(Morocco, 1975) is an award-winning writer, poet, playwright and curator. His 1996 debut, Bruiloft aan zee (Wedding By the Sea), was an immediate success. His second novel, De langverwachte (The Long-awaited) won him the prestigious 2003 Libris Literature Award. Benali's subjects vary, but sports and the migrant who never really feels at home are recurring themes. He has written novels about his great passion of running, about his travels, and about migrants' cultural identity (Bad Boy). His work has been published internationally. Recent books include the novel Paradijsvogel boven Hoge Woerd (Bird of Paradise over Hoge Woerd, 2022) and Het andere verhaal (The Other Story, 2022), an essay about his research into 75 years of modern Moroccan art.

(The Netherlands, 1946) grew up in a family with a past in the Dutch East Indies. He draws on these experiences in several of his works such as My Father's War (1995), Repatriated (2002) and in Naar zachtheid en een warm omhelzen (2023). Van Dis became well known via his literary television programme Here is... Adriaan van Dis (1983-1992). In addition to novels he has written novellas, travelogues, essays and plays. He presented TV documentary series and his podcast Van Dis Ongefilterd. He has received the Constantijn Huygens Award for his entire body of work. Recent publications are the collection Vijf vrolijke verhalen (2021), the novel KliFi, woede in de republiek Nederland (2022) and the essay De kolonie mept terug: over witte arrogantie en voortschrijdend inzicht: een denkoefening en leesreis (2024). During the Writers Unlimited Festival 2026, Van Dis will be the main interview guest on Saturday afternoon, 24 January, following the publication of his new book Alles voor de reis (Everything for the Journey), and on Sunday morning, 25 January, he and interviewer Simon Dikker Hupkes will record a new episode of his podcast series Van Dis Ongefilterd (Van Dis Unfiltered) live with an audience.

Go to website of Adriaan van Dis

Sumatra (1930). Wispi worked as a journalist in Jakarta and Medan from 1952 to 1962. He was press officer of the Indonesian Navy from 1962 to 1965. For political reasons, he moved to China where he lived from 1965 to 1970. After that he studied and worked at the Deutsche Bucherei in Leipzig. Since 1988 he lives in Amsterdam. Agam Wispi is primarily known as a poet, but he also wrote a play and several short stories. He translated Faust in Indonesian. His poems are well known and much loved in Indonesia. .
WN 2001

(Haarlem, 1956) won the NS Publieksprijs in 2008 with his novel Overgave (Surrender, 2007), about the struggle between pioneers and Comanche Indians in 18th century Texas. His novel Vaslav (2010) is also inspired by a true story: the dramatic decision by the legendary ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinski to quit dancing. In 2008 Japins diaries 2000-2007 appeared in book form entitled Zoals dat gaat met wonderen (As it goes with miracles) and his short stories were reprinted as Singel Pocket. In 1997 Japin made his international breakthrough with The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi, a novel about two 19th century Ghanaian princes who were brought up as Dutchmen. It has been translated in over ten languages and adapted for opera, dance and the theatre. For Een schitterend gebrek (translated as In Lucia's Eyes, 2003) he recieved the Libris literature award. Japin studied at the Kleinkunstacademie and was an actor and singer before he started writing. Various of Japin's short stories have been adapted for the screen. Since April 2011 he is one of the makers of a satirical tv programme.

Rotterdam (1979) first published a poem ‘Taj Mahal’ (1997) as a postcard for the Uitmarkt in Amsterdam. After that, his career quickly got off the ground: the national paper Trouw reprinted the poem, and gave him a weekly column. In 1999, his first poetry collection, Taj Mahal was published by Vassallucci.
Vassallucci, 2001

