On Tuesday 21 February an international program will be launched in Italy, that will put the spotlight on contemporary Dutch arts for children and youth for a year: FuturoPresente. A selection of Dutch theatre makers, writers, illustrators, choreographers and film makers present themselves to the Italian public and professionals. With the aim of strengthening the professional networks between the countries, entering into new partnerships and sharing experiences.

Poet, performer and theater maker Max Greyson is writer in February, upon invitation of the Dutch Foundation for Literature. During his stay, Greyson will be working on two projects: a new collection of poems and a musical theater piece.

Two Dutch authors and their translators have been longlisted for the 28th edition of the Dublin Literary Prize, with € 100,000 the world’s most valuable annual literary prize for a single work of fiction published in English.

From Wednesday 18 to Friday 20 January, representatives from nine German publishers will come to Amsterdam to get acquainted with Dutch literature, writers and publishers. This program takes place in the context of the Leipziger Buchmesse 2024, the largest public book fair in Germany, which will be hosted by the Netherlands and Flanders.

As a result of the seventh (and last) meeting of 2022, 42 grants were awarded to foreign publishers of Dutch literature. The translation grants are intended for the translation of Dutch fiction, children’s books, non-fiction and poetry. In total € 106.838 has been granted for the translation of the following titles:

As a result of the sixth meeting of 2022, 56 grants were awarded to foreign publishers of Dutch literature. The translation grants are intended for the translation of Dutch fiction, children’s books, non-fiction and poetry. In total € 170.058 has been granted for the translation of the following titles:

As a result of the fifth meeting of 2022, 34 grants were awarded to foreign publishers of Dutch literature. The translation grants are intended for the translation of Dutch fiction, children’s books, non-fiction and poetry. In total € 106.995,00 has been granted for the translation of the following titles:

^{(left to right): Rodaan Al Galidi, Grand Hotel Europa, Hanna Bervoets}

The New Dutch Writing campaign is delighted to welcome Dutch writers to the UK this Autumn with two key festival partnerships with Cheltenham Literature Festival and Off the Shelf Festival of Words, Sheffield. The exciting depth and breadth of the vibrant Dutch literary scene offers something for every reader in a programme of events featuring fabulous children’s books, insightful, timely nonfiction and brilliant contemporary fiction.

As a result of the forth meeting of 2022, 48 grants were awarded to foreign publishers of Dutch literature. The translation grants are intended for the translation of Dutch fiction, children’s books, non-fiction and poetry. In total € 150.925 has been granted for the translation of the following titles:

As a result of the third meeting of 2022, 39 grants were awarded to foreign publishers of Dutch literature. The translation grants are intended for the translation of Dutch fiction, children’s books, non-fiction and poetry. In total € 92.948,00 has been granted for the translation of the following titles:

The 2022 European Literature Prize goes to the Nocilla trilogy by Spanish author Agustín Fernández Mallo in a Dutch translation by Adri Boon, published by Koppernik. The jury describes it as ‘a fantastic book that shows what literature can do: precisely by withstanding all the crumbling apart and splitting up, and by demonstrating how that which appears fragmentary stands alone, reverberates, suddenly makes contact and forms an amalgam that turns out to have unforeseen properties’. The prize will be presented to Agustín Fernández Mallo and Adri Boon on Saturday 5 November at the Crossing Border Festival in The Hague by jury chair Manon Uphoff.

Starring in the ninth episode of Kopje Koffie, the German book podcast about Dutch literature: Dutch writer Jessica Durlacher talks in the Literary Society in Bielefeld with Katharina Borchardt about her book De stem (The Voice), published by De Arbeiderspers in 2021. In May of 2022, the book was published in German by Diogenes Verlag, under the title Die Stimme, translated by Annelie Bogener.

The Argentine author Ariel Magnus will be in Amsterdam as writer in residence in August, at the invitation of the Dutch Foundation for Literature. During his stay, he is working on a new novel and doing research for another.

