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Dutch Poet Laureate next Guest Writer at University of Groningen

29 April 2014

Author, poet, playwright and Poet Laureate Anne Vegter is the new Guest Writer at the University of Groningen. Starting in September 2014, she will give three public lectures on the theme ‘Violence and Love’, followed by a public discussion with Ola Mafaalani, the artistic director of the Noord Nederlands Toneel (NNT theatre company). In addition, she will organize seminars for a selected group of students on conflict and language in play scripts and about writing a poetic monologue. The public appearances will be on Monday evenings, 22 and 29 September and 6 and 13 October, in the Aula of the Academy Building (8-9.30 p.m.).

Programme

Taking as her starting point a cycle of poems from her latest collection, Anne Vegter will give three lectures on the theme violence and love. Vegter makes use of deregulating writing tactics. Language for her is not only to describe or reveal, but also to confuse, to wound or to lead astray. Violence and love are often closely related, not only in the content of literary works, but also in the writing procedure and in language. Her lectures will offer an excursion through her wayward literary universe. Using her own work and fragments from the works of Paul Celan, Elfriede Jellinek, Werner Schwab, Susan Sontag and Antjie Krog, among others, Anne Vegter will explore violent processes and budding love affairs in poetry and drama writing.

During the final discussion on 13 October, Anne Vegter will speak with Ola Mafaalani about working social, relational and inner conflicts into drama productions and poetry. The Eefvanbreengroup will provide musical accompaniment for this final part of the programme.
Anne Vegter photo: Roger Cremers
Anne Vegter photo: Roger Cremers

Anne Vegter

Anne Vegter (1958) became the Dutch Poet Laureate in 2013. She writes poetry, plays and children’s books. She made her debut in 1989 with De dame en de neushoorn [The lady and the rhinoceros], for which she was awarded the Woutertje Pieterse Prize for children’s literature in 1990. Her secondbook, Verse bekken!, was nominated for the AKO Literature Prize 1991. In 2004 she was awarded the Anna Blaman Prize for her entire oeuvre. In 2006, she and her co-author were awarded the Dutch Language Union Playwriting Prize for monologues about the bombardment of Rotterdam. In 2008 and 2012, her poetry collections Spamfighter and Eiland berg gletsjer [Island mountain glacier] were nominated for the VSB Poetry Prize. In 2012 Eiland berg gletsjer won the Awater Poetry Prize. Anne Vegter works as a text performer with the ASKO/Schönberg Ensemble. In March 2014, the Maastricht Theatre Group presented the première of the successful play How to play Francesca Woodman, of which she is co-author.

Guest Writer

Since 1986, the University of Groningen has appointed a Guest Writer each autumn who gives public lectures and a series of seminars. Previous guest writers at the University of Groningen included Dick Hillenius, Doeschka Meijsing, Willem Wilmink, Monica van Paemel, Willem Jan Otten, Gerrit Krol, Nelleke Noordervliet, Bernlef, Rutger Kopland, Joost Zwagerman, Thomas Rosenboom, Bas Heijne, Koos van Zomeren, Tonnus Oosterhoff, Marjolijn Februari, Esther Jansma, Kader Abdolah, Arthur Japin, Annejet van der Zijl, Hans Aarsman and Marjoleine de Vos.

The Guest Writer programme is organized by the University of Groningen and Studium Generale Groningen.
Last modified:17 September 2021 10.18 a.m.
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