Guest authors
Guest authors
It has been a tradition for decades now for the Institute to invite an author from the Netherlands or Flanders so that students can come into direct contact with writers from their field of study. He or she usually attends the seminar "Recente Nederlandstalige literatuur", in which the students have intensively studied a Dutch-language work by the author. In co-operation with the Literaturhaus Oldenburg, the guest writer usually gives a reading from the German translation of the work in question in Wilhelm 13 in the evening, providing insights into writing in general in conversation - all in German, so that those interested in Dutch literature who are not (yet) proficient in Dutch can also get to know the guest.
Guest author 2025 Jente Posthuma
Our guest writer Jente Posthuma initially attended the advanced literary studies seminar in the Bachelor's programme in the summer semester of 2025, which was dedicated entirely to her work. The students' questions to the author were correspondingly wide-ranging. They related to various stories and novels: from autobiographical writing, coming of age novels and gender issues to literary role models for the irony in Posthuma's work.
In the evening at the Literaturhaus, the novel Woran ich lieber nicht denken (2025 translated into German) was the focus of the workshop discussion between Prof. Dr Ralf Grüttemeier and Ms Posthuma. The work was first published in Dutch in 2020 under the title Waar ik liever niet aan denk. After its translation into English, the novel was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2024.
The author gave insights into her writing practice, reflected on important motifs such as the twin motif and discussed the international reception of the novel. The audience took a lively part in the discussion, which, despite the heavy subject matter of suicide, was characterised by the humour that also distinguishes Posthuma's writing.
In this way, current contemporary literature came alive this semester in Oldenburg not only for students, but also for a broader public interested in literature. We would like to thank Jente Posthuma for this fascinating insight into her work and her writing practice!
Guest author 2024: Charlotte Van den Broeck
In the summer semester 2024, literary studies teaching at the Institute of Dutch Studies was fuelled by the Flemish guest author Charlotte Van den Broeck. Bachelor's students intensively studied Van den Broeck's texts, in particular the poetry collection Aarduitwrijvingen ('Erdausreibungen', 2021) and the prose volume Waagstukken (2019, ventures 2021). In a workshop with cultural mediator and translator Anna Eble, the students practised translating contemporary Dutch-language poetry into German using Van den Broeck's poems.
Charlotte van den Broeck herself gave a guest session in the seminar, in which she read out her own poems and discussed them with the students in an experience-orientated way. According to the poet, a poem is like a space created by the poet and inhabited by the reader - literary theory in practice. This created a lively impression of contemporary Dutch literature in relation to relevant current topics such as eco- and gender criticism as well as theoretical questions, e.g. about the shifting boundary between prose and poetry. We are looking forward to Charlotte van den Broeck's new work, Een Vlam Tasmaanse Tijgers.
Guest writer 2023 Stefan Hertmans
The tradition of the annual Oldenburg Guest Writing Competition will continue in 2023. This year our guest writer was Stefan Hertmans. He has been one of the most prolific writers in the Netherlands for many years and has been honoured with a number of prestigious literary awards - including the 2014 AKO Literary Prize for Oeuvre and Terpentijn, which was awarded the Engelse vertaling for the Man Booker Prize. Zijn laatste boek is de essaybundel Verschuivingen (2022) die onlangs nog door Cyrlle Offermans in de lage landen (mei 2023) werd geprezen als "een toonbeeld van zinnige ordening", geschreven op basis van "de wil om het bestaande leed" in de wereld te verminderen.
At the request of the Literaturhaus Oldenburg and the Institute of Dutch Studies, Stefan Hertmans will first visit the college Recente Nederlandstalige literatuur on Tuesday 27 June 2023 at the university (room A 14 1-115; 14-16 hrs), where students will thoroughly read and analyse his latest novel De opgang uit 2020, published by De Bezige Bij, in lectures.
's Avonds gaf Stefan Hertmans vanaf 19:30 uur in het Literaturhaus Wilhelm 13 een lezing uit de Duitse vertaling van De opgang: Der Aufgang, uit 2022 (Diogenes), en daarnaa was er een gesprek over deze roman en zijn schrijverschap.
Dit waren twee unieke kansen om deze boeiende schrijver van zeer dichtbij in Oldenburg mee te mogen!