In Remco Campert (1929-2022) Dutch literature has lost one of its best-loved writers. He wrote poems, stories, novels, novellas and columns, and in 1976 was awarded the PC Hooft Prize for poetry, in 2011 the Gouden Ganzenveer and in 2015 the Prijs der Nederlandse Letteren (Dutch Literature Prize) for his oeuvre as a whole. In recognition of his major contribution to Dutch literature, Campert had been in receipt of an annual ‘honourgrant’ from the Dutch Foundation for Literature since 2004.

As a result of the second meeting of 2022, 48 grants were awarded to foreign publishers of Dutch literature. The translation grants are intended for the translation of Dutch fiction, children’s books, non-fiction and poetry. In total € 157.038 has been granted for the translation of the following titles:

As a result of the first meeting of 2022, 57 grants were awarded to foreign publishers of Dutch literature. The translation grants are intended for the translation of Dutch fiction, children’s books, graphic novels, non-fiction and poetry. A total of € 161.571 has been granted to the publishers listed below for the translation of the following titles:

From Wednesday the 8th of June until Saturday June 11th, programme directors and presidents of over ten German literature festivals will visit The Netherlands, at the invitation of Flanders Literature and the Dutch Foundation for Literature. This Fellowship takes place in the context of the Leipziger Buchmesse 2024, which will be hosted by the Netherlands and Flanders. During these intensive days, the organisers will get a broad overview of literature from the Low Countries and the opportunity to meet over fifteen writers and illustrators; all of which have upcoming German translations of their work.

The Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prize 2022 goes to Veronika ter Harmsel Havlíková. She will receive the sum of €15,000. The Foundation is giving her the prize in recognition of her outstanding translations of important Dutch titles into Czech, as well as her crucial role as adviser to new translators and as an intermediary on behalf of Dutch literature.

In 2024, the Netherlands and Flanders will jointly host the Leipziger Buchmesse, the largest public book fair in Germany. This was announced at the last edition of the fair. The Dutch Foundation for Literature, Flanders Literature, the Dutch Embassy and the Representation of Flanders in Berlin are jointly organizing the upcoming host landscape, which will introduce new voices, new generations and new genres to Germany.

The Dutch Foundation for Literature stands for free expression of speech and the peaceful exchange of ideas. Partly for this reason, we had the poem ‘Een krijgzuchtige tijd’ by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld translated into Ukrainian, Russian, German, French and English.

On Monday 7 March, the Chinese poet Wang Jiaxin will arrive in the Netherlands as writer in residence. He will live and work in Amsterdam for a month, at the invitation of the Dutch Foundation for Literature. He also performs in Leiden, Amsterdam and Ghent, and at several secondary schools.

Over the course of 2021, the temporary support scheme for literary translators from Dutch produced a total of 218 sample translations in genres ranging from children’s and young adult literature to non-fiction, from poetry to comic strips. A total of 156 translators received commissions for the translation of a long extract (6,000 words) from a book or books they proposed and promotional materials for those titles.

The Vondel Translation Prize 2021 has been awarded to David Doherty for Summer Brother, his translation of Zomervacht by Jaap Robben. At an online ceremony by The Society of Authors, Doherty received the €5,000 prize money and praise from the jury.

Hungarian researcher Krisztina Gracza is doing an internship at the Department International. As part of her dissertation, which she is preparing at ELTE University in Budapest, she is doing research into the Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Database (www.vertalingendatabase.nl) for which Marlies Hoff (Library and Documentation) is responsible.

In the fifth episode of the German book podcast about Dutch literature, writer Marente de Moor takes a seat with Bettina Baltschev about the recent translation of her novel Foon. The book was published in the autumn of 2021 under the German title Phon by Hanser Literaturverlage, in a translation by Bettina Bach.

The poetry collection Island mountain glacier, the English translation of Anne Vegter’s Eiland berg gletsjer by Astrid Alben (Prototype Publishing, February 2022) has received one of the English PEN Translates Awards. It is remarkable that the translation already won prizes before it was published. The translation was made possible with a subsidy from the Dutch Foundation for Literature.