(West Java, Indonesia, 1968) is a leading voice among the new generation of Indonesian artists and writers emerging after the fall of Suharto. Utami was born in Bogor and grew up in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. She studied Russian language and literature. During her college years she had already begun publishing reports and essays in various newspapers. She has been a journalist for various Indonesian magazines, including Humor, Matra, Forum Keadilan, and D&R. Shortly after Suharto banned three magazines in 1994, Ayu joined Aliansi Jurnalis Independen (Independent Journalist Alliance) in protesting the ban. She continued her journalistic work underground, which included the anonymous publication of a black book on corruption in the Suharto regime. Utami's first novel, Saman, appeared in 1998, only a few weeks before the fall of Suharto, helping to signal the changing cultural and political landscape in Indonesia. The novel caused a sensation, and controversy, among Indonesian artists and intellectuals. It was acclaimed by many reviews and was considered as a new milestone in Indonesian literature. Saman has sold over 100,000 copies and been reprinted 34 times. The sequel to Saman, Larung was published in 2001. Her new play and book protesting anti-pornography legislation, Pengadilan Susila (Susila's Trial) appeared in 2008. Ayu Utami currently works for Radio 68H, an independent news radio station that is broadcast all over the country as well as a writer for the cultural journal Kalam and in Teater Utan Kayu/Teater Salihara in Jakarta.

The band Boi Akih represents a musical movement in which diverse styles from such places as India, Africa, Europe and the Moluccan Islands blend with jazz. Singer Monica Akihari and composer guitarist Niels Brouwer characterise the essence of Boi Akih with an ensemble of song and composition. In search of their musical boundaries, they challenge and at the same time complement one another. Akihari sings not only in English but also in her native language: the language of the Moluccan island Haruku. On their latest CD Yalelol, the group uses a duet-form, and in addition to jazz, their are also Indonesian, Indian, European, West African and Arab influences. On the third album Uwa i (2004), Boi Akih was inspried by music from Bangalore, India. The first self-titled CD of Boi Akih appeared in 1997 and the second one, Above the Clouds, Among the Roots, in 2000. De Volkskrant wrote: "Boi Akih is a world-class band. Daring, adventurous and lyrical are the keywords."

The Royal Providers of crossover Music turn the theatre into a circus with big band formation, combining kaseko, Antillean waltz, harmony and brass band.

(Aruba, 1945). Henriquez studied in Delft, The Netherlands, and now works as a physics teacher in Rotterdam. He wrote several plays and a film scenario. His debut was the novel Zuidstraat (South Street, 1992). In 1995, Delft blues saw the light of day, an often comical sketch of student life in the 1960s.
(WN 1998)

(Morocco, 1958) in 2013 won  the Prix Goncourt de la Nouvelle for his collection of short stories The Curious Case of Dassoukine's Trousers. Since his debut in 1996 humor has been his weapon against intolerance, both in his novels and in his other work. In his fiction, such as the collection of short stories Poldermarokkanen (2010), the novels Une année chez les Français (2011) and La femme la plus riche de Yorkshire (2011), Laroui describes time and again the collision between North African culture and Western culture. Laroui grew up in Casablanca and studied econometry, mathematics, physics and architecture in Paris. He lectures French literature and Arab culture at the University of Amsterdam.

(Winterswijk, 1944) was the first Poet Laureate of the Netherlands. He is considered one of the best columnists in the country, a novelist, renowned translator, and an enhtusiastic reviewer of poetry. Komrij is a cat in a Strange Warehouse, as he called a book of collected essays that came out in 2001. The world is never a trusted or obvious place, but if you look good, there's always something surprising around. 'I don't think I'm a no-nonsense guy. There's too much noise inside of me'. Komrij, who has lived in Portugal since 1984, is one of the most productive Dutch writers. Since 1968 he has published several works annually. Recently Komrij's choice of the one-hundred best Dutch poems (2008) appeared, in addition to an anthology of Dutch children's poetry in over 1000 poems (2007) and Kakafonie (2006), an 'encyclopaedia of shit'. In 2005 he published Eendagsvliegen (Ephemera, literary diary entries) and a volume of poetry Fata Morgana.

