Hella's lessons

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Information

Date and time Saturday 22 January 2005 20:15 tot 21:10 uur
Location Theater aan het Spui - grote zaal

At this time in the programma, writer Hella Haasse would have spoken on her latest book 'Bij de les' ( At the lesson ) on school-posters on the Netherlands-Indies, used in schools in the colonial era. Last Friday Mrs. Haasse informed us that she was ill and unable to perform at the festival. In all haste we have put together an alternative programme around her new book. Eight writers, all experts on the Dutch Indies and friends and admirers of Hella Haasse, have been asked to choose one of the school posters, give his or her commentary on this and also react to the accompanying text. They will compare Mrs. Haasse's memories with their own image evoked by the posters and comment on Mrs. Haasse's observatons. Up to now the following people have promised to take part: Adriaan van Dis, Helga Ruebsamen, Sitor Sitomorang - Indonesian poet and contemporary of Mrs. Haasse - writer Hans Vervoort, journalist and writer John Jansen van Galen and Peter van Zonneveld, who with Mrs. Haasse went over the rough version of her book. Paul van der Gaag, presentor of VPRO's radio programme O.V.T. will chair the discussion. In the course of this week more names of participants will be published. We are convinced that in this way the book 'Bij de les' (At the lesson) and Hella Haasse will receive the attention that they so justly deserve.



Line-up

Adriaan van Dis

(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
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John Jansen van Galen

(Velp) studied political and social science. From 1968 to 1990 he worked for the Haagse Post, the last five years as editor in chief. Nowadays Jansen van Galen until 2015 was one of the regular presenters of a NOS current affairs radio programme. In 1970 he came to Surinam for the first time to work as a radio journalist and he soon became acknowledged as the Netherlands' expert on Surinam. In 2000 his book Hetenachtsdroom (Hotnight's dream) was published. This is about the influence of Surinam's nationalism. In 2004 his book De toekomst van het koninkrijk (The future of the Kingdom) appeared, about the decolonisation of the Dutch Antilles and Aruba. Jansen van Galen also writes books about hiking. In 2016 his book De gouden jaren van het linkse levensgevoel: Het verhaal van Vrij Nederland, a history of the left wing weekly Vrij Nederland.
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Hans Vervoort

(1939) belongs to the last generation of writers that grew up in the Dutch-Indies during and after the war. A childhood in troubled times, however one can conclude from his stories that it does not necessarily mean an unhappy childhood. In 1953 together with his parents he was forced to leave for the Netherlands. A fourteen year old exile, a victim of the colonial circumstances. Homesickness set in. He finished school and began work as an opinion-poll researcher. Later becoming a publisher of magazines such as Vrij Nederland and Opzij. At the same time he wrote collections of stories (such as Geluk is voor de dommen - Happiness is for the idiots) and novels (such as Zwarte rijst - Black rice). In 1974 together with his Indonesian wife he returned for the first time to their country of birth, and wrote the travel story Vanonder de Koperen Ploert - Under the burning sun), which ensured him a place in Rob Nieuwenhuys’ Oost-Indische Spiegel (Mirror of the East Indies). His most recent publication is entitled Kind van de Oost (Child of the East) a collection autobiographical childhood stories (sold out and will be reprinted in May 2005)
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Peter van Zonneveld

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Sitor Situmorang

(Sumatra 1924) is a Poet of the generation of 1945. He worked in Indonesia as a journalist and as a teacher at the National Academy for Theatre in Jakarta. He was chairman of the National Council of Culture. From 1967 to 1976 he was imprisoned under Souharto's regime. From 1982 to 1990 he was a professor at Leiden University. After that he lived respectively in Pakistan, Paris and Jakarta. He now lives in the Netherlands. In 1990 Bloem op een rots (Flower on a Rock; poems) was published; in 1996 De oude tijger (The Old Tiger, short stories). The bilingual collection of stories Lembah Kekal/Eeuwige Vallei (Eternal Valley) was published in October 2004 in Jakarta on the occasion of his 80th birthday. At this moment a film portrait is being made. In October 2006 he was Awarded with the South East Asain Write Award in Bangkok.
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Paul van der Gaag

(Netherlands, 1958) has produced and presented the VPRO radio programme OVT since 2002, a two-hour show about the historical roots of current events as well as newly released historical books, films, commemorations, and anything else related to history. The show features live interviews, reportage, columns and a weekly documentary during the last half hour. He was already linked to OVT since 1992 as a programmer and previously freelanced for other national Dutch broadcasters such as VARA and IKON.
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Helga Ruebsamen

(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.
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