As a result of the seventh meeting of 2021, 30 grants were awarded to foreign publishers of Dutch literature. The translation grants are intended for the translation of Dutch fiction, children’s books, non-fiction and poetry. A total of € 102.306 has been granted for the publication of the following translations:

As a result of the sixth meeting of 2021, 50 grants were awarded to foreign publishers of Dutch literature. The translation grants are intended for the translation of Dutch fiction, children’s books, non-fiction and poetry. In total € 157.612 has been granted for the translation of the following titles:

The P.C. Hooftprijs 2022 is awarded to writer Arnon Grunberg. The jury, chaired by Agnes Andeweg, states that Grunberg has made an ‘immense contribution to Dutch literature’. Grunberg will receive the oeuvre prize, with an amount of € 60,000, in mid-May 2022 in the Literature Museum in The Hague.

As a result of the fifth meeting of 2021, 44 grants were awarded to international publishers of Dutch literature in 26 countries. The translation grants are intended for the publication of Dutch graphic novels, fiction, children’s books, non-fiction and poetry. In total € 136.792 has been granted for the translation of the following Dutch titles:

On Friday 19 November 2021, the German Gustav Heinemann Friedenspreis 2021 was awarded to writer Wilma Geldof and translator Verena Kiefer for the youth novel Reden ist Verrat, published by Gerstenberg Verlag (original title Het meisje met de vlechtjes, published by Luitingh-Sijthoff in 2018). In the Heinrich Heine Haus in Düsseldorf, the ladies received the cash prize of € 7.500. The book Het meisje met de vlechtjes was produced with a project subsidy from the Dutch Foundation for Literature, and the translation Reden ist Verrat was also supported by the foundation.

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.

After Arnon Grünberg, Judith Fanto and Charlotte Van den Broeck, Herman Koch is a guest in Kopje Koffie, the German book podcast about Dutch and Flemish literature. Koch will discuss the German translation of his book Finse dagen (Finnische Tage, published by KiWi, translated by Christiane Kuby and Herbert Post) with Bettina Baltschev.

Five translations have been nominated for the Vondel Translation Prize 2021. This biennial prize of the Dutch Foundation for Literature awards the best English-language translation of a Dutch-language literary or cultural-historical work with a cash prize of €5,000. The winner will be announced during the online award ceremony on Thursday 10 February 2022, organized by the British The Society of Authors.

From mid-November to mid-December, under the heading Ton monde, plein de merveilles, a presentation of Dutch culture for children and young people will take place in Montreuil, a suburb of Paris where France’s most important children’s book fair is held every year. Ton monde, plein de merveilles is a multidisciplinary collaboration between Dutch cultural foundations and other institutions that support the sector, along with French partners and the Dutch embassy in Paris.

Last Sunday, October 31th, Sandra Langereis received the Libris Geschiedenis Prijs for her book Erasmus: dwarsdenker (English title: Erasmus The Maverick - A Biography). The Libris Geschiedenis Prijs rewards historical books that appeal to a general audience. Langereis’ portrait of Erasmus came about with a biography grant from the Dutch Foundation for Literature, and is featured in the Dutch Non-Fiction - Spring 2021 brochure.

As a result of the fourth meeting of 2021, 42 grants were awarded to foreign publishers of Dutch literature. The translation grants are intended for the translation of Dutch fiction, children’s books, non-fiction and poetry. In total € 124.977 has been granted for the translation of the following titles:

This Friday afternoon, October 22, the winners of the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis 2021 will be announced at the Frankfurter Buchmesse. An exciting moment for Dutch children’s literature, since three originally Dutch books have been nominated for this prestigious German award: Vosje (Little Fox) by Edward van de Vendel, illustrator Marije Tolman and translator Rolf Erdorf, Haaientanden (Shark Teeth) by Anna Woltz and translator Andrea Kluitmann, and Het meisje met de vlechtjes (The Girl with the Braids) by Wilma Geldof and translator Verena Kiefer.