(Java, Indonesia, 1941) isn't only is a famous poet, he's also a journalist, essayist, editor and columnist. Mohamad contributed to the creation of the Indonesian language, Bahasa Indonesia. He took part in the struggle against Suharto's regime in many ways. He founded the succesful critical literary magazine Tempo, which was banned twice by the government. In 1995 Mohamad initiated the Institute for the Study of Free Information Flow. After Suharto's resignation in 1998, Tempo started publishing again. Mohamad has received various international awards for his readiness to resist. Several of his poetry collections were republished around his 70th birthday. His most recent collections are Don Quixote (2011) and 70 Puisi (70 Poems). In 1995, Mohamad was one of the participants of the first Winternachten festival, and has since returned to The Hague several times for the same purpose.

1970) made his debut with De voeten van Abdullah. He writes novellas, short stories and drama. He also composes classical music, and uses the music to improve his writing technique. 'Memories are fleeting. I have the need to grab them, record them. Islam is my stories always present in bizarre forms: the weird imam, the absurd laws. In reality Islam is clear enough to govern the whole life.' (Weekend Knack, 06.19.1996). Recent work: Momo (1998), Apollien (1998, drama), Schoon in elk oog is wat het bemint, de mooiste klassieke Arabische liefdesgedichten (Beauty is in each loving eye, de best Arabic love poems).).
From: Schrijversnet, 2001

(Lebanon, 1945) is one of the most acclaimed writers in the contemporary Arab World. She is the author of seven novels, including The Story of Zahra, Women of Sand & Myrrh, Beirut Blues, Only in London, a collection of stories: I Sweep the Sun off Rooftops, and her much praised memoir of her mother’s life The Locust and the Bird. She has written two plays, Dark Afternoon Tea and Paper Husband. Most recently she published One Thousand and One Nights, an adaptation and re-imagining of some of the stories from the legendary Alf Layla Wa Layla - the Arabian Nights, commissioned by the director Tim Supple for the theatre, and performed in Toronto and Edinburgh in 2011. Her work has been translated into twenty-eight languages. Hanan al-Shaykh lives in London.

Swinging Palestinian music.

(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.

(Yogyakarta, 1936) studied sociology in Yogyakarta and attended the Acadamy of Drama and Film. He was the representative for Indonesia from 1961 to 1965 for the Society of Writers from Asia and Africa in Colombo. From 1969 to 1978 he was a political prisoner in Jakarta and on the island of Buru. His has lived in The Netherlands since 1985 where he works as a translator. His poems and essays were published in several magazines.

(1913-2000) Lawyer. He moved from his native country Surinam to The Netherlands, in order to study law in Leiden and later Paris. During the war he lived in England, later in Indonesia during the budding struggle for independence, and in Japan, where he worked in the process of sentencing war criminals. He became active as a judge later in his life. In the postwar Surinam years, he wrote poems and several plays in Soula under the pseudonym Ernesto Albin. He started writing prose later in his life, but he did publish several rare editions of collections of quatrains (later collected in Een uitroep zonder uitroeptaken (Exclamation without an exclamation mark, 1987). He published several collections of stories, poems and essays. (Het doosje van Toeti (Toeti’s Box, 1985), De ziekte van Anna Printemps (Anna Printemps’ Disease, 1987), Reizen en stilstaan (Traveling and standing still, 1988).

(Leyden, 1949) is one of the most prominent figures in Dutch literary non-fiction. He has also gained international recognition with works such as Baltische zielen (Baltic Souls) en De rechtvaardigen (The Righteous). His writings have been translated into 23 languages, among which English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Swedish, Chinese and Russian. His two most recent books are set in former Dutch East Indies, where both of his parents lived and were held captive in Japanese internment camps during the war: De tuinen van Buitenzorg (The Gardens of Buitenzorg, 2021) and De Kampschilders (The Camp Painters, 2022). In September 2023, Brokken was honored with the Golden Quill Award for his entire body of work. Brokken studied journalism in Utrecht and political science in Bordeaux. After a career in journalism (including roles at Trouw and HP/De Tijd), Brokken decided to dedicate himself fully to his writing in 1986. His debut, the adapted novel De provincie (The province, 1984), had already been published by that time. He has since produced over thirty-five titles - a mix of fiction and non-fiction - in which he unveils the histories of countries he has visited, from Africa and the Caribbean to Indonesia.

