New York Times, Trouw and One World. Together with  Ebissé Rouw he compiled Zwart (Black, 2018), a collection of stories by Afro-European authors from the Low Countries. Ongekende liefde (Unprecedented Love), in which he tells his life story to his ten-year-old daughter Bendu, was published in 2021. Sherif's historical novel The Emperor’s Son (2023) follows Zaiwulo, a young prodigy who trains under sage Talata of the Haidarah family in Musadu. Entangled in the intrigues of Emperor Samori, the 'Black Napoleon,' Zaiwulo matures into a formidable soldier.

(Oirschot, 1957) from 1983 to 1987 he worked in Surinam. Van Kempen is the compiler of two extensive anthologies: Spiegel van de Surinaamse poëzie (Mirror of the Surinamese Poetry) (1995) and Mama Sranan. 200 jaar Surinaamse verhaalkunst (Mama Sranan, 200 Years of Surinamese Storytelling) (1999). In 1997 his first novel, Plantage Lankmoedigheid (Plantation Patience) appeared. He also published: Het Nirwana is een lege trein (Nirvana is an Empty Train) (2000) and Pakistaanse nacht (Pakistani Night) (2002). In 2002 he obtained his doctorate with his thesis Een geschiedenis van de Surinaamse literatuur (A history of Surinamese literature). His anthology Noordoostpassanten (Northeast Transients), which he compiled together with Wim Rutgers, was presented at the Winternachten festival in 2005. In 2006 he published the novel Escape Routes.

was dramaturg/artistic director of Toneelgroep Centrum. Translated many plays and wrote libretti for opera and ballet. For the Royal Concertgebouw Orquestra he translated and performed in Stravinsky/Ramuz' The Solder's Tale. Together with Paul Vermeulen Windsant he translated and adapted for the stage Lewis Carolls Alice in Wonderland. Als a violoncellist and announcer het performed with the Resistentie Orkest during fifteen years. Hij now works as theatre-maker in De Balie in Amsterdam, and as a mobile dramaturg in The Netherlands.