The programs during the third day of the Read My World Festival in 2016:

Touki Delphine Experience

Saturday evening Touki Delphine Experience will perform again at Read My World, accompanying writers, poets and singers with angular electro, laid-back mid-tempo beats and rattling percussion. The cool guys of TDE have a rep to protect when it comes to film-, theatre-, and pop music, and can improvise on the spot like no other. Hear and see them in action on Saturday, every hour on the hour in the foyer!

Fireside Literature

On Saturday evening camp res will illuminate the most beautiful garden in Amsterdam as musicians and storytellers come together to usher in the night. Listen to violinist, trumpet player and storyteller Dolan Jones and Anje Robertson tell the history of a rediscovered violin, a history that leads from Amsterdam to the camps in Poland. Dean Bowen will take place reside and recite his poetry. Columnist and storyteller Esra Seval Dede’s stories are inspired by her experiences as a young woman with Turkish heritage in the Netherlands. Wander through the garden, gaze into the ames, and be transported through language and sound.

Poetry Marathon New Style

Twenty poets will recite their work alongside one poem by a foreign poet of their choice. Tune in or out at any time as they pass by like voices in a leisurely long conversation. No time is wasted on introductions; madcaps and mumblers, abstracts and anecdotes, juveniles and geriatrics follow each other in quick succession without breaking the illusion. Poetry is not difficult! Poetry is exciting, sophisticated, varied and above all, readable and listenable.

With: Rick de Leeuw, Anneke Claus, CAConrad, Marieke Rijneveld, Oksana Zabuzhko, Anne van Amstel, Neske Beks, Maartje Smits, Mia You, Umeu Bartelds, Dean Bowen, Julia Fiedorzcuk, Andriy Lyubka, Iryna Vikyrchak, Erik Jan Harmens, Elly de Waard, Maria Barnas, Rob Schouten, Marjolijn van Heemstra, Ricardo Domeneck and Menno Wigman.

ROOTS!

Roots! is a programme about the influence of literature on artistry. Which literary works did you encounter as a child or young adult? How did these works shape your voice as a maker? The speakers create an interpretation on this theme within their own discipline and engage in conversation with Kirsten van den Hul.

Let Me Tell You ’bout The Words And The Bees

Political engagement seems to be back on the Dutch literary scene. However, not much is being written about the environment and against its polluters. In the lead up to this festival, poets Julia Fiedorczuk and Maartje Smits exchanged thoughts about the role the environment plays in their writing. Today they will meet in the flesh for the first time. Performing with visual artist Klaske Oenema and saxophonist Jan Klug, they will blend poetry, music and visuals.

Why We (Don’t) Love Our Dictators

In Europe we still insist that parliamentary democracy is the best system of government in the world. Reality suggests otherwise. In Russia, Vladimir Putin has never been so popular. Many in Turkey see Erdogan as a hero. Around the world there seems to be an increasing desire for strong leaders. Why? Is it inherently human to wish to subjugate ourselves to a leader? Why We (Don’t) Love Our Dictators is an informative and entertaining programme featuring columns, discussions and cabaret.

Elephant In The Room

‘Don’t mention the war,’ the famous phrase coined by Fawlty Towers, inevitably comes up when the focus of your festival is on Poland and the Ukraine. Like the sword of Damocles, the R-word hangs above all conversations, readings and discussions. Yet it has always been the role of the writer to address the elephant in the room. In this programme we zoom in on the Ukrainian situation: How does the superpower looming just across the European border affect freedom of speech? What is your responsibility as a writer? Ukrainian author Oksana Zabuzhko is a fierce critic of Russia, but what does that mean for her autonomy as a writer? In this programme Zabuzhko discusses these imperative questions with professor of Slavic studies Ellen Rutten and writer and traveller Auke Hulst.

In association with Center for Ukrainian Cultural Studies.

Past Violence & Hate Speech

Literary confrontations with historical myths and violence
Writers that try to engage with the national conscience are regularly the subject of hate. Is it wise to unravel sensitive subjects from the past, such as mass violence or genocide, in a historical novel? Debate about (literary) confrontations with ‘hate speech’ and violence, featuring writers such as Olga Tokarczuk, whose remarks on the black pages in Polish history were met with a hate campaign, and Frank Westerman, whose latest book Een woord, een woord, is in search for an answer to terrorism.

Boekpresentatation Andrey Kurkov: Dagboek Majdan

Publisher Douane and Read My World present the Dutch translation of Dnevnik Maydana (Dagboek Maidan, 2015). Kurkov offers a glimpse into his daily life as a writer living in Kiev during Euromaidan, the protests that broke out when it became clear that Ukraine would not sign the association treaty with the EU. The diary gives insight into political circumstances as well as Kurkov’s experience living just around the corner from the site of one of the most turbulent episodes in independent Ukrainian history. Andrey Kurkov discusses his work with Douane publisher Arie van der Ent.

What Comes From Afar 2.0

Pupils from various schools in Amsterdam engage in conversation with Victoria Amelina and Ziemowit Szczerek. Inspired by the work of these authors, the pupils will recite their own work. Tsead Bruinja will moderate the conversation.

Movies That Matter

Ukrainian Sheriffs (19:00 – 20:30)
Director: R. Bondarchuk (Germany, 2015, 85’, English subtitles)
To fill the shortage of police officers in the Ukrainian countryside, the people of Stara Zburivka appoint the strongest and smartest men as sheriffs. This dry comedy is tempered by the advancing war, which forces the men to face essential choices.

Ida (20.45 – 22:10)
Director: P. Pawlikowski (Polen, 2013, 80’, NL subtitles)
Poland, 1962. The orphan Anna is about to take vows as a nun when her only living relative reveals that she is Jewish and her real name is Ida. She embarks on a journey to discover the truth about her family.