Noraly Beyer
(Curacao, 1946), born to Surinamese parents, was an editor/newsreader on Dutch TV (1985-2009) and the Dutch World Service (1983-2008). She had roles in theatre productions such as Ajax, Hemel boven Berlijn (Sky Above Berlin), Medea, The Vagina Monologues and De Afscheidsmonologen (The Farewell Monologues) as well as writing plays herself. In addition, she regularly hosts debates and writes columns. In 2009 she received the Cosmic Award for her advocacy for more diversity in Dutch media. A memoir of her youth in Curaçao, De Antillen en ik (The Antilles and Me), was chronicled by John Leerdam. In 2018 she played the role of storyteller in The Passion.
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Archive available for: Noraly Beyer
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Schrijversfeest (Writers' Fest)
With: Aad Meinderts, Alistair Payne, Gideon Samson, Jasper Albinus, Joke Hermsen, Marente de Moor, Noraly Beyer, Oleg Lysenko, Paul Demets, Robert van Asten, Stefan Hertmans, Thomas de Veen, Tijn Wybenga, Tjitske Jansen
The Schrijversfeest (Writers' Fest) is a festive program with readings and musical performances accompanying the awarding of the four literary prizes of the City of The Hague by Robert van Asten, alderman for Culture. As laudatio givers you will see and hear writer and philosopher Joke Hermsen, poet Tjitske Jansen and NRC literary editor Thomas de Veen. Musical odes will be performed by classical accordeonist Oleg Lysenko, piano player and composer Tijn Wybenga and trumpet player Alistair Payne. The opening poem will be read by poet Jasper Albinus; host will be Noraly Beyer.
A regular feature is the finale of the educational project Spot on Young Poets: the finalists, secondary school students from The Hague, read poems they wrote during school workshops. Among them Mirle Wittekoek, who won the Young Campert Prize last year. The audience determines which of the finalists wins this award for a young Hague poet this time.
Writer, poet and essayist Stefan Hertmans wins the Constantijn Huygens Prize for his entire body of work. Hertmans achieved his big breakthrough in 2013 with the novel Oorlog en terpentijn (War and Terpentine). The book is a delicate and intense ode to his grandfather, who grew up in poverty, fought at the front in World War I, and lost the love of his life too soon. He worked through his grief by painting.
Hertmans has been a highly respected Dutch literary writer for much longer. According to the jury, since his 1981 debut with the experimental prose book Ruimte (Space), he has built up a body of work that covers almost every genre. His collected poetry runs to about 1,000 pages, published as Muziek voor de overtocht (Music for the Crossing). His prose comprises novels, stories, as travel book and essays. He has also written theatre texts and published notable monographs about philosophy and visual art.
Paul Demets (1966) wins the Jan Campert Prize for his volume of poetry De Klaverknoop (The Shamrock Knot), a smashing collection in which each image is loaded and meaningful without making the poetry impenetrable. Demets' big achievement is knowing how to tie up the language without constricing the reader. These poems keep on sizzling in your mind.
Marente de Moor (1972) wins the F. Bordewijk Prize for her novel Foon. The tragic attempts of man to control, comprehend and direct nature lie at the heart of her work. It expresses a great love of science and a deeply felt understanding of the futiliy of human endeavour. She resolutely leads her reades to the edge of the woods, well knowing that sooner or later, something will happen to call forth the bears. Foon is a masterfully written novel of ideas about humans who are less and less able to stand the mysteries of existence, written by one of the most idiosyncratic authors writing in the Dutch language.
Gideon Samson (1985) wins the biannual Nienke van Hichtum Prize for his book Zeb. The book's freakish incidents are served up as simple logic in an otherwise completely realistic environment. The disruption mostly affects the mind of the reader - an effect that is happy, funny and playful but also covers up an ominous feeling of alienation. Zeb. adds a unique and absurdist work to the Dutch youth literature canon.
This program is a collaboration with the Jan Campert Foundation / Literature Museum. In Dutch.
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National Quiz of New Dutch
Now that the Smibanese Dictionary 2.0 of street language has been published, Writers Unlimited is hosting the National Quiz of New Dutch! Come and test your knowledge of New Dutch, which has influences of Turkish, Sranantongo, Papiamento, English and Berber.
Just in case we can't figure it out, we've invited a fantastic panel of experts to explain it all, chosen by Soortkill - the compiler of the Smibanese Dictionary and an active member of the SMIB Collective. They include cabaretière, actress and columnist Funda Müjde; writers, teacher and creator of the Berber library Asis Aynan; and cabaretier, singer, actor and presenter Jörgen Raymann. All under the guidance of former news anchor, actress, writer and now quizmistress Noraly Beyer.
