(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

(South Africa, 1985) is the rising star of South African literature. Her first novel Coconut deals with the quest of black South Africans for their new identity in a post-apartheid society and was the recipient of the European Union Literary Award in 2007. It is also a set work and used as a teaching tool at many schools within South Africa, and universities in South Africa and abroad. Three years later she received the prestigious Wole Soyinka Prize for African Literature. Her second book, Spilt Milk, appeared in the Netherlands in 2011 entitled Gedane zaken. In this novel school principal Mohumagandi and father Bill meet up, years after their secret love affair. The enthusiastic black principal and the stiff, awkward father clash when the latter has to deal with the indecent behaviour of four pupils and solve it. Matlwa sees Toni Morrison as her great example. She is also a medical doctor and a Rhodes Scholar currently pursuing a masters in public health at Oxford University.

(Paramaribo, 1958 - Loenen aan de Vecht, 2012) made his debut in 2011 as a novelist with a book describing the life of Badal, a migrant who, like Ramdas himself, is an inspired, committed writer and columnist. Popular among white Dutchmen, but unread by his own people. The multicultural society and the position of the journalist are recurring subjects is his work. A writer, journalist, film, radio and television maker, Ramdas grew up in the Hindustani community in Suriname. At the end of the 1970s he came to the Netherlands to study social geography. He worked among others for De Groene Amsterdammer and as a columnist, essayist and correspondent in India for NRC Handelsblad. Ramdas made various radio and tv programmes like In Mijn Vaders Huis (In my father's house), a series of interviews on the clash between cultures and the role of science and the media. The interviews were published in book form. From 2003-2005 he was director of the debating centre De Balie in Amsterdam. In 2007 he went to live in Suriname for a year and wrote Paramaribo: de vrolijkste stad in de jungle (Paramaribo, the merriest town in the jungle, 2009), in which he takes a critical look at his native country. Since September 2010 he hosted the VPRO opinion programme Z.O.Z.He died on 16 february 2012.

(Indonesia, 1962) is one of the most remarkable contemporary Indonesian writers. In her short stories she exposes taboos in her country and stands up for the right to the self-determination of women. Chudori studied political science in Canada. With her stories she gets a dialogue going between tradition and modernity, whereby the macho society and Indonesian chauvinism bears the brunt. Her latest book, 9 dari Nadira, begins with Nadira’s mother's suicide. Nadira dives into her mother's past, she studied in Amsterdam in the 1950s, got married and had children. Her collection of short stories Malam Terakhir of 1989 was translated into German. Leila Chudori has worked as a journalist since 1989, for among others the critical news magazine Tempo. She uses her experiences as a journalist in her short stories. In addition she writes tv and film scripts. Chudori is active on facebook (www.facebook.com/leila.s.chudori) and twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/leilaschudori).