Writer in residence Antonio Muñoz Molina was born in 1956 in Úbeda (province of Jaén), Spain. He is considered one of the most prominent contemporary Spanish novelists. Since 1995 he is a member of the Royal Spanish Academy and from 2004 to 2005 he was the director of the Instituto Cervantes of New York. He studied Art History at the University of Granada and Journalism in Madrid.
Since the early nineties almost a dozen novels by Antonio Muñoz Molina have been translated into Dutch. This means the author has become a lasting and important literary voice from Spain in the Netherlands. Reason for the University of Amsterdam and the Dutch Foundation for Literature to invite the author to come and live in Amsterdam for six weeks.
Expert-meeting for translators
The Netherlands have always had a rich tradition and a high degree of professionalism in translation. In bookshops however the balance has tilted towards Anglo-American literature which makes it necessary for our foundation to highlight the richness and diversity of the European literary tradition. In cooperation with the university we organize an extended programme at Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 September 2012 which evolves around the presence of the author and seven of his translators, partly Dutch and partly foreign. The two day programme is set up like an expert-meeting and offers participants the opportunity to meet with international colleagues familiar with the oeuvre of Antonio Muñoz Molina and working from the same source language. The programme is accessible for a general audience with mastery of the Spanish language and everybody is welcome to attend the launching party of the Dutch version of El viento de la luna (published by De Geus and translated by Adri Boon) at Athenaeum bookshop, Spui square at Wednesday September 12 at 18 o’clock. For more details about the programme contact Fleur van Koppen.
Furthermore Antonio Muñoz Molina will be interviewed (in English) by Pieter Steinz in the live talkshow Letteren &cetera at the end of his residency, on Friday September 28, 17 o’clock.
Video portrait
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