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K.R. Sing en Karin Amatmoekrim
With: K.R. Sing, Karin Amatmoekrim, Noraly Beyer
K.R. Sing's Uit de klei van Saramacca tells a Surinamese-Hindustani family history and was the starting point for a conversation with writers K.R. Sing and Karin Amatmoekrim (ao Knipperleven, Unless the father). They both deschribe the history of Suriname from a Surinamese perspective. With Sing and Amatmoekrim, Noraly Beyer looked at the history of Suriname, in particular the region of Saramacca, where their two roots lie and investigates how the past resounds in the present, and how you are shaped by your roots and history.
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Surinamese dreams
'I have a Dream!' Noraly Beyer presents three Dutch/Surinamese authors (Karin Amatmoekrim, Anil Ramdas, Sheila Sitalsing), who will read a column inspired by the famous speech by the reverend King. What do the writers expect and hope for the future of Surinam? In Dutch.
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Q&A Masman
Noraly Beyer, herself a great fan of the Trinidad carnival, talks to director Dalton Narine of the film Masman. Masman is about the life and work of the world famous carnival artist Peter Minshall from Trinidad.
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Great Expectations for Suriname?
Tessa Leuwsha and Rihana Jamaludin in some sense share a mirrored life: the one grew up in the Netherlands and went to Suriname, the other grew up in Suriname and left for the Netherlands. Both countries not only play an important role in their lives, but in their work too. Which expectations did they have and do they still have about the Netherlands and Suriname? Or what do they expect from the current Dutch and Surinamese (multicultural) society? And how and to what extent do these expectations play a role in their work? Noray Beyer talks to the writers about Suriname, the Netherlands and literature. Dutch spoken.
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Traditions, taboos, belief and superstition. Writers from the Antilles and Surinam
A man dies. His lover puts a set of used underpants of her in his coffin. That's the custom in Surinam. But how do you do it without arousing the suspicion of his wife? And is this the only pair of underpants? Budding talent Ruth San A Jong wrote stories from Paramaribo like the one about the underpants above. Grande dame Sonia Garmers from Curaçao and Usha Marhé, who lives in the Netherlands, have written about rituals, magic and traditions which are part of daily life in their country. Belief and superstition can defuse fear but also arouse it: what if you don't keep to the accompanying customs? What if you want to break though tradition. The writers, varying in age, discuss this and other questions and read from their work. Noraly Beyer leads the conversation. In Dutch.
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For the sake of love - Surinamese and Aruban female writers in the Netherlands
Family ties, migration as an exploratory expedition, and the quest for love. These are the themes in the work of three Caribbean writers in the Netherlands. They write about the search for a new existence overseas. In the Sranantongo poems of the Utrecht-based Celestine Raalte the strong family ties between Creole women play an important part. The Aruban-Dutch Giselle Ecury, wroter of the novel Erfdeel (Inheritance) and the Surinamese-Javanese author Karin Amatmoekrim (Wanneer wij samen zijn; When We are Together) write about migration as an expedition to a new place of their own. Dutch spoken.
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Tell me about Surinam
In the small community of Surinam it is not easy to be critical. But nevertheless master story teller Rappa does it in a lighthearted, anecdotal way. He shares the stage with his fellow countrywoman Henna Goudzand. Her recently published novel Hele dagen in de regen (Days in the rain) describes the hypocrisy and intrigue in a remote Marron village. Before the writer could bring this story out, it was necessary to put a lot of distance between herself and the subject: only after many years and after moving to Amsterdam was she able to finish the novel. Dutch spoken.
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Look, a Negro!
Up until 1997 one could admire a preserved and mounted human being in a museum in the Catalonean town of Banyoles, 'El Negro' was a black South African who, after persistant worldwide protest, was returned and buried in Africa. This little bit of history inspired Frank Westerman to write El Negro en ik (The Negro and me).
The South African Diana Ferrus wrote a poem about Saartje Baartman, also known as the 'Hottentot venus', a South African Khoisan, who in the nineteenth century travelled through Europa as a fairground attraction. Her skeleton, genitals and brain were kept in a French museum. In 2002, on request of Nelson Mandela, these remains were brought back to her native country and buried in the Cape. How did the white man look upon the black man then, and how does the white man look upon the black man now? Annie M.G. Schmidt's biographer Annejet van der Zijl writes about this matter in her novel Sonny Boy, acclaimed as 'the best novel in 2004'. A discussion about 'us and them', chaired by Noraly Beyer.
Dutch/Afrikaans spoken