Marente de Moor, guest author of the Institute 2022
The tradition of our annual Oldenburgse gastschrijverschap will continue in 2022. Dan komt de boeiende schrijver Marente de Moor langs, op uitnodiging van het instituut en het Literaturbüro in Oldenburg. On Tuesday 28 June she will visit the College Recente Nederlandstalige literatuur (where, among other things, her latest novel Foon from 2018 will be read) and on the evening she will give a reading from the German edition of Phon, from 2021 at the Literaturbüro (Wilhelm 13). All interested parties are very welcome.
In co-operation with the Literature Office, we have once again succeeded this year in securing a visit to Oldenburg from a renowned Dutch writer: Marente de Moor. On Tuesday 28 June, she will read from the German translation of her latest novel, Phon (2021), in the evening at the Literaturbüro (Wilhelm 13). In the afternoon of the same day, she will be a guest at the university in the seminar Recente Nederlandstalige literatuur, in which the Dutch edition of the novel, Foon (2018) will be discussed. All interested parties are welcome
Hagar Peeters, guest author of the Institute 2020/21
As last year on this place, we had the planned visit of our host Hagar Peeters with one year, in the expectation that corona in the summer 2021 wel over zou zijn. Quod non. So there was nothing else to do but ask her to come online to the college on 18 May 2021. In dat college hadden de studenten ondertussen haar roman Malva (2015) grondig gelezen en het werd dan ook een erg geanimeerde middag, ondanks de beperkingen van het medium (een blog hier over van Laura Feldmann en Fenna Stein vind je hier wp.uni-oldenburg.de/intercultureel-informatie-blog/2021/05/31/gastcollege-hagar-peeters/.). Het traditionele bezoek aan het Literaturhaus Oldenburg - waar zij uar de 2019 bij Wallstein verschenen Duitse vertaling van Malva zou voorlezen - diezelfde avond moest helaas ook komen te vervallen. In addition, an interview with Hagar Peeters has been published on the homepage of the Literaturhaus(www.oldenburg.de/startseite/kultur/literaturhaus/im-gespraech-bleiben/hagar-peeters-malva.html), in which the questions in the college are discussed and in which the dialogue is made by the students of the werkcollege about Hagar Peeters.
Eva Meijer, guest author of the Institute 2019
The tradition of our annual Oldenburgs gastschrijverschap will also be continued in 2019. De boeiende schrijver Eva Meijer (daarnaast ook filosoof, singer-songwriter, beeldend kunstenaar) zal zal op de uitnodiging van het instituut en het Literaturbüro in Oldenburg langs zal komen. On Tuesday, 14 May she will visit the college Recente Nederlandstalige literatuur (where, among others, her latest novel Het vogelhuis uit september 2016 will be read) and 's-avonds in het Literaturbüro zal zij uit de Duitse vertaling Das Vogelhaus voorlezen.
In co-operation with the Literaturbüro, we have once again succeeded this year in securing a visit to Oldenburg from a renowned and very interesting Dutch writer: Eva Meijer. On 14 May, she will be reading at the Literaturbüro in the evening and in the afternoon (2-4pm) she will be taking part in the Recente Nederlandstalige Literatuur seminar at the university, which will focus on her latest novel Het vogelhuis (2016).
Adriaan van Dis, guest author of the Institute 2018
Also in this summer term we were again visited by a Dutch guest author at the instituut voor Neerlandistiek. On 8 May 2018, we received the writer Adriaan van Dis, who is one of the most important authors in the Netherlands.
Before his lecture at the Literaturbüro Wilhelm 13 on Thursday, Van Dis gave a lecture at the literatuurwetenschappelijke college Recente Nederlandstalige Literatuur dat helemaal in het kader van Dis' recente romans Ik kom terug (2014) en In het buitengebied (2017) stond. After a lively reading, the students were given the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the novels with the author.
Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, guest author of the Institute 2017
In June 2017, the writer and poet Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, who lives in Genoa, visited Oldenburg. This continued the tradition of welcoming a renowned Dutch-language guest author to the University of Oldenburg in the summer.
During his visit to Oldenburg, Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer took part in the BA seminar in the afternoon, which was dedicated to his latest novel Peachez (De Arbeiderspers: 2017).
In the evening, Pfeijffer read at the Music and Literature House Wilhelm13 from his novel The Most Beautiful Girl in Genoa. This is the German translation of La Superba, for which he received the Librisprijs in 2014.
Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer's visit was made possible by financial support from the Dutch Taalunie and co-operation with the Oldenburg Literature Office .
