Mathijs Deen
(Hengelo, NL 1962) is a radio journalist and a writer. His most recently published book is De Wadden (The Frisian islands; 2013), a poetic history of the Frisian islands. His book of short stories Brutus heeft honger (Brutus is hungry, 2011) was nominated for the AKO Literature Prize. Eating being the leitmotiv, Deen jumps through world history. The forty-four historical stories are fine miniatures of scarcely one and a half page long. After having studied Dutch in Groningen Deen worked for Radio Noord for some years. His radio columns from those days were collected in two publications. Since 2001 Deen has been programme maker with VPRO radio, hosting the historical radio programme OVT. A number of historical documentaries which he made for VPRO radio has been published as an audiobook. The radio series De lange weg naar Darwin (Long road to Darwin) appeared on cd and as a podcast. Deen was programme coordinator of the Winternachten Festival between 2009 and 2011.
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Archive available for: Mathijs Deen
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VPRO's OVT Live
With: Bas Heijne, Cynthia Mc Leod, De Règâhs, Elsbeth Etty, Mathijs Deen, Nelleke Noordervliet, Paul Scheffer, Paul van der Gaag, Reggie Baay, Stefan Hertmans, Ton van de Langkruis
One of the most popular programmes on Radio 1 is VPRO's OVT (Simple Past Tense). Every Sunday the contemporary relevance of history takes centre stage.
It has become a tradition for OVT's radio professionals to relocate to The Hague during the festival in order to broadcast live from the cozy lobby of Theater aan het Spui. The public is most welcome; admission and coffee are free. The programme includes a spoken commentary by Nelleke Noordervliet, an interview with Bas Heijne on Couperus, and a focus on writer Reggie Baay and his just-published book Daar werd wat gruwelijks verricht (Something Terrible Happened There), about the hidden history of slavery in the Dutch East Indies. With live music by the The Hague band De Règâhs. Don't forget to reserve your spot via the blue link above. Programme in Dutch.
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Don't mention the War: China and Japan
China and Japan share a war past; a subject that was unmentionable for a long time. At present the traumatic events and troubled relations are increasingly dealt with in film and literature. Geling Yan's film adaptation of her novel Thirteen Girls from Nanjing is about a bloodbath in 1937 in the city of Nanjing, a very important theme in modern Chinese literature. Ian Buruma is an expert on China and Japan and wrote the historical novel The China Lover about a Japanese film heroine at the time of the Japanese occupation of China (1937-1945). How are both the roles of China en Japan in WOII reviewed? A conversation about coping with war traumas in China and Japan, with the use of film extracts. In English.
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The Turning Point
Tonight three authors talk about their drives, motivations and inspiration for taking up a career as a writer in an often violent and complex world. Architect Andries Samuel, documentary maker and BBC reporter Aminatta Forna and constructional engineer Nihad Sirees decided to turn to fiction at a certain point in their lives. Andries Samuel, the son of Antjie Krog, made his debut in 2013 with the book of poetry Wanpraktyk. In her latest novel The Hired Man Forna sketches the fermenting tension in postwar Croatia. Nihad Sirees' great power is that he succeeds in turning fear into humor in his novel The Silence and the Roar. What compelled these three people to start writing? In English.
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Cynthia McLeod and Michiel van Kempen
With: Cynthia Mc Leod, Mathijs Deen, Michiel van Kempen
On Friday evening July 5, Writers Unlimited The Series presented a programme on the history of slavery in Suriname. With the Surinamese writer Cynthia McLeod and author and specialist on Surinamese literature Michiel van Kempen. Interview by Mathijs Deen. Dutch spoken. Central Library of The Hague, at the Spui.
