Money to Burn

On greed and capitalism, with writers Marjolijn van Heemstra, Dario Goldbach and, from Denmark, Asta Olivia Nordenhof. Moderator: Roos van Rijswijk.

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Information

Date and time Friday 24 January 2025 21:30 tot 22:20 uur
Location Theater aan het Spui - Zaal 2
Price SOLD OUT

The trigger for this conversation about the destructive power of greed and capitalism was Danish author Asta Olivia Nordenhof's magnificent novel Money to Burn (Dutch title: Geld als water). English spoken.

Money to Burn is the first part of a novel project as impressive as it is daring, the kick-off of a seven-part series, the second part of which, The Devil's Book, will be published in January 2025. Each volume will be linked to the for-profit fire on the cruise ship the Scandinavian Star in 1990, in which 159 people lost their lives.

Dario Goldbach, in his debut novel De man die alles had (The Man Who Had Everything, 2023), takes readers on a world tour of the excesses of capitalism. And writer and theatre-maker Marjolijn van Heemstra describes how the human urge to colonise is no longer limited to other countries, but also extends to other planets.

Moderator Roos van Rijswijk lead the discussion and used the authors' books to explore this topic in more depth. Does capitalism have a future or is the moment of the bubble bursting near?

Money to Burn was curated for Writers Unlimited Festival 2025 by Ilonka Reintjens.

Line-up

Asta Olivia Nordenhof

(Denmark, 1988) is an award-winning poet and author. In 2020 she published Money to Burn, which was awarded the European Union Prize for Literature. Revolving around the Scandinavian Star disaster in 1990 and tracing how capitalism infects ordinary lives, Money to Burn and The Devil Book caused an international literary sensation and are the first two instalments in a planned septology. They were published in their original Danish language versions in 2020 and 2023; the English versions in 2024 and 2025 respectively. In Money to Burn, Nordenhof tells the story of Maggie and Kurt’s marriage through different layers of love, betrayal, and poverty. At the novel’s midpoint, Nordenhof leaves the couple behind for an examination of what really happened. A national tragedy in both Norway and Denmark, it was later revealed to be an insurance scam.
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Dario Goldbach

(The Netherlands, 1992) wants to write books for people who don't read. He first published the novella Vier Weekeinden, followed by De Man die Alles Had (The Man Who Had Everything, 2023): a novel about a tech giant, an ever-growing lie and an unattainable love. Monthly, Dario appears on The Beat with Justin Verkijk on Dutch national radio station 3FM with columns on nightlife. He performed at festivals such as Lowlands, Wildeburg and Writers Unlimited. He is co-founder, programme maker and presenter of De Situatie Leesclub, the literary platform of PIP Den Haag.

Instagram: @dariogoldbach
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Marjolijn van Heemstra

(Amsterdam, 1981) - writer, poet, and journalist – gained attention in 2009 with her first poetry collection Als Mozes had doorgevraagd. In 2012, her debut novel De laatste Aedema was published. In her work, she explores how we can think differently about ourselves and the world. Since 2019, she has written about how space can help us see the Earth from a new perspective, in a.o. her essay Wat is ruimte waard. The theatre play based on this book, Maankoorts, premiered in June 2024. Since 2019, Van Heemstra has been a space correspondent at De Correspondent. She creates podcasts (including Sør, Stadsastronaut en Als geschiedenis in je opstaat) and recently conducted research on the value of the night. In 2025 she performs her stage play Observaties van een theaterrat.
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Roos van Rijswijk

(The Netherlands, 1985) is a presenter, interviewer and writer of prose, essays, interviews, columns, theatre pieces and reviews for a variety of Dutch publications. In 2016 she debuted with the novel Onheilig (Unholy), which won the Anton Wachter Prize. In 2017 her prose poem Calligram was published, upon which the daily newspaper De Volkskrant named her literary talent of the year. She wrote the collections Wat ben ik meer dan stilte – verhalen van geesten (What Am I But Silence - Stories of Ghosts, 2018), De olifant van de bovenbuurman (The Elephant of the Upstairs Neighbor, 2018, a picture book for adults with drawings by Sylvia Weve), and De Dwaler (The Wanderer, 2021). Van Rijswijk reviews translated fiction for Dutch national daily newspaper NRC and teaches at the Schrijversvakschool in Amsterdam.
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