Abdelkader Benali, guest author of the Institute 2016
Op 15 juni 2016 was de Nederlandse auteur Abdelkader Benali op bezoek in Oldenburg. Aan de universiteit hield hij een lezing voor een breed publiek van studenten tot hoogleraren. An important topic in his teaching was his recent fatherhood and how this changed his writing. Among other things, it was about the shift in priorities, but also the obligations that you have as an older person towards your child. In the interview below, Benali tells us more about this topic and how he experienced his stay in Oldenburg (video).
Pol van Rijn
Saskia Goldschmidt, guest author of the Institute 2015
In the week of 15 June 2015, the Instituut voor Neerlandistiek de eer had the honour of receiving the renowned Dutch writer Saskia Goldschmidt in Oldenburg. During the week, she was named to all the literary colleges, including a BA-college that was all about her novel De hormoonfabriek (Cossee, 2014; Die Glücksfabrik; dtv, 2014). Then, on 17 June, she gave a lecture on her literary work, which was published in German in Offene Fenster und Türen (2016, ed. Ralf Grüttemeier/Janka Wagner) under the title "Wir brauchen Literatur, um das Unsagbare zu benennen". Then she read from Die Glücksfabrik in Wilhelm13 on Thursday. Het bezoek werd mede mogelijk gemaakt door samenwerking met het Literaturbüro Oldenburg en door financiële ondersteuning van de Nederlandse Taalunie en het Letterenfonds.
Arnon Grunberg, guest author of the Institute 2014
Arnon Grunberg is considered by many to be the most important living author in the Netherlands. As part of the reading tour for his novel Der Mann, der nie krank war (08/2014, Kiepenheuer & Witsch) - the translation of De man zonder ziekte (2012, Nijgh & Van Ditmar) - Arnon Grunberg, who has received many of the most important Dutch literary prizes, also came to Oldenburg for the first time on 25 November 2014.
As part of a BA seminar organised by the Institute of Dutch Studies (Hella Haasse: De indische romans), Grunberg read from his texts and discussed his place in Dutch literature with the audience of around 50.
Jan van Mersbergen, guest author of the Institute 2014
In the week of 16 June, the Instituut voor Neerlandistiek had the honour of welcoming Jan van Mersbergen, one of the most important contemporary writers from the Netherlands, to Oldenburg. This visit was the third in the series of guest writers who have been hosted in Oldenburg since 2005, including Nelleke Noordervliet, Abdelkader Benali, Gerbrand Bakker and Dimitri Verhulst. Het bezoek werd mede mogelijk gemaakt door financiële ondersteuning van de Nederlandse Taalunie en het Letterenfonds. 
Jan van Mersbergen (left) after his reading "Proza vanuit de roots" On Tuesday 17 June there were various events on Jan van Mersbergen's programme. It started at 8 am with a visit to the inleiding in the literatuurwetenschap for one of the first year students. The students had to prepare a piece from a novel by Van Mersbergen in advance. Jan read the piece again and discussed various passages with the students. In turn, the piece was discussed using the method that was on the programme this week: intertextuality. This was a clever way to let the students listen to André Haze's song "De vlieger", which is referenced in the cooked passage. Het gesprek ging echter gauw andere kanten op: zo wilde Jan bijvoorbeeld weten waarom de studenten voor het studievak Nederlands hadden gekozen. Diezelfde middag bezocht hij het college 'Recente Nederlandstalige literatuur' dat in zijn geheel in het teken stond van Van Mersbergens literair oeuvre. Samen met de twaalftal studenten ging de auteur in discussie over zijn nieuwste roman De laatste onstsnapping (2014). The day was rounded off with a German reading, organised in cooperation with the Oldenburg Literature Office in Willem 13. Van Mersbergen read excerpts from the German version of Morgen zijn we in Pamplona and spoke there with Ralf Grüttemeier about his writing. De volgende dag hield Van Mersbergen een lezing over zijn literatuuropvatting op de universiteit - een vast onderdeel van het Oldenburgse gastschrijverprogramma. Hij deed dat onder de sprekende titel 'Proza vanuit de roots - van polder tot cowboys'. Het was een zeer persoonlijk verhaal hoe hij tot het schrijven kwam vol met beelden die de zaal zo gauw niet zal vergeten. Net zoals de andere poëticale lezingen van de gastschrijvers zal ook deze in de kommende maanden door een groepje gevorderde studenten onder leiding van een Oldenburgse docent worden vertaald en in de reeks Oldenburger Universitätsreden worden gepubliceerd. Deze poёtica-lezing was tevens de afsluiting van Jan Van Mersbergens bezoek in Oldenburg. The students in particular were very enthusiastic about this writing book because they found it possible to combine literary theory with practice. They found it to be a unique way of making very close acquaintance with a very popular and, in more than one respect, very respected Dutch writer. Julia Rummeleit Met financiële ondersteuning van de Nederlandse Taalunie en het Letterenfonds 
Dimitri Verhulst, guest author of the Institute 2013
In June 2013, the Flemish writer Dimitri Verhulst was a guest author at the Oldenburg Dutch Studies Centre. He gave readings and took part in literary seminars in the week from 10 to 13 June.