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VPRO OVT Live
With: Denise Jannah, Frank Westerman, Lucas Hüsgen, Mathijs Deen, Nelleke Noordervliet, Onno Blom, Paul van der Gaag
One of the best listened to programmes of Radio I is VPRO's O.V.T, present perfect tense, or open past. Every Sunday morning the topicality of history occupies centre stage. It's a tradition now that the programme makers move to the heart of The Hague during the festival to broadcast live from Café Brasserie Dudok. This time the focus is on Lucas Hüsgen (writer of Nazi te Venlo), on the Dutch author Gerrit Komrij, who died last year, and on the work of Polish writer and journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski. There is live music by jazz singer Denise Jannah, accompanied by guitarist Robby Alberga. Paul van der Gaag and Mathijs Deen are the familiar hosts. Open to the public, admission free, including coffee and cake. In Dutch.
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VPRO OVT Radio Live
With: Annejet van der Zijl, Margot Dijkgraaf, Mathijs Deen, Nelleke Noordervliet, Paul van der Gaag, Trio Droomvogels, Willem Nijholt
Every year VPRO Radio broadcasts this history programme during the festival, live from the Brasserie Dudok. In this episode the writers at the festival discuss literature and history. With live muziek. Hosts: Paul van der Gaag and Mathijs Deen.
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VPRO OVT Live
With: Asis Aynan, Ernest van der Kwast, Marlon Titre, Mathijs Deen, Nazmiye Oral, Nelleke Noordervliet, Paul van der Gaag, Wim Tigges
As usual the VPRO history programme OVT broadcasts from cafe Dudok as part of Writers Unlimited - Winternachten Festival The Hague. This time the programme will go in search of great expectations and Utopias from the past. Live music by Marlon Titre. Hosts: Paul van der Gaag and Mathijs Deen. In Dutch.
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Raul Lemesoff and his 'Weapon of Mass Instruction'
De Argentijnse kunstenaar Raul Lemesoff (1972) bouwt in Den Haag zijn derde Weapon of Mass Instruction. Het is een met boeken overgroeide tank die op een krachtige manier duidelijk maakt dat er niet te spotten valt met literatuur. De Haagse tank is een variatie op de tank die Lemesoff eerder in Argentië maakte. Daar bouwde hij een oude Ford Falcon van de Junta - symbool voor de repressie van het oude regime - om tot zijn eerste 'Arma de Instrucciòn Masiva'. Daarmee heeft Lemesoff vooral achterstandsbuurten en arme streken in Argentinië aangedaan, en is zelfs buurland Uruguay binnengevallen. De boeken op de tank deelde hij uit aan voorbijgangers, volwassenen en kinderen, in afgelegen dorpen waar geen bibliotheek te vinden is. Tijdens Writers Unlimited stoomt de tank op naar de binnenstad van Den Haag, het centrum van de macht in ons land, om de strijd aan te gaan met het gebrek aan kennis en verbeeldingskracht.
Mathijs Deen gaat in gesprek met de kunstenaar over zijn project.
Het project van Raul Lemesoff is mogelijk gemaakt door Kosmopolis Den Haag. -
VPRO's OVT Live
With: Cynthia Mc Leod, Gert Oostindie, Gilbert Wawoe, John Jansen van Galen, Mathijs Deen, Nelleke Noordervliet, Paul van der Gaag, Sams, Theo Para
This year too VPRO's history programme OVT ends the festival in a live broadcast from café Dudok. The Surinamese writer Theo Para is a guest to talk about his book De Schreeuw van Bastion Veere (The Cry of Bastion Veere), dealing with the history of Surinam since the 1982 December murders. With music by singer and percussionist Victor Sams, who comes from St Eustatius.
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VPRO O.V.T.
With: Geert Mak, Kees 't Hart, Mathijs Deen, Nelleke Noordervliet, Paul van der Gaag, Raj Mohan, Shrinivási
On Sunday morning the festival was concluded by a special live broadcast of VPRO's OVT on Radio 1 from Dudok in The Hague. In VPRO's history programme OVT (simple past tense) literature and (falsified) history came together in talks with Winternachten's 2009 guests. With, among others, Nelleke Noordervliet, Kees 't Hart, Geert Mak, Shrinivási from Suriname and the Surinamese/Hindu musician/poet Raj Mohan, who treated the audience on a few beautiful and moving songs. The program was hosted by Paul van der Gaag and Mathijs Deen.
