Jan van Aken, Monsterzicht | 320 pp. | Querido, €27.99 Jan Van Aken’s new historical novel is set in the recent past: the years 1937–1939, when not only Nazism was on the rise, but also Carl Gustav Jung’s psychoanalysis. Van Aken skilfully weaves these two themes together in *Monsterzicht*. Who is mad, what is normal, and who are the monsters? Writers of historical... Read more
The Holland Festival will celebrate its eightieth edition in 2027. For eight decades, the festival has aimed to present large-scale and innovative performing arts by leading artists from around the world. Founded in 1947 out of a need for healing, understanding and connection, the festival has grown to become an established fixture in the international performing arts scene. Emily Ansenk, director... Read more
This week, the theatre company Tryater began setting up for their production *Fierder nei it Noarden* at a car workshop in Heerenveen; the show is due to premiere on Friday 9 October. On Friday evening, 25 September, the crew moved from their rehearsals at the theatre in Leeuwarden to Haaima’s garage, where the run kicks off before travelling on to Drachten and Leeuwarden. Theatre with... Read more
When? Tuesday 29 September at 10.00 (the day before Children’s Book Week begins!) Where? Facebook Netherlands Head Office – Jollemanhof 15, Amsterdam What’s going on? AI companies are making a mass push into creative work. Texts by writers, journalists and translators are being used to train AI language models. This is done, amongst other things, via so-called ‘shadow libraries’:... Read more
Fiction | Rolling Stones | Merijn de Boer | Querido, €21.99 | 192 pp. Ole Bakker, the protagonist of Merijn de Boer’s new novel *Rolling Stones*, is willing to be the number two so that his girlfriend can pursue her career. But that turns out to be easier said than done. ‘If I were asked, “What do you want to achieve in life?”, I would answer, truthfully and contentedly: “Nothing.” Ole... Read more
A wayward lad who writes his traumatic past away and, through his own efforts, becomes a best-selling author – that sounds like a heroic tale. But don’t come to Lex Paleaux (49) with admiration or pity. ‘I’d love so much to be truly happy.’ ‘I don’t do it anymore, but in my former life I could have taken you down three times by now,’ says Paleaux with... Read more
We read a novel, appreciate an opinion piece and rely on our own judgement, until an AI detector attaches a suspicious percentage to it. The work hasn’t changed, but our perspective has. What will happen when the machine ultimately determines what we, as humans, still trust?
MATZER’s *Pretty Girls* in theatres across the country from 22 October From 22 October to 20 December, MATZER Theatre Productions will be touring the country with *Pretty Girls* — a thriller about love, loss and a deliberately concealed history, situated at the intersection of theatre and investigative journalism. The cast comprises Anne-Chris Schulting, Billy de Walle and Jelle Hoekstra. Written and directed by Melissa... Read more
That Robin Goudsmit. At the Boekfest, I watched in awe as she skilfully navigated her way between the writers and moved from topic to topic. Grief was the theme in the Ronda at Tivoli Vredenburg. Does writing help with grief? Lara Taveirne (Wolf) and Femme van den Berg (Day after day after day) were seated to Goudsmit’s right. Eva Posthuma de Boer (Omdat ik je zie) was seated on the left. Goudsmit put it this way: ‘We’re sitting here, after all… Read more
The Filiaal theatre company brings Tjibbe Veldkamp’s award-winning children’s book to the stage. Imagine you haven’t been born yet, but you’re allowed to spend a little time in the world as a foretaste of your life. That’s what happens to Adem. In a fictional Eastern European city rife with corruption and danger, as an eleven-year-old boy he is given a special mission: he must bring his future parents together. Because Adem... Read more
Fiction | Farewell to Zsömle | László Krasznahorkai | Translated by Mari Alföldy | Wereldbibliotheek, €26.99 | 253 pages A 252-page story told in just a few sentences – only the very greatest writers know how to turn that into a readable narrative. The new novel by László Krasznahorkai, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature last year, is not only remarkable in form, but... Read more
Running 250 kilometres through the Sahara in the space of a week: every year, hundreds of people take part in the Marathon des Sables, one of the toughest running races in the world. Journalist Hasna El Maroudi became obsessed with the idea of taking part in this ultra-trail in Morocco herself over fifteen years ago. What began as a sporting dream turned into a quest to find her... Read more
A score of 7 for social safety, yet at the same time six reports and thirty staff leaving. The Stimuleringsfonds is not the first such case. Why do regulators only ever take notice when the press gets involved or the problem has become too big?
