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David Grossman: 'I know what it's like to live on with trauma'

More than 20 years ago, David Grossman's phone rang. A woman named Eva Panić Nahir had some things to say about an article he had published in an Israeli newspaper. Grossman smiles at the memory. 'What my piece was about I don't remember, I do remember that she thought I had not gone far enough in my criticism of the government. I did find it refreshing to be attacked for once by someone from the left, instead of - as usual - the right wing.'

Gaudeamus: as a 75-year-old younger than ever

Anno 2020 bruist de Muziekweek als nooit tevoren. Zelfs corona heeft er nauwelijks vat op gekregen. Hoeveel ‘Mozarts’ er inmiddels zijn opgestaan wil ik in het midden laten, maar het rijke en gevarieerde off- en online aanbod creëert enige keuzestress. Op haar 75e is de organisatie jonger dan ooit: Gaudeamus is the place to be.

Milo Rau at opening Theatre Festival: 'Maybe we should deliver a little less and listen a little more'

Things need time and distance to become a story. Good, then, that in his 'State of Theatre,' the traditional opening of the theatre season, Rau did not take the floor himself, but handed it over to people who are now in the midst of the confusing time of austerity, coronasteun and political turmoil. Because the 100 international makers he asked for a book entitled "Why Theatre?" could not come because of the pandemic, six Dutch makers were invited. 

Jongelui

De 94-jarige Jan Hoek uit Rotterdam schreef een brief aan de jeugd die iedereen inmiddels wel zal hebben gelezen – sinds dat touwtje uit de brievenbus van Terlouw is er niet meer zoveel aandacht geweest voor een boodschap van een mens op leeftijd. Die boodschap is sympathiek en duidelijk: jongelui, hou het nou nog even vol, voor ons, dan kun… 

Sender Boulevard pauses to remember the Dutch East Indies

'For Indonesian Dutch, 15 August is definitely not liberation day,' explains playwright Bo Tarenskeen. The last day of the alternative Festival Boulevard in Den Bosch, Sender Boulevard, coincides with the commemoration of Japan's surrender on 15 May 1945. The Dutch East Indies, the colony exploited by our country for centuries, had also been liberated from the Japanese, but the end... 

Pierre Jarawan: ‘In Libanon vult men de gaten in de samenleving op met verhalen’

Deze week verwoestte een gigantische explosie van 2700 ton slecht bewaard ammoniumnitraat het grootste deel van de Libanese hoofdstad Beiroet. Voor de Duits-Libanese schrijver Pierre Jarawan, woonachtig in München, is de ramp een zoveelste zwarte bladzijde in de geschiedenis van Libanon, die hij zelf ook nog maar net heeft leren kennen.

Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Zafón (55) has died. 'I put a lot of pressure on myself.'

With the million-seller The Shadow of the Wind, the first part of the four-part The Graveyard of Forgotten Books, Carlos Ruiz Zafón established his name as a writer in one fell swoop. His novel The Labyrinth of Spirits, published in late 2017, was the culmination of a year-long showdown with himself. Not long after, he fell ill; in early 2018, Zafón was told that... 

Love & Revenge wil de Arabische wereld een nieuw gezicht geven

Je neemt filmklassiekers als Dracula en Star Wars, speurt hun Arabische remakes op, en edit deze fragmenten op een live soundtrack waarin de Arabische popgeschiedenis samensmelt met elektronische muziek van nu. Dit, in het kort, is het recept van de dynamische samenwerking tussen muzikant Rayes Bek en videoartiest Randa Mirza, beter bekend als Love & Revenge. Met hun meeslepende show… 

youngNBE supports War Child in campaign Break the silence

The wind players of the jongNBE (young Dutch Wind Ensemble) will support War Child's campaign Doorbreek het zwijgen (Break the Silence) in the coming month. In the Netherlands, everyone has lived in freedom for 75 years, but 149 million children grow up in war zones. With this campaign, War Child wants to raise as much money as possible for these children, so they can enjoy playing together, playing sports... 

We can learn this from Conny Braam's new war novel: 'Racism is a silent, destructive force.'

South African soldiers thought that by fighting along during World War II they would gain the right to vote and independence, as they were promised. But after the war, not freedom but Apartheid awaited them. With We are the Avengers of it all, writer Conny Braam sheds light on this painful history. Four years ago, Conny Braam (72) published the successful novel Ik ben Hendrik... 