Dutch translations into English are currently experiencing a great boom, so much so that English translations from the Dutch are becoming as important as German translations, traditionally the main export market for Dutch literature. The jury of the Vondel Translation Prize, consisting of previous winner Michele Hutchison, poet Jane Draycott and translator Susan Massotty, were able to consider a wide range of translations published in 2019 and 2020, from works across many different genres.

As a result of the third meeting of 2021, 59 grants were awarded to foreign publishers of Dutch literature. The translation grants are intended for the translation of Dutch fiction, children’s books, non-fiction and poetry. In total € 177.798 has been granted for the translation of the following titles:

Jury chair Manon Uphoff has announced the shortlist for the European Literature Prize 2021. Five titles have been selected, all of them contemporary European novels in Dutch translation. The prize is being presented this year for the eleventh time; it goes to both the author and the translator.

As a result of the second meeting of 2021, 43 grants were awarded to foreign publishers of Dutch literature. The translation grants are intended for the translation of Dutch fiction, children’s books, non-fiction and poetry. In total € 95.042 has been granted for the translation of the following titles:

The James Brockway Prize – an oeuvre prize for translators of Dutch-language poetry – has been awarded to David Colmer. This distinction, established and organised by the Dutch Foundation for Literature, is valued at 5,000 euros and will be presented (online) at the upcoming edition of the Poetry International Festival in Rotterdam, on Saturday 12 June at 3.15 p.m. (BST).

Dutch author Tommy Wieringa will be writer-in-residence at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study (NIAS) in Amsterdam from September 2021 to February 2022. In February he will be succeeded by the Brazilian poet Ricardo Domeneck. Both authors have been invited by the Dutch Foundation for Literature and NIAS.

As a result of the first meeting of 2021, 78 grants were awarded to foreign publishers of Dutch literature. The translation grants are intended for the translation of Dutch fiction, children’s books, non-fiction and poetry. In total € 263.838 has been granted for the translation of the following titles:

Gerda Blees, Jente Posthuma and Raoul de Jong are nominated for the European Union Prize for Literature. The Netherlands is one of the 14 participating counties in the EUPL 2021. The EUPL awards one winner per country.

Literary translator Helga van Beuningen has been awarded the Straelen Übersetzerpreis 2021. The prize crowns her translation of De avond in ongemak (The Discomfort of Evening) into German, as well as her life’s work as a translator in general.

Literary translators from Dutch into English are invited to sign up for the BCLT Literary Translation Summer School. The Dutch Foundation for Literature provides six full bursaries for (starting) translators. The BCLT Summer School will be held online, from 19 to 24 July 2021, and will focus on poetry. Please register before Monday, April 12.

Four Dutch children’s books are nominated for the prestigious Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis 2021. The jury selected 24 books in four categories from 667 submitted new publications, either written in or translated into German. The prize announcement and award ceremony will take place on Friday 22 October, during the Frankfurt Book Fair. Writer, translator and illustrator share the award.

The annual report of the Dutch Foundation for Literature gives an overview of all activities and grants in 2020, including temporary support in this Covid-19 year.

Children’s book author Paul van Loon has received no fewer than three Golden Books at once, a unique event in Dutch literature. A book is given the Golden status if more than 75,000 copies are sold. Van Loon has reached that target with three titles: Dolfje Weerwolfje , SuperDolfje and Weerwolfnachtbaan.

Two Dutch and one Flemish author and their translators have been longlisted for the Dublin Literary Prize 2021. The longlist is nominated by libraries around the world making it a great spotlight for international writing. The first Dutch winner of this prestigious award were in 2010 Gerbrand Bakker and translator David Colmer for The Twin, which has been translated into 25 languages.

In 2019 and 2020, the Never Grow Up! programme presented Dutch film, literature, (music) theatre and dance for young audiences throughout the US. Remarkable work from the Netherlands wowed and delighted both children and their families, and presenters and agencies at renowned events and venues including the Brooklyn Academy of Music, John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, the Chicago and New York International Children’s Film Festivals, the Bay Area and Brooklyn Book Festivals.