Mr J. (Jörgen) Tjon A Fong has been appointed Chair of the Council for Culture. The Council of Ministers has approved this appointment on the recommendation of Minister Letschert of Education, Culture and Science. The appointment takes effect on 1 January 2027 for a period of four years. Mr Tjon A Fong is currently cross-media editor-in-chief at Omroep MAX and chair of the Amsterdam Arts Council. From 2021 to... Read more
The premiere of the play *Fierder nei it Noarden* on 9 October in Heerenveen is sold out. A few tickets are still available for the remaining dates on which the company will be staging this intimate production at the car workshop in Heerenveen. ‘Fierder nei it Noarden’ will then move on to garages in Drachten and Leeuwarden. Sold-out premiere With the sold-out premiere, Haaima’s car workshop in... Read more
Accessibility Week takes place from 5 to 11 October; it is an initiative of Ieder(in), the national network for people with a disability or chronic illness. This week focuses on the question of how society can become more accessible – physically, digitally and socially. ZID Theatre is joining in with the national tour of *Fade Out* (Powered by ZID), a poignant... Read more
With the theatre production *Fighting as a Father*, Het NUT explores what it’s like to grow up without a role model and what it means to become a parent oneself. From 14 October, Het NUT will be staging its twentieth performance, followed by a dinner at a special venue in Utrecht. In 2026, the theatre company will explore the future of masculinity. Not as a fixed concept, but as something… Read more
Yanaika Zomer, *Heremietdagen* | 294 pp. | De Bezige Bij, €23.99 Writer, poet and journalist Yanaika Zomer (46) made a big impression two years ago with her poetry debut, *U heeft nog 43 ongelezen gedichten*. Now comes her debut novel, *Heremietdagen*, which centres on a woman whose life is turned upside down. Thirty-seven-year-old Meira, a lecturer in English literature, is happily married... Read more
Can you still enjoy music if you can no longer hear naturally? Joke Veltman, a professional musician herself, lost her hearing and was told by the hospital (UMC Utrecht) that whilst she could learn to understand speech, she would have to forget about music. The cochlear implant (CI) fitted in her inner ear (cochlea) has too low a resolution to capture the rich nuances of... Read more
‘But what about the black man?’ According to Qian van Binsbergen, director of the three-part documentary *De Witte Man*, this was a common comment made during screenings of her series over the past three weeks. A typical reaction from a white man (m/f/x), she said during a live Q&A at Tivoli Vredenburg on Monday 14 September. After all, her documentary was not about specific men... Read more
New survey of 700 authors reveals Writers and translators often receive just a few cents per book listened to and benefit very little from the growing popularity of audiobooks. This is revealed by a new survey commissioned by the Auteursbond and Stichting Lira, involving nearly 700 authors. Those who do receive payment are usually unable to... Read more
In recent decades, artists have been increasingly encouraged to consider the business aspects of their practice. Dwindling grants and increased competition mean that entrepreneurship among artists deserves renewed attention. What business skills will be expected of an artist in 2026? What opportunities and challenges do artists face? And how does... Read more
“I love complex stories. My role model is Chekhov. His characters are also incredibly multi-layered.” Director and writer Evgeniya Rudyuk was responding to comments from the audience during the discussion following the performance of *Queer Quark* at CC Amstel. The mission was a success. Her nameless protagonist, played by Natalia Perel, tells a story in which she... Read more
A strong public service broadcaster that is ready for the future. That is the aim of the bill to reform and modernise public service broadcasting, which Minister Letschert (Education, Culture and Science) is launching for public consultation online today. Now that big tech, with its enormous reach and financial clout, is increasingly determining what the Dutch see, hear and share, an independent, visible and accessible public service broadcaster is more important than ever.
On 11 September, during the Gaudeamus Festival, Nieuw Geneco presented the Nieuw Geneco Fair Practice Award 2026 to Koor Het Zingend Hart and the Dianto Reed Quintet for their boundless dedication and commitment to fair and sustainable practices in new music. By presenting the Nieuw Geneco Fair Practice Award, the professional association Nieuw Geneco (Society of Dutch Composers)... Read more
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