Culture Press podcastcorona (21) - Oscar Kocken: 'Not being allowed to perform your work for six months is pretty gross.'

'Yes, of course it was something we already saw coming in every way. That made me mentally prepared. But then when you actually hear about it... It's just SO sour. It's every time - I don't blame anyone, to be clear - but every time you get bad news, you try... 

Because there are also just little creatives with a story: 'Zuheir, born glassblower'.

The absurdity of the pandemic is slowly sinking in, but still remains unfathomable. We will keep you updated on developments. But the bow cannot always be tight. Sometimes a moment of attention is needed, for the beauty people are capable of. Therefore, a short film about glassblower Zuheir Alkazzaz who fled Syria because... 

Why this book is suddenly ominously reminiscent of the situation in Italy now: 'Everything I describe in my book does happen somewhere in this world.'

With northern Italy cut off from the outside world because of corona and looking increasingly desolate, we are reminded of an interview we had a few years ago with writer Davide Longo about his book The Vertical Man. A book à la The Road by Cormac McCarthy, in which Longo outlines a desolate world that has changed dramatically as a result of... 

Divided loyalties, racism and a split house in HBO's The Plot Against America

I had the chance to attend the 500th anniversary - it took place at the beautiful Teatro La Fenice - of the first Jewish ghetto during my visit to Venice in 2016. One of the speakers was historian Simon Schama. During his lecture, I was given a brief history of Jewish suffering in Italy. According to... 

‘Ik ben een vrijere schrijver geworden.’ Esther Verhoef over de nieuwe dimensie in haar werk

Korte verhalen schrijft Esther Verhoef (51) al zo lang als ze fictie schrijft – sinds haar zevende. Of ze nou tien of honderd pagina’s lang zijn, haar verhalen zijn Verhoef even lief als haar romans en thrillers. ‘Kijk,’ zegt Esther Verhoef, terwijl ze de flappen van het omslag van Labyrint – de verhalen  openvouwt. Op de binnenkant zijn oude, op… 

49th edition Film Festival Rotterdam opens with Mosquito - history as a fever dream

In the trailer for the International Film Festival Rotterdam, which kicks off on 22 January, film images crumble into abstract shapes and colour patterns. It has to do, I understand, with the wonder of the irrepressible urge to make stories. Once, a cave dweller put a painted hand on the rock face. In the digital age, we conjure stories with coloured pixels. The... 

Writing with your voice - Thea Beckman Prize winner Bianca Mastenbroek is not deterred by her disability

Schrijver worden, zonder dat je vingers kunt gebruiken om te typen – Bianca Mastenbroek (44) draait er haar hand niet meer voor om. Afgelopen jaar won ze voor haar historische roman Hendrick, de Hollandsche indiaan de Thea Beckmanprijs. Terugblik op een jubeljaar: ‘Deze prijs is een kroon op mijn werk.’ Voor iedereen die jouw  boek Hendrick, de Hollandsche indiaan nog… 

When was the last time I hopped? Eye impresses with Francis Alÿs' expo on the world as child's play

An exhibition with only children playing, doesn't that quickly become too tacky or cosy? Not if the artist is Francis Alÿs. Although it is hard not to smile at the sight of a sandcastle, I left the room with a head full of questions about the nature of humanity. No small feat of hopscotching kids and girls 

Open your eyes, watch and reflect, engage in conversation. Opening IDFA 2019 showcases the sublime extremes of documentary.

The 32nd edition of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam has opened with Sunless Shadows. Confessions of young women jailed for complicity in the murder of their father or other man in the family grow into a haunting statement about oppressed women in a male-dominated society. The only Dutch film in the international competition is Rotjochies by Maasja Ooms.

'Once you become suspicious, you develop more and more anxiety' - Meriç Artaç addresses fear and mistrust in her chamber opera Madam Koo

'A new piece is usually only heard once, then it disappears into a drawer forever.' Such a sigh I often hear, in all tones. Not only from composers, but also from ensembles, concert organisers, musicians and even subsidy providers. Good news, then, that Meriç Artaç's opera Madam Koo will be repeated twice this month, Wednesday 11 December in CC... 

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