Alfred Schaffer writer in residence in Amsterdam
02 May 2024
Dutch-Aruban poet Alfred Schaffer will be staying at the Amsterdam Writers Residency from May 1st to June 14th, upon invitation by the Dutch Foundation for Literature and Poetry International, where he will perform during the annual poetry festival.
Alfred Schaffer is a poet, teacher, and translator. He studied Dutch Language and Literature, as well as Film and Theater Studies at Leiden University before moving to South Africa in 1996, where he worked as a teacher at the University of Cape Town and earned his PhD. Between 2005 and 2010, he worked as an editor for Dutch publishing houses Cossee and De Bezige Bij. In 2011, he returned to South Africa, where he currently teaches at Stellenbosch University.
Schaffer made his debut in 2000 with the poetry collection Zijn opkomst in de voorstad. His most recent collection, wie was ik. strafregels, was published in 2020. Following this, De Bezige Bij published the anthology Zo heb ik u lief. Alle gedichten tot nu toe, in honor of him receiving the P.C. Hooft Award in 2021, the Dutch-language literary lifetime achievement award.
During his residency, Schaffer plans to work on several literary projects, a new poetry collection being the primary focus. He will also perform at Poetry International in Rotterdam.
Performances