On Tuesday, 11 June (8 pm), he read from his novel "Die Beschissenheit der Dinge" at the Wilhelm 13 Music and Literature House.
On Wednesday 12 June (14-16) he gave the lecture 'Nu een balpen stilaan alleen nog dient om in uw oor te koteren' at the university in the lecture theatre centre, A14 1-112.
In co-operation with the Literaturbüro Oldenburg.
Lucette ter Borg, guest author of the Institute 2012
In the week from 11 to 14 June, the Dutch author Lucette ter Borg was a guest at the Oldenburg Dutch Studies Department.
On Tuesday, 12 June, she gave the reading "Fallkraut" at the Oldenburg Literature Office:
8 pm, Musik- und Literaturhaus Wilhelm 13. Admission: €8 (reduced €6). Advance booking under 235-3014, moderated by Jan Oosterholt. More information here: Oldenburg Literature Office
On Wednesday 13 June from 2-4 pm she will give a reading at the Institute of Dutch Studies in room A14 1-112: "Historische fictie: een parasitair genre".
Lucette ter Borg, born in Amsterdam in 1962, studied Slavic Studies and Historical Pedagogy at the University of Amsterdam. She worked as editor-in-chief for art and culture at the weekly newspaper "Vrij Nederland" and "De Volkskrant"; she is currently art critic for "NRC Handelsblad". In 2005, she was awarded the Geertjan Lubberhuizen Prize for the best Dutch debut.
In co-operation with the Literaturbüro Oldenburg and with the kind support of the NLPVF.
Gerbrand Bakker, guest author of the Institute 2011
Gerbrand Bakker, born in Wieringerwaard in 1962, studied Dutch linguistics and literature in Amsterdam and worked as a translator of subtitles, among other things. He has written an etymological dictionary of the Dutch language as well as the novels "Birnbäume blühen weiß" (2001) and "Oben ist es still" (2008).
He was a guest in Oldenburg from 6 to 10 June 2011. He attended the literary studies seminars in Dutch Studies and gave the two readings:
- "June" at the Oldenburg Literature Office:
Moderation: Prof. Dr Ralf Grüttemeier
- "Een literatuuropvatting, wat is dat eigenlijk?
En heb je er één nodig, als schrijver?" at the university
In co-operation with the Literaturbüro Oldenburg and with the kind support of the NLPVF.
Bart Moeyaert, guest author of the Institute 2010
Bart Moeyaert, born in Bruges in 1964, is one of the great European authors of books for children and young people. He has been nominated several times for the Hans Christian Andersen Award and has received numerous prizes for his works, including the German Youth Literature Prize for his novel "Bare Hands" (1995). He spent just under a week in Oldenburg at the beginning of June. He attended the literary studies seminars in Dutch Studies and also gave the following readings:
-
"De wereld volgens Bart Moeyaert", reading in German
- Reading "Das Schaf namens Erstaunlich!" (in Dutch)
In co-operation with the Oldenburg Literature Office.
Pieter Waterdrinker, guest author of the Institute 2009
In 2009, the Dutch writer Pieter Waterdrinker was our guest. In the week from 22 to 26 June 2009, he took part in literary seminars.
On Monday, 22 June 2009 at 20:00 in the literatur forum oldenburg (Peterstraße 1) he read from his novel "The Wedding of Zandvoort" (the German translation of Duitse bruilof).
On Wednesday, 24 June, he gave a lecture - in Dutch - on his poetics: Leven als Literatuur (at 12 noon in A 14 1-112). This lecture was subsequently translated into German by students and published in the Oldenburger Hochschulschriften series.
In co-operation with the Literaturbüro Oldenburg and with the kind support of the NLPVF.