Almost all publishers agree that they miss the contact they used to have with their international colleagues, chatting with like-minded people, exchanging tips about interesting titles and authors, and having conversations about what is going on in the book trade and beyond.

The 2020 Golden Slate Pencil for the writer of the best Dutch children’s book of the year has been awarded to Bette Westera for her book Uit elkaar (Breaking Up, Gottmer Publishers), illustrated by Sylvia Weve. The Golden Paintbrush 2020, the most important Dutch prize for an illustrator of children’s and young adult literature, goes to Yvonne Jagtenberg for Hup Herman! (Gottmer Publishers). These prestigious prizes were presented on national television at the launch of the Dutch Children’s Book Week.

The Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prize 2020 goes to Ran HaCohen. He will receive the sum of € 15,000. The Foundation is awarding him the prize in recognition of his excellent translations of both classic and contemporary fiction into Hebrew, and his important role as an intermediary on behalf of Dutch literature in Israel. One result of his efforts has been the publication of a Hebrew edition of Max Havelaar by Multatuli.

The Dutch contemporary writing scene is experiencing an exciting discovery moment for UK readers. Marieke Lucas Rijneveld was announced as the first Dutch International Booker Prize winner on 26^th August 2020 and the work of historian Rutger Bregman is hugely popular, along with others from the increasingly influential The Correspondent. Now Verzet offers readers the opportunity to delve deeper into works by young, diverse, emerging Dutch writers translated into English for the very first time.

To help translators find new assignments in these uncertain times, the Dutch Foundation for Literature has subsidized a number of 3,000-word translations of Dutch literary titles. A grand total of 176 proposals have been approved (84 fiction, 43 non-fiction, 28 children’s and youth, 20 poetry and 1 graphic novel) for translation into 32 languages. The translators will endeavour to find publishers for the books in question, in consultation with the foundation and the rights holders. The publication of new translations is thus stimulated, and the translators can continue their good work.

Dutch poet, essayist, novelist, travel writer and art critic Cees Nooteboom has received the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and the Arts, 1st Class. Ambassador dr. Heidemaria Gürer stated that she was proud to present this high decoration to ‘Der ganz Große Cees Nooteboom’.

By Mireille Berman

Every year the National Committee for 4 and 5 May asks a writer to give a speech at its Remembrance Day gathering. This year it chose Arnon Grunberg, who read an impressive essay entitled ‘No’.

Author Stephan Sanders has been invited by the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study and the Dutch Foundation for Literature to be a fellow as the Guest of the Director. Sanders will write a book on the increasing dichotomy between ‘white’ and ‘black’ in politics and public debate.

From September 2020, Dutch biographer Aleid Truijens will be writer-in-residence at NIAS for a period of 5 months, followed by Ugandan-British author Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi in February 2021. The writer-in-residence fellowship in the international and academic environment of NIAS is part of a cooperation of the Dutch Foundation for Literature with NIAS.

In this uncertain time in which authors, illustrators, translators and publishers face major challenges, the Dutch Foundation for Literature is aiming to give as much support as possible to our partners.

Irina Leek-Trofimova has been shortlisted for the Мастер-award. She is nominated for her Russina two translations of two children’s books by Toon Tellegen, Is er dan niemand boos (The day no one was angry) and Brieven aan niemand anders (Letters to anyone and everyone).

Marieke Lucas Rijneveld and Michele Hutchison have just won a first ever Dutch shortlist nomination for the International Booker Prize with The Discomfort of Evening (Faber & Faber). The jury announced the six nominated titles online. The International Booker is awarded annually for a single book, translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland. The vital work of translators is celebrated, with the prize money (£ 50.000) divided equally between the author and translator. The winner of the 2020 prize will be announced on 19 May.

The longlist of UK’s International Booker Prize 2020 is announced. Among the 13 nominated titles is The Discomfort of Evening by Dutch author Marieke Lucas Rijneveld and translator Michele Hutchison. The novel will be published by Faber & Faber on March the 19th. The International Booker Prize is awarded annually for a single book translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland. The contribution of both author and translator is given equal recognition, with the £50,000 prize split between them.