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'Travellers' Tales'
In the satirical columns on his site 'The Curious Diary of Mr Jam' Nury Vittachi (Hongkong) plays with stereotype images of East and West. He discussed with Laksmi Pamuntjak on how westerners and Asians see each other. This Indonesian writer and poet is one of the few authors in her country to write in English. She typifies her position as 'The Double Other'. The program was hosted by Mathijs Deen. In English.
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VPRO's OVT Live from Winternachten
With: Adriaan van Dis, Ahmed Ziani, Antjie Krog, Asis Aynan, Geert Mak, Haytham Safia Qu4rtet, Mathijs Deen, Paul van der Gaag
The last of Winternachten 2008 can be heard in the Sunday morning Radio 1 programme OVT (Simple Past Tense), a live broadcast from The Hague.
In VPRO's OVT history and literature come together in conversations with Winternachten guests Antjie Krog from South Africa and the Berber poet Ahmed Ziani, and writer Geert Mak. The series 'In Europe', part of the programme, today focuses on the 1930s. Can the fear of those times be compared to that in our time? In Dutch -
VPRO's OVT - Live in Winternachten
With: Allard Schröder, H.J.A. Hofland, Jakarta Street Band, Mathijs Deen, Paul van der Gaag, Thomas Rosenboom
The last sounds from Winternachten 2007 were heard on Sunday morning from The Hague in a live broadcast of OVT, the history programme of VPRO radio.
The programme was dedicated to Winternachten and the relationship between history and literature. Writer Thomas Rosenboom talked about his reworking of the African letters of Focquenbroch (1640-1670), written during his stay at fort El Mina, the Dutch slave depot on Afrca's westcoast. In addition there was attention for Jonathan Swift's fictitious travel novel Gulliver's Travels and its rewriting at Winternachten. Writer Allard Schröder told about his chapter in Gulliver's New Travels. H.J.A. Hofland read his column on explorers. In this broadcast attention was paid to the research programme of the Dutch Institute for War Documentation about the decolonization process in Indonesia. The results of the research were presented during Winternachten.
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VPRO O.V.T. - live from Winternachten
With: Breyten Breytenbach, Frank Martinus Arion, Mathijs Deen, Merietza Haakmat en Hershel Rosario, Paul van der Gaag
The final sounds of Winternachten 2006 come from cafe brasserie Dudok on sunday morning, during a live broadcast of O.V.T., the historical VPRO radio programme. This edition focusses on literature. One of the literary subjects is the history of the Netherlands and the anti apartheid struggle. With the presence of the South African poet Breyten Breytenbach. The writer from Curaçao Frank Martinus Arion talks about his new historical novel De deserteurs (The deserters) and about Uncle Tom's cabin , the novel that initiated the movement to abolish slavery in the United States. Accompanied by guitarist Hershel Rosario, Marietza Haakmat will sing Antillean songs. Dutch spoken.
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VPRO'S O.V.T. (imperfect past tense) - live from Winternachten
With: Mathijs Deen, Michiel van Kempen, Paul van der Gaag, Pierre Lauffer Ensemble, Tijs Goldschmidt, Wim Rutgers
This historical radio programme from the VPRO is one of the most popular programmes on Radio 1. This time it will broadcast live from The Hague as part of the Winternachten programme. Literary- historical subjects will be handled. One of the guests is Kees Lagerberg, a specialist in the recent history of West-Papua. The historical perception of 'The West' as seen by Dutch writers is the subject of the anthology Noordoostpassanten (North East transients), which will be published today. This anthology is compiled by Michael van Kempen, expert on Surinam literature, together with Wim Rutgers, expert on Antillean and Aruban literature. Another guest is biologist and writer Tijs Goldschmidt. Dutch spoken