(Amsterdam, 1971) travelled to Egypt at age 24 to do research among Egyptian contemporaries. That not only earned him a degree in religious anthropology, but also his debut, Een goede man slaat soms zijn vrouw (A Good Man Sometimes Hits his Wife). It was an instant success and Volkskrant and Radio 1 Journaal asked him to become a correspondent in the Arab World. Later he also worked for NRC Handelsblad and NOS. During his stay he wrote Een tipje van de sluier (A Corner of the Veil) and after his return to the Netherlands in 2003 Het zijn net mensen (People Like Us), on his experiences as a correspondent. Meanwhile Luyendijk has shifted his attention elsewhere: Dutch politics and sustainability. His latest book, Je hebt het niet van mij, maar…Een maand aan het Binnenhof (Don’t mention my name, but… A Month in Parliament), caused a great deal of controversy in Dutch journalist circles. Joris Luyendijk took a closer look at the bell-jar world of Dutch politics. With some amazement he describes how close the link between journalists, lobbyists, public relations officials and politicians is. In 2006 and 2007 Luyendijk hosted the tv interview programme Zomergasten (Summer Guests) and in 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 Wintergasten (Winter Guests). Since March 2010 he is one of the regular hosts of the late night radio current affairs programme Met het oog op morgen (With a View to Tomorrow).

(1934) debuted in 1964 with Zeepost (Sea mail). The collection quickly found its way to a large readership – which Herzberg’s poetry continued to do. Herzberg is also a playwright; she wrote Leedvermaak (± Malicious delight), and collaborated with Franz Weisz in de making of Charlotte, the successful film about painter Charlotte Salomon. Her work was awarded many prizes; in 1997 she was awarded the P.C. Hooft Prize for her poetry. In an interview she commented: ‘I still don’t have the feeling I am a poet. I am who I am, and occasionally I write a poem’. After Zeepost she published several more collections, among which Dagrest (The Remains of the Day) and Bijvangst (Additional catch).

(Tamsamane, Morocco, 1974) has lived in Tiel for most of his life. – which he consequently calls Tiel Aviv. He won the El Hizjra Literature Prize in 1998 with the story Stemmendans (Dance of the Voices). His first novel Het schnitzelparadijs (Schnitzel paradise) appeared in 2001. In this astonishing debut the lifes of young Moroccans in the Netherlands are meticulously descibed. In 2002 Boudou won the 'Gouden Ezelsoor' prize with this novel. It has been translated into Italian, English and German. The film-rights have already been sold. Khalid Boudou was editor-in-chief of the Moroccan youth magazine ATARIK.NL, and now works as a columnist for the Algemeen Dagblad (Dutch national newspaper).
Source: Vassallucci, 2002.

(Paramaribo, 1971) Her Aukan mother and Saamaka father are descendants of the Marrons, Africans that refused to accept slavery and withdrew in the backwoods. Louise Wondel grew up with these notions of freedom. She is part of the generation that was raised in a western, intellectual fashion; not just in the traditional way. As a student of sociology in Surinam, and someone who researches the African-Surinam culture, Louise Wondel knows better than anyone what the state of her country and people is. Her poems are an accusation against the suppression of the Marrons, and against the estrangement that city life brought about in their culture, norms and values.

(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).

