Utrecht authors Koos, Mari and Urai receive C.C.S. Cronestipendia 2023

Falun Ellie Koos, Arja Mari and Max Urai will receive a C.C.S. Cronestipendium this year. This is a grant from the municipality of Utrecht for promising Utrecht authors. They will each receive EUR 3,000 to enable their next publication.

"A number of entries immediately stood out because of the surprising addition the authors make to current Dutch fiction: in narrative voice, in theme, in genre. Developing such a distinctive sound requires talent and guts as well as time." According to the jury about the entries.

Alderman Eva Oosters will award the stipends on 30 September during the ILFU (International Literature Festival Utrecht). "With 35 entries, a record number of entries has been received this year. This is proof that Utrecht has a lively literary scene and, as alderman for culture, I am of course proud of that. Because culture enriches our lives, it stimulates and broadens your horizons."

This year, the jury consisted of Femke Essink (literary scholar and literary critic), Daphne Huisden (author and writing teacher) and Marjolijn Hof (children's book author and writing teacher).The jury is enthusiastic about the quality and diversity of the record number of 35 entries for the stipends, and sees them as a testament to the vibrant literary scene in Utrecht.

About the winners

Falun Ellie Koos (1992) is a writer and filmmaker. Hen graduated in Writing for Performance from the HKU and is working on his debut novel. Koos keeps the balance between the raw and the sensitive, never falls into false sentiment and skilfully avoids the pitfalls of the cliché. The jury was particularly impressed by the way Koos dares to be funny in wry situations.

Arja Mari (1985) is a journalist, columnist, historian and working on her debut novel. Through a personal history, Mari explores pressing contemporary issues that she also explores for her journalistic work: migration and integration, distrust and trust, perception and disinformation and the relationship between Eastern and Western Europe. In doing so, her approach excels in clarity and psychological insight.

Max Urai (1991) is a writer and programme maker. He studied Film, Theatre and Television Studies in Utrecht and Creative Writing at ArtEz in Arnhem. Although science fiction is slow to gain a foothold in Dutch literature, Max Urai ventures into it and does so convincingly. His prose almost boils over with ideas, which betray that he is a conceptual and critical thinker'.

About the C.C.S. Cronestipendia

The C.C.S. Cronestipendia are named after Utrecht prose writer C.C.S. Crone (1914-1951). The municipality of Utrecht awards these incentive prizes annually in cooperation with the ILFU. With the stipends, Utrecht gives promising writers the chance to develop and publish new work. This year, the jury received 35 entries. An author must live in Utrecht and have at least one contract with a recognised publisher and may have published a maximum of three books. Previously, stipends have been awarded to Lisa Weeda, Radna Fabias, Mariken Heitman, Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, Munganyende Hélène Christelle and Ellen Deckwitz, among others.