Writer in residence program 2021-2022
Sasja Filipenko as WiR in Amsterdam
2 December 2021 - 31 January 2022
The Belarusian writer Sasja Filipenko will be writer in residence for two months, upon invitation by the Dutch Foundation for Literature. During his stay in Amsterdam, Filipenko will finish his sixth novel and work on a play.
Sasja Filipenko (Minsk, 1984) broke off his classical music studies to study literature, first at the University of Saint Petersburg and then at Bard College in New York. He has worked as a journalist, screenwriter and TV presenter and is the author of five novels.
Filipenko is a dissident – he is an outspoken opponent of Lukashenko – and because of the current political tensions in Belarus, he currently lives with his family in Germany. Earlier this year, the Dutch translation (by Jan Lodewijk Eshuis) of his debut novel De ex-zoon was published by Meridiaan Uitgevers. His debut turned out to be prophetic about today’s Belarus, which stands up to the Lukashenko dictatorship.
Filipenko performed in the Netherlands for the first time in November, on the Crossing Border stage in The Hague. In 2022, Meridiaan Uitgevers will publish a second novel in Dutch translation (by Arie van der Ent): Uitgewist.
De Balie in Amsterdam organizes a program on December 18 Over de coma van Belarus with Sasja Filipenko, Dutch author Lisa Weeda, and Belarus-expert Franka Hummels. This live program will be livestreamed as well (English spoken).
Links
- Meridiaan publishers
- Residency for Writers in Amsterdam on www.writerinresidence.nl
