Andrej Koerkov
(Russia, 1961) is a Ukrainian writer world famous for the mix of harsh realism and absurdist humour in his novels and non fiction books. He was born in Leningrad, grows up in Kyiv and writes in Russian and Ukrainian. His works have been translated in 37 languages and were published in 65 countries. He is a respected commentator on the situation in his country. In The President's Last Love, Kurkov employs humour and cynicism to describe how a boy manages to work his way up to become the most powerful man in the country. Ukraine Diaries: Dispatches from Kiev, his eyewitness account of political unrest in the Ukraine, was published in 2014. Dairy of an Invasion (2022) and Our daily war (2024) are collections of Kurkov's writings and broadcasts as well as a remarkable record of a brilliant writer at the forefront of a 21st-century war. In 2024, he published The Silver Bone, the first part of The Kyiv Mysteries, his series of crime novels in historical settings. The second part The Stolen Heart will be published in 2025; the third part The Public Sauna Case is in development.
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Archive available for: Andrej Koerkov
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Declic: Prospects of Dialogue in Post Chaos Time
With: Abdelfettah Kilito, Andrej Koerkov, Bejan Matur, Iman Humaydan, Nelleke Noordervliet, Ngwatilo Mawiyoo, Youssouf Amine Elalamy
How were the dialogues between the antagonistic parties and ideas reconceived in the post chaotic times in the past? What are our prospects today for a post-chaotic world? How can we prepare for it intellectually?
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Chaos and Dialogue
With: Andrej Koerkov, Bejan Matur, Iman Humaydan, Mohamed Achaari, Nelleke Noordervliet, Ngwatilo Mawiyoo, Taieb Belghazi
Can the rapid changes occurring in the world since the early 21st century (financial crises, the Arab Spring and its aftermaths, the Ukrainian crisis, refugees, terrorism...) be qualified as chaos? What are the (relevant, useful, helpful, hopeful...) questions that are can be raised in this context in a cross-cultural dialogue?
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Authority and Dialogue
With: Abdelhay Moudden, Andrej Koerkov, Bejan Matur, Driss Ksikes, Iman Humaydan, Nelleke Noordervliet, Ngwatilo Mawiyoo
A panel discussion, including readings by the participating authors. On what basis can we identify the souces of 'authority' in a dialogue across nations? Morality? Expertise? International Law? Ideologies? Esthetics? On what basis do we settle the question of right and wrong. Do such concepts as multiculturalism, pluralism, diversity, tolerance still hold? Moderated by Abdelhay Moudden. The Moroccan participants will be published later this week.
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Travelling Ideas
With: Abdellatif Khayati, Andrej Koerkov, Bejan Matur, Iman Humaydan, Khalid Bekkaoui, Nelleke Noordervliet, Ngwatilo Mawiyoo, Sadiq Rddad, Souad Slaoui, Youssef Tibesse
A programme in Fez University. Ideas have always travelled, of course. Is globalization and glocalization impacting the nature, the content, the directions, the impact...) of the travelling ideas in a fundamental way? Or is the business of travels as usual?
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When Ideas Change
With: Andrej Koerkov, Bejan Matur, Iman Humaydan, Khadija Merouazi, Mourad Mkinsi, Najib Bounahai, Ngwatilo Mawiyoo
The shifts in the political positions that we are undergoing in the last few years: rise of extremisms and fundamentalisms, decline of the left, mounting nationalisms; can they be interpreted through the lenses of history, of past events, or are they unprecedented? Are these changing ideas signaling unprecedented changes yet to come?
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Seven Deadly Sins
Pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, anger and sloth. The seven deadly sins are inseparable from literature, film and visual art. The festival asked seven authors to each choose one and write a fresh text about it. Tonight you'll hear sinful stories from home and abroad, with accompanying music by Dick van der Harst. A superb literary-musical programme to enjoy with abandon. José Eduardo Agualusa, Slavenka Drakulić, Mira Feticu, Petina Gappah, Daan Heerma van Voss, Andrej Kurkov and Neel Mukherjee read in their own language, with simultaneous translations projected in English and Dutch.
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The text of my life: Andrej Kurkov
In Filmhuis Studio A the festival's guest writers present their favourite literary texts and explain why a particular poem, novel excerpt, or song lyric influenced their life and work. Which memory, what feeling does this text call up for them? A continuous interview programme, in which the audience also talks with the writers. Hosted by Arjan Peters. In English
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Writing in Times of Turmoil
Can a writer continue to seek refuge in imagination when all hell breaks loose? Andrej Kurkov wrote novels such as The President's Last Love before revolution broke out in his hometown of Kiev. He decided to write the non-fiction book Ukraine Diaries, about the Ukrainian uprising. When the Arab Spring broke out, novelist Alaa al Aswani camped out in Cairo's Tahrir Square for days on end. He described the revolution in About Egypt:
The provocative considerations of a novelist, in which every piece ends with the phrase "Democracy is the solution".Alaa al Aswany replaces Mircea Cărtărescu, who was unable to appear due to personal reasons.