Abdelkader Benali, guest author of the Institute 2008
Benali was born in Morocco in 1975 and has lived in the Netherlands since 1979. He made his debut in 1996 with the novel Bruiloft aan zee,
, which won various prizes and was translated into several languages. Benali cemented his reputation as a writer in the Netherlands in 2002 with his second novel De langverwachte. In addition to novels, Benali also writes theatre plays and poetry and works as a reviewer and columnist for various newspapers and magazines. Most recently, he published the novel De Marathonloper, a literary realisation of his own experiences as a runner.
During his visit to Oldenburg, Benali presented his work in German in a reading at the literatur forum oldenburg and gave a lecture in Dutch at the university entitled "Een lezing over verliefd zijn op je onthechting".
Organised in co-operation with the literatur forum oldenburg.
Esther Jansma, guest writer RUG 2007
On 22 November 2007, the Dutch author Esther Jansma, guest writer at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, was a guest in Oldenburg.
Programme:
- At 4 pm in room A10 2-212:
Mag ik Orpheus zijn? Over grensen en de douaniers van de taal.
- At the Literatur Forum Oldenburg, Peterstr. 1, at 8 pm
Esther Jansma will read from her poems translated into German and talk about her texts with Ralf Grüttemeier.
Esther Jansma, born in Amsterdam in 1958, works as a writer primarily in the field of poetry. As an archaeologist, she is also the scientific director of the Dutch Centre for Dendrochronology, which she herself co-founded. In 1988, she made her debut with the poetry collection 'Stem onder mijn bed', in whose poems she engages in a kind of personal archaeology as a way of remembering her own life. However, she emphasises that even an 'I' appearing in poems is by no means always the same as the writer. Distance and consternation are not contradictory in her poetry. Jansma is a jury member for several literary prizes and has received various awards for her publications.
In co-operation with the Literaturbüro Oldenburg and the Bibliotheksgesellschaft Oldenburg.
Nelleke Noordervliet, guest author of the Institute 2007
This summer, the Dutch writer Nelleke Noordervliet
will be a guest in Oldenburg.
Nelleke Noordervliet, born in Rotterdam in 1945, now lives as a freelance writer in Amsterdam. She studied Dutch, literature and theatre studies in Leiden and Utrecht. Her books have been honoured with several important prizes.
Tuesday, 5 June: at 8 pm in the "literatur forum
oldenburg" (Peterstaße 1):
Nelleke Noordervliet will read from her novel "The Shadows of Pelican Bay"
in German.
Wednesday 6 June: 4-6pm: University Senate meeting room
of the University of Oldenburg, A14-1-111:
Lecture in Dutch
Organised in co-operation with the literatur forum oldenburg.
M. Februari, guest writer RUG 2006
On 23 November 2006, the Dutch writer M. Februari, guest writer at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen 2006, was a guest in Oldenburg.
PROGRAMME
| 11.10 a.m. | Arrival of the Groningen delegation at the Pferdemarkt with the Public Express bus from Groningen (bus stop opposite Havana) |
| 11.30 a.m. | Reception by the Lord Mayor in the town hall |
| 13.00 hrs | Short welcome in School III (A 10 2-212), followed by lunch in the canteen |
| 15.00-17.00 | Literatuur, belediging en het recht (A 10 2-212) M.Februari over Pieter Waterdrinker: Danslessen en Herman Brusselmans: Uitgeverij Guggenheimer Ralf Grüttemeier over Maxim Biller: Esra |
from 17.00 | Borrel in Prosecco |
| 18.40 hrs | Departure of the Groningen students with the Public Express bus to Groningen (Central Station, ZOB), alternatively at 18.50 (Uhlhornsweg University) |
| 19.30 | M. Februari: Reading and discussion in the lecture hall of the Oldenburg State Library |
Anne Provoost, guest author of the Institute 2006
At the request of the Seminar for Dutch Studies, writer Anne Provoost visited Oldenburg from 5-10 June 2006. 
In de Senaatszaal hield Anne Provoost een lezing onder de titel "En dan nu het slechte nieuws, Het kind als antagonist". In Duitse vertaling zal de voordracht worden gepubliceerd in de reeks Oldenburger Universitätsreden. 
Op de universiteit was de schrijfster o.m. te gast in het college Jeugdliteratuur. 
On 6 June, Anne Provoost presented the German version of her novel "De Arkvaarders"(Flood Time) at the Literature Forum. De avond werd geopend door Monika Eden van het Literaturbüro der Stadt Oldenburg. More information about Anne Provoost: www.