On 5 and 6 March, a group of British journalists will visit Amsterdam upon invitation of the Dutch Foundation for Literature. This will give them an opportunity to become familiair with the Dutch book market and Dutch authors in the context of the New Dutch Writing campaign and the ‘Boekenweek’, the Dutch national week of books and literature.

Lampie and the Children of the Sea by Annet Schaap and translated by Laura Watkinson for Pushkin Press, is nominated for the Carnegie Medal. It is the first time ever that a translation has been longlisted for this prestigious prize for children’s literature. Little Wise Wolf by Hanneke Siemensma and Gijs van der Hammen won a nomination for the Kate Greenaway Medal for illustrators.

After more than 23 years at the Dutch Foundation for Literature, Bas Pauw’s carreer takes a new turn. From March onwards, he is seconded to the Performing Arts Fund NL in The Hague. Most of his duties at the Foundation for Literature will be taken over by Lucette Châtelain. In January, Juul Klein Wolterink has joined the communications team of the Foundation for Literature.

After careful consideration, a specialist jury has awarded the Vondel Translation Prize 2019 to Michele Hutchison for Stage Four, her English translation of Sander Kollaard’s Stadium IV (Van Oorschot), published by the American publishing house Amazon Crossing. The prize will be presented in London on 12 February, 2020.

In cooperation with Poetry International the Dutch Foundation for Literature introduces two new voices in Dutch poetry: Simone Atangana Bekono and Maartje Smits. Bekono writes sweeping epistolary poems, in which she explores the relationship between body and identity. Smits’ poetry is musical, playful, feminist and innovative.

From Wednesday 12 until Friday 14 February, the Dutch Foundation for Literature has invited 12 German programmers of literary festivals and literary houses to participate in a fellowship. During their stay in Amsterdam, the fellows will meet their Dutch counterparts and get information on the state-of-the-art of Dutch literature.

The PEN America Literary Awards Finalists have been announced. Among them Dutch non-fiction author Frans de Waal and biographer Benjamin Moser.

Four translators have been nominated for the Vondel Translation Prize 2020. This biennial prize from the Dutch Foundation for Literature awards the best English-language translation of a Dutch-language literary or cultural-historical work with a prize of € 5,000. The award ceremony will take place on 12 February in London.

Dutch poet, novelist and travel writer Cees Nooteboom will be granted a honorary doctorate at the University College London. The ceremony will take place at Tuesday 3 September 2019 at UCL in London. Nooteboom already holds honorary doctorates from universities in Brussels, Nijmegen and Berlin.

Café Amsterdam brings three evenings full of Dutch literature, debate, art and music to Paris. From 14 to 16 May, Maison de la Poésie, the most important literary stage in Paris, is transformed into an Amsterdam brown pub. Dutch fiction and non-fiction authors Jan Brokken, Adriaan van Dis, Anna Enquist, Lieve Joris, Herman Koch, Eva Meijer, Hagar Peeters, Frank Westerman, Tommy Wieringa will read from their work and talk to French authors and journalists.

The Dutch Foundation for Literature and NIAS-KNAW invite publishers and others to nominate a writer for the witer-in-residence fellowship at NIAS-KNAW in Amsterdam for the academic year 2019/20. This prestigious position is intended for a writer who is working on a project that would benefit from an extended stay as part of a diverse community of international scholars. Nominations can be submitted until 1 May.

From 15 to 19 March, Livre Paris will take place, France’s largest book fair. Together with the Dutch embassy in Paris, the Foundation for Literature has a stand of 16.5 m2 at the guest country pavilion ‘Le Pavillon d’Europe’, entirely dedicated to digital literature.

South African poet and author Antjie Krog will be living and working in Amsterdam from 21 January to 20 February, at the invitation of the Dutch Foundation for Literature. As well as being a writer worthy of the Nobel Prize for literature, Krog is a consummate literary performer. During her stay she will give a series of performances in the Netherlands and Belgium, including appearances during Poetry Week.

