Who we are
Annejan Mieras wins Gouden Griffel for best Children's Book
'The Little Universe' (Het kleine heelal), written by Annejan Mieras has been awarded with the Gouden Griffel, a Dutch prize for the best children's book of the year. The Gouden Penseel for the best illustrated children's book goes to Jeska Verstegen. She receives the award for her illustrations in 'The rope and the truth' (Het touw en de waarheid) written by Marco Kunst.
Marit Törnqvist receives Johannes Vermeer Award 2024
The Johannes Vermeer Award 2024 goes to illustrator and children's book writer Marit Törnqvist. The jury, chaired by Marise Voskens, unanimously nominated her. Törnqvist receives the award for her exceptional artistic ability to depict universal emotions in language and drawings, and to bring them close to the reader's world of experience. The Johannes Vermeer Award is awarded for the first time to an artist who primarily focuses on children and young adults.
Reopening of the Support Programme for Ukrainian Artists 2024
Today, the Support Programme for Ukrainian Artists 2024 reopens. In the fall of 2023, the government allocated additional budget to support artists who fled Russian aggression after 24 February 2022 and are currently residing in the Netherlands. This is a continuation of the Support Programme for Ukrainian Artists which was launched in 2022, and the following Support Programme for Ukrainian Artists 2024, which opened in January. Applications for the programme can be submitted via the Dutch Foundation for Literature through this website.
'The Empusium' wins European Literature Prize 2024
The 2024 European Literature Prize goes to 'The Empusium' by Olga Tokarczuk, translated into Dutch by Karol Lesman (De Geus Publishers). ‘A novel like a root system that branches and deepens, and becomes increasingly rich during reading and rereading,’ according to the jury.
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When Humans Stray — Seven Animals Bite Back
For 400 years, European seafarers attempted to sail over the top of the globe for a shorter trading route. The famous polar explorer William Barentsz, who lent his name to the Barents Sea, died a hero, after becoming stranded in Novaya Zemlya in northern Russia. Today, however, he would have been able to complete his route in the summer.
Listening Practice
Initially, the emancipating power of internet technology was warmly embraced: the marginalised could finally influence political debate, new voices could shake up the dominant world order. But constant scrolling has led to a ‘dizzying swirl of current events’, overstimulation leads to mental shut down. Can we learn to listen again?
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Old Growth — The Fight for Europe’s Wilderness
Central and Eastern Europe are home to the continent’s oldest forests and much of its last true wilderness. There, wild bison, wolves, deer and even bears still roam and families have foraged for mushrooms for generations. But these UNESCO-heritage forests are under increasing threat from logging, fed by our insatiable demand for cheap furniture.
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Uprising — The Populist Revolt and Battle for the Soul of the West
In recent years the far-right’s growing mainstream acceptance has come to feel unstoppable. On a platform of identity, family, nationalism and anti-immigration, populist parties have seen electoral wins throughout the West. Underlying their valorisation of what is ‘natural’ and ‘realistic’, however, is a broader counterrevolutionary movement against the left-liberal globalist elite and what is perceived as the undermining of Western identity.