(Nijmegen, NL, 1960) writes essays, short stories and plays, and is a columnist with the daily newspaper NRC Handelsblad. He published the novels Laatste woorden (Last words) and Suez and received the Henriëtte Roland Holst Prize in 2005. In 2011's Moeten wij van elkaar houden, het populisme ontleed (Do We Have to Love One Another? Populism Dissected) Heijne shows how globalisation and individualism pave the way for populism. Angst en schoonheid (Fear and Beauty) was published in 2013, an essay about Dutch writer Louis Couperus, whom Heijne admires. In the same year his documentary about Couperus was broadcast. In 2015 he hosted the five-part documentary De volmaakte mens (The Perfect Human). In 2016 his essay Onbehagen – nieuw licht op de beschaafde mens (Discontent - new light on civilized man) was published. In 2017 Heijne received the P.C. Hooft Award for his essayistic works.

(1948-2010) studied sociology at the University of Amsterdam. After years of being a prominent criminologist, he turned to literature, which he considers to be a small step: 'Writers are criminals', wrote Franke in the newspaper Trouw (2000), referring to the moral freedom that writers permit themselves. In 1992 he made his debut with the novel Weg van loze dromen (Road of idle dreams). For his novel De verbeelding (The imagination) Franke was awarded the Generale Bank Literatuur prize, presently known as the AKO Literatuurprijs. He regularly writes for newspapers literary magazines, including a fortnightly column for the Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant. In 2004 a collection of his columns was published, entitled Waarom vrouwen betere lezers zijn (Why women are better readers). A year earlier he published his extensive novel Wolfstonen (Wolves tones) and in 2004 the collection of ultra-short stories Notulen (Minutes). Franke regularly exchanges the cherished solitude of his study with public appearances. Herman Franke died in 2010.

(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.