Petra Possel
(Harderwijk, 1963) hosts a Dutch public radio programme on art, culture and the media. Possel travels a lot, and one her favourite spots is Curaçao. There she became interested in the life of the Antillian writer Tip Marugg. In her book Niemand is een eiland; het leven van Tip Marugg in zestien gesprekken (No one Is An Island - the Life of Tip Marugg in Sixteen Conversations) she noted down the stories of people who used to know Marugg and investigated if the myths surroundig the writer are correct. In addition Possel has written several travel guides, such as the Wereldwijzer Curaçao. She is working on a travel guide of La Palma, La Gomera and Hierro. Before she began hosting the radio programme in 2001 Possel worked for various Dutch cultural radio programmes. She also wrote book reviews for the Dutch newspaper Het Parool.
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Archive available for: Petra Possel
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Wintercafé 4: You don't know what you see
Two scientists on the question 'what is the function of our manipulative brain?' Psychologist Katinka van der Kooij investigates how our brain falsifies reality nonstop. In her recently published book of short stories Without Exit she gratefully uses man's imaginative and interpretative capacity. Evolutionary biologist Tijs Goldschmidt in his latest book Angels' Balls writes the story'Koko en Kafka', about manipulating reality in pseudo-scientific animal documentaries. Both writers werel reading from their work and busied themselves with the question if we can survive without manipulation.
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Wintercafé 3: Metamorphoses
In the programme Metamorphoses three authors read about metamorphoses with gusto. Gündüz Vassaf (Turkey) made Istanbul speak. Nury Vittachi (Hongkong) gave satirical examples of East-West metamorphoses. And the Moroccan writer Youssouf Amine Elalamy told a story in which metamorphoses are rampant.
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Wintercafé 2: Masquerades
Pupils from local secondary schools just did it: climbing the stage of the wintercafé and reading their poetry on the topic of 'masquerades'. In Dutch. In preparation their class was visited by poet Jan Baeke, they read and analysed poetry and polished their own words. Not only Gerrit Komrij was impressed by the pupils: it was one of the highlights of Friday nights programming.
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Wintercafé 3 Tip Marugg
A 'pre-read' at Winternachten round writer Tip Marugg (1923-2006). Journalist Petra Possel read from No-one Is an Island, in which she defies the myth of Marugg as a hermit. Poet Carel de Haseth read newly discovered poems, included in the collected works Heaven is Short-lived. The book and the collected works (edited by Aart Broek and Wim Rutgers) was published on 29 January.
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Wintercafé 1: Herman Koch
The newly introduced Wintercafé, was a succes. A place at the festival where there was ample space for readings and short, informal interviews. There was music, you could have a drink and the hosts provided an informal atmosphere. A four-part programme.
In part 1 Herman Koch got the mood going: especially for the Wintercafé he wrote a Short History of Deceit. In which he gave a historical account of how from infancy he conjured up a fictitious world. Sometimes it is just more fun to lie. And doesn't amount writing to telling lies? Do we want to believe Kochs lies? This programme was realized in cooperation with DeBuren in Brussels, whom includes Kochs story as a 'radiobook' and broadcasts it worldwide. In Dutch.
Singer, composer and percussionist Victor Sams played the ngoni. The peculiar sound of this old African string instrument, made of gourd, a piece of wood and fishing line, takes you to mysterious heigths. He was accompanied by Nathan Klumperbeek on acoustic bass.