(Caledon, South-Africa, 1954) studied Philosophy and Comparative Literature. For her novel Triumph she was awarded several prestigious prizes, among which, in 1995, the Noma Prize for the best book to appear on the African continent.

is an Egyptian-Canadian author and academic. She was born in Cairo in 1965 and studied French literature at Ain Shams University. She worked for several years in the French Service of Radio Cairo and in the arts faculty at Menoufia University. She also lived for a time in Paris. In 1995, she obtained a Masters in French literature from Cairo University. She moved to Canada in 1998 for her doctoral studies, eventually completing her PhD in 2001 from the University of Montreal under a CIDA scholarship. She has since taught at the universities of Montréal, Concordia and McGill. Her first novel Dunyazad (1997) was critically acclaimed and translated into French, English, Spanish and German. Dunyazad won the 2002 Ulysses Prize for best first novel in France and the 2002 State Prize for best autobiographical novel in Egypt. Her second novel Heliopolis came out in 2001. Telmissany has also written on a wide range of scholarly interests, e.g. essays, articles and book chapters on cinema, photography, literature and Cairo culture. Along with Robert Solé and Mercédès Volait, she has co-edited a book of memoirs on the Cairo suburb of Heliopolis. Her doctoral dissertation on the concept of neighbourhoods in Egyptian cinema has been translated into Arabic and published in Cairo. She has also done extensive translations from French and English to Arabic.

(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.

(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.

Township music from South-Africa

(Grobogan, Mid-Java, 1965) studied Indonesian language and literature in Jakarta, was a student of the famous poet Rendra and acted for a long time in Rendra's Bengkel Theater. Following this, Srengenge founded the Matahari Theater. His poems were published in magazines such as Horison, Republika and Media Indonesia. He published amongst others Persetubuhan Liar (Wild lovemaking) (1992). In Jakarta he participated in the Istuqual International Poetry Reading and Workshop. He has been invited several times to take part in the Winternachten festival in The Hague. Srengenge is very much involved in the Utan Kayu Theater, an alternative cultural centre in Jakarta. His style of reading is very theatrical, and the context of his work is very much involved with the social development within Indonesia. For example, he has written a number of poems inspired by his stay in East Timor during the struggles for independance.
WIN 2003

(Cape town, 1958) is a popular stand-up comedian in South Africa. He performs as a presenter in television and radio shows and in the theatre. Had a lot of success during his Winternachten 1998 performance. He gives a sharp and humorous comment on the situation in his country.

(pseudonym of Jozef Ramin Hardjoprajitno, Désa Lasmborek, Surinam, 1937, died in 2006) worked as a civil servant for amongst others the Department of Internal Affairs. Surianto’s father was born on Java and was part of the second to last group of Javanese immigrants to arrive in Surinam. His grandparents from his mother’s side had arrived in Surinam earlier. Surianto was predominantly focused on Indonesia and was a correspondent member of the writer’s group Sangar Sastra Triwida on East Java. His poems are not written purely in Surinam-Javanese, but rather in ‘a complex mixture of Surinam-Javanese and the Javanese of Middle and Eastern Java.’ In 1986 the bilingual poetry collection Aruming melathi (The smell of Melati) appeared, the first collection in Surinam of Javanese poems. In 1990 followed by the collection : Tetesing un adi (Noble Dew Drops).

Tayeb Salih was born in 1929 in rural Karmakol, in northern Sudan. He studied at the University of Khartoum. Like the narrator of Season of Migration to the North, Salih worked as a teacher in Sudan, before working for the BBC Arabic Service. He then worked in a variety of diplomatic positions, including as the director general of the Ministry of Information in Doha, Qatar, and as representative to the Gulf States for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). After years of success as a diplomat and education advocate, Salih published Season of Migration to the North in 1969. The novel won immediate accolades from critics worldwide, and it remains his most famous book, alongside the novella The Wedding of Zein. Despite this critical acclaim, most of Salih's work remains untranslated. His collected works, which include political essays, travel writing, and book reviews, are popular and widely available in Arabic. Even so, Salih remained a controversial figure into his old age, publishing an essay in 1990 that was sharply critical of the Islamist regime in charge of Sudan at the time. He died in 2009.

East Timor’s poet-singer Abé Barreto Soares sings songs about East-Timor with singer-musician Aloz McDonald.