Ten English language publishers of children’s and youth literature from five different countries (US, UK, Australia, New Zealand & Canada) will visit Amsterdam, upon invitation by the Dutch Foundation for Literature. From 21 to 23 January they will be introduced to the Dutch field of children’s books, meeting many publishers, writers and illustrators. The Amsterdam Fellowship is an annual programme in which the Foundation invites international literary editors to come and meet their Dutch colleagues and familiarise themselves with Dutch literature.

Throughout 2019, Never Grow Up! Dutch film, literature and performing arts for young audiences presents an abundance of Dutch artistry in the United States. A wide range of work from the Netherlands for young audiences and families will be presented and shared at festivals, conferences and other platforms, all representing a respect for young people and dedication to youth culture as an autonomous art form.

In November, nine Dutch and Flemish authors will perform during the Stuttgarter Buchwochen and the Karlsruher Bücherschau. Their performances are part of the campaign organised in Germany in 2017-2018, as a follow-up to the successful Flemish-Dutch Guest of Honour programme at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2016. With these two, almost simultaneous festivals in Stuttgart and Karlsrühe, the ‘This is what we share’ campaign in Germany comes to an end.

Eight international poetry publishers and editors will visit Amsterdam and Antwerp, upon invitation of the Dutch Foundation for Literature and Flanders Literature. From 3-7 December they will be introduced to the Dutch field of poetry, meeting many publishers and writers.

The Estonian translation by Kerti Tergem of Vote for the Okapi (published by Päike ja Pilv), an illustrated children’s book by Edward van de Vendel and Martijn van der Linden, has won the Tower of Babel Honour Diploma. The Tower of Babel Honour Diploma is awarded annually to an outstanding foreign book published in another country by a living children’s book author that is translated into Estonian and published in Estonia. Previously Vote for the Okapi has won the Woutertje Pieterse Prijs 2016 (best Dutch children’s book of the year), Zilveren Griffel 2016 (best informative children’s book) and an honorary mention for the illustrations.

Tommy Wieringa has won the BookSpot Literature Prize 2018 for his novel Santa Rita (translated into English by Sam Garrett). The prize is one of the biggest Dutch literature prizes, and consists of €50.000. In addition to the jury prize, he also has won the reader’s prize, consisting of €10.000.

Ten non-fiction publishers from the UK and USA will visit Amsterdam, upon invitation of the Dutch Foundation for Literature. From 12-14 November they will be introduced to the Dutch field of non-fiction writing, meeting many publishers and writers. The Amsterdam Fellowship is an annual programme in which the Foundation invites international literary editors to come and meet their Dutch colleagues and familiarise themselves with Dutch literature.

Dutch poet Gerry van der Linden has received the literary prize of the International Poetry Festival Ditët e Naimit. The 22nd edition of this Macedonian festival hosted twentyfive poets from across the globe. At the opening of the festival Van der Linden received the ‘Ditët e Naimit’ award, given for one’s literary career and poetry oeuvre, from festival director Shaip Emërllahu.

The Netherlands is known as an international front runner in the creation of arts and culture specifically for children. Children’s Books by Annie M.G. Schmidt, Tonke Dragt and Dick Bruna for instance have been and continue to be translated worldwide. Apps like A Distant Journey, based on work by Toon Tellegen, and Puzzling Poetry received international critical acclaim.

The Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prizes 2018 go to Janny Middelbeek-Oortgiesen (Swedish to Dutch) and Goedele de Sterck (Dutch to Spanish), in recognition not just of their translation oeuvres but of their efforts as ambassadors between two language areas. Each winner will receive a sum of €10,000. Both prizes will be presented on Friday 14 December in Amsterdam.

The Minister of Education, Culture and Science has appointed Roos Vermeij as chair of the Supervisory Board of the Dutch Foundation for Literature as of September 2018. She succeeds Jan Hoekema, whose term of office ended earlier this year.

