Colonial history of the East and West

Frank Martinus Arion (Curaçao) presents his new novel and meets the young Indonesian writer Eka Kurniawan. On writing and colonial history. Chaired by Chris Keulemans. English spoken.

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Information

Date and time Friday 20 January 2006 22:55 tot 23:45 uur
Location Theater aan het Spui - kleine zaal

Frank Martinus Arion (1936, Curacao) en Eka Kurniawan (1975, Indonesia) met each other last summer during the Winternachten tour of Indonesia. Despite different generations and continents they found in each other a common interest, that of colonial history. Chaired by Chris Keulemans, they talk about the way they give the history a place in their work by using fact and fiction in a playful, ironic way. Frank Martinus Arion reads from his new novel De deserteurs (The deserters), about the struggle against slavery. Eka Kurniawan acquaints us with his historical novel Cantik itu luka (The wounded beauty), a story that takes place in the declining days of the Dutch East Indies and up to the recent past of Indonesia. English spoken.

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Eka Kurniawan

(Tasikmalaya, Indonesia, 1975). He studied philosophy at the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta. He works as a journalist, a graphic designer and makes comic books. He wrote Cantik itu Luka (That beauty is hurt, 2002), Lelaki Harimau (Tigerman, 2004), Gelak Sedih dan Cerita-cerita Lainnya (Sad laughter and other stories, 2005) and Cinta Tak Ada Mari dan Cerita-cerita Lainnya (Love has no cure and other stories) (2005). He is currently preparing his first story in pictures in collaboration with two other designers.
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Frank Martinus Arion

(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.
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Chris Keulemans

(Tunisia, 1960) is a writer, essayist, traveller and popular panel moderator. He has published fiction and non-fiction; was the director of the debating platform and venue De Balie; and was founder of the literary bookshop Perdu and the cultural centre De Tolhuistuin (all in Amsterdam). He performed with Enkidu Khaled in their jointly created documentary play Bagdad. Due to his curiosity about how artists recreate their cities after a crisis, he travelled to Sarajevo, Beirut, Tirana, Algiers, New York, Kiev, Jakarta and Qamishlo. At the invitation of PAX, he wrote Srebrenica & PAX 1995-2020, an overview of 25 years of support to the Association of Women of Srebrenica by the IKV and PAX in response to the genocide in Bosnia. In 2021 he published Gastvrijheid (Hospitality), in which he explores the art of hospitality through a mix of travel stories, observations, memories and imagery.
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