Maria Barnas
(Hoorn, NL, 1973) is a writer, poet, and visual artist. Both her writing and art explore how depictions of reality are shaped and distorted. In 2014 she won the Anna Bijns Prize for Jaja de oerknal (Yaya the Big Bang, 2013). The jury praised the "linguistic universe" of this third collection: "Barnas uses poetry as a way to throw a canvas of words over everything. Each poem is an attempt to capture something ethereal, to preserve, to document." Barnas studied at Amsterdam's Rietveld Academy and Rijks Academy. Her 2003 poetry debut Twee zonnen (Two Suns) won the C. Buddingh Prize in 2004. This was followed by the 2009 J.C. Bloem Prize for Er staat een stad op (A City Stands On It, 2007). Barnas also writes about art and literature for De Groene Amsterdammer and Vrij Nederland magazines, among others. Her NRC Handelsblad newspaper columns from 2007 to 2010 are anthologized in Fantastisch (Fantastic). She also published two novels, Engelen van ijs (Ice Angels, 2007) and De baadster (The Bather, 2000).
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The Writers' Fest
With: Aad Meinderts, Bart Moeyaert, Bas Heijne, Calliope Tsoupaki, Cristina Branco, De Règâhs, Dimitri Verhulst, Francis Broekhuijsen, Ivo van Hove, Jan van Mersbergen, Joris Wijsmuller, Kees 't Hart, Luc Coorevits - Behoud de Begeerte, Lucky Fonz III, Maarten 't Hart, Maria Barnas, Mensje van Keulen, Piet Gerbrandy
Francis Broekhuijsen hosts the festival's concluding celebration: the Writers' Fest, a varied programme centred around Dutch literature.
Poet Maria Barnas begins the afternoon with an ode to poetry. Writer and critic Kees' t Hart introduces the programme with his views on the state of Dutch literature, a speech about the literary highlights of 2014. Writer Bart Moeyaert, artistic manager of special guests Flanders and the Netherlands at the 2016 Frankfurt Book Fair, presents his plans to promote our literature in the global context. Fado singer Cristina Branco sings songs composed specially for the occasion, based on poetry by Remco Campert and others.
The core of the programme is the presentation of the Jan Campert prizes, the City of The Hague's prestigious literary awards, with inspired lectures by admirers of the laureates. For his poetry collection Vlinderslag (Stroke of the Butterfly), Piet Gerbrandy will receive the Jan Campert Prize and a tribute by composer Calliope Tsoupaki. Jan van Mersbergen, who will receive the Ferdinand Bordewijk Prize for his novel De laatste ontsnapping (The Last Escape), will be serenaded by singer-songwriter Lucky Fonz. Bas Heijne will receive the J. Greshoff Prize for Angst en schoonheid. Louis Couperus, de mystiek der zichtbare dingen (Fear and Beauty: Louis Couperus and the mysticism of tangible things). He will be addressed by Ivo van Hove, director of the Amsterdam Theatre, which will stage the work of Couperus in 2015. Writer Dimitri Verhulst will honour Luc Coorevits, the passionate founder of the Flemish literary organization Behoud de Begeerte, which won the G.H. 's-Gravensande Prize for exceptional literary achievement. The evening's crowning glory is the Constantijn Huygens Prize for a body of work. This will be awareded to Mensje van Keulen for her novels, stories, and poems. Fellow writer and contemporary Maarten 't Hart will sing her praises, as will De Règâhs.
Presented in collaboration with the Dutch Foundation for Literature and the Jan Campert Foundation.
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Out of the bottomless foundations of this charnel kingdom
"Uit de bodemloze fundamenten van dit knekelrijk
rijst een nieuwe schijnwereld,
ontplooit zich leven à la opblaasboot."(out of the bottomless/ foundations of this/charnel kingdom/rises a new fake world/life unfolds/like a rubber dinghy). Thus according to Hans Verhagen in his collection of poems Eeuwige Vlam (Eternal flame). Hans Verhagen and the poets Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer and Frank Koenegracht will read from their recent work. Later this evening, this time with Gerrit Komrij, they will return with a satirical poem, written as an assignment for Winternachten. Dutch spoken.
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Long live satirical poetry
Een Antwerpse Mis-pop
Een Swijn van den Bisschop
Derft hier komen raesen
En gnurcken, en knorren
En schelden, en morren
En kijven, en kauten
Met Rijmen vol fautenThis is how the poet W.G. Foquenbroch once wrote about an Antwerp bishop. The satirical poem has become less popular over the years. However, this is unfortunate, because the Dutch character lends itself very much to satire. Five poets each wrote a satirical poem on the Dutch character: Maria Barnas, Frank Koenegracht, Gerrit Komrij, Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer and Hans Verhagen. They breath new life into this literary tradition. Chaired by Joyce Roodnat. Dutch spoken.
