Holland Festival x OBA: In perspective

This afternoon, you will explore the festival program through literature. Discover which books have inspired the artists of the Holland Festival 2025 and which authors are on their reading lists. Featured works include Children of the Days: A Calendar of Human History by Eduardo Galeano, Oroppa by Safae el Khannoussi, and The Second Body by Daisy Hildyard.

How do you transform literature for the stage? How does art find its way back into literature? Moderator Dymphie Braun engages in conversation with director Miranda Lakerveld, author Safae el Khannoussi and Rowan Stol. Lakerveld shares insights about the book Children of the Days: A Calendar of Human History and the research behind her performance Ring of Our Time (23, 24, 25 June). El Khannoussi wrote Oroppa, a dazzling debut novel that reveals the hidden sides of Europe. Rowan Stol is a curator, researcher and writer with a focus on contemporary art as a means of addressing, challenging and (re)imagining social structures. Since 2023, she has been part of the HF Young Circle of the Holland Festival. The panel discussion will be followed by a musical performance.

Stay tuned for more information.

The Second Body is a 2017 essay collection by English writer Daisy Hildyard. In these four extensive essays, Hildyard explores the concept of the 'second body,' referring to the way every living being not only has a physical body but is also embedded in a global network of ecosystems. The collection challenges readers to reflect on the impact of human activities on the environment and emphasizes the interconnectedness of all living beings. The work was praised for its originality and depth.

Choreographer Ola Maciejewska (Poland, 1984) also explores the dynamics of two bodies in her performance The Second Body (June 17 and 18 at Frascati), examining her own physical body and a massive block of ice.

Children of the Days: A Calendar of Human History by Eduardo Galeano presents a collection of stories for each day of the year, with Galeano sharing historical events and anecdotes that shed light on human history. With his distinctive style, he offers an alternative view of the past, often bringing forgotten or overlooked stories to the forefront.

Oroppa by Safae el Khannoussi follows the story of a diverse group of characters, including Hind, who discovers the paintings of the vanished artist Salomé Abergel in the basement of a house in the Amsterdam Rivierenbuurt. This discovery leads to a journey through various cities such as Amsterdam, Paris, Tunis, and Casablanca, with themes of power, migration, and personal search at its core. The novel has been praised for its rich narrative style and deep character development.

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