Bette Westera is the winner of the Golden Poetry Medal 2018, the biennial award for the best children’s poetry collection written in Dutch. The prize was awarded to her for her collection Was de aarde vroeger plat? (Gottmer, 2017). Westera won the Golden Poetry Medal for the second time in a row, after being awarded the prize in 2016 for her collection Doodgewoon (Gottmer, 2014), which was subsequently translated into German by Rolf Erdorf.

No less than 30 Dutch and Flemish authors are on stage this weekend at the ‘Comédie du Livre’ festival in Montpellier, with nearly 100,000 visitors the most important literay festival in the south of France. This years 33rd edition of the festival has a special focus on the Low Countries. Both new, recently introduced authors - such as Joost de Vries, Niña Weijers, Lize Spit, Inge Schilperoord - and in France well known names are part of the invited group of writers. Many genres are represented: novels, but also graphic novels, thrillers and literary non-fiction.

The Brockway Prize, a biennial prize for poetry translations from the Dutch, has been awarded to Daniel Cunin. The prize was established by the Dutch Foundation for Literature and is worth 5,000 euros. It will be presented on 1 June during the Poetry International Festival in Rotterdam.

Moroccan-Dutch poet Mustafa Stitou will be awarded the triennial oeuvre prize for poetry from the A. Roland Holst Fund. ‘In a grand way Stitou addresses urgent themes. His oeuvre may be modest, but his voice is unique in Dutch poetry’, according to the jury report.

The Prijs der Nederlandse Letteren (Dutch Literature Award), the prestigious literary prize awarded once every three years to an author whose oeuvre occupies an important place in Dutch literature, will be awarded to Judith Herzberg this fall. This was announced by minister Ingrid Engelshoven on behalf of the Committee of Ministers of the Taalunie. The jury calls Herzberg’s poetry “heartbreakingly simple yet complex precisely because of it. Her precise observations from daily life reveal something essential about human traffic”.

Is your organisation, company or NGO active in the literary, creative or cultural sector? And are your cultural activities aimed at contributing to social cohesion in the regions bordering on the European Union? If so, you might be eligible for a 2018-2020 Creative Twinning grant, a new subsidy scheme of the Dutch government. A key component of Creative Twinning projects is collaboration, since the scheme focuses on increasing trust and improving communication between the Netherlands and EU neighbours. Questions and applications may be directed to Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).

The Vondel Translation Prize goes to David McKay for War and Turpentine, his English translation of Oorlog en terpentijn by Stefan Hertmans. The prize, worth € 5,000, will be presented in London on 1 March 2018.

Dutch authors Herman Koch, Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, Tommy Wieringa and their translators Sam Garrett (Koch and Wieringa) and Michele Hutchison (Pfeijffer) have been nominated for the longlist of the International Dublin Literary Award, with €100,000 the world’s most valuable annual literary prize for a single work of fiction published in English.

More than 300 Dutch and Flemish books have been published in Germany last year. Especially younger authors claimed their place in the spotlight. Here are some of the books that have proven to be successful, both in terms of reviews and sales. We will be happy to discuss these or other new titles at the upcoming fair in Frankfurt.

This week the winners of the Zilveren Griffels (Silver Slates) and Penselen (Paint Brushes) were announced. The Griffel Jury awarded seven children’s books Zilveren Griffels, recognition from the book trade for the best children’s titles of the past year. The Penseel Jury awarded two Zilveren Penselen and two Zilveren Paletten.

Three French writers will be staying in the Netherlands as writer in residence this autumn, at the invitation of the Dutch Foundation for Literature: Julia Deck, Atiq Rahimi and Olivier Rolin. Work by all three had been translated into Dutch. At a Sunday morning reading in Athenaeum Boekhandel in Amsterdam, led by Margot Dijkgraaf, the authors will give further insights into their work. The three French residencies will take place as part of an intensive campaign by the Foundation over the coming two years to increase interest in Dutch-language literature in France. Last week minister Bussemaker gave the starting shot for the campaign during ‘Le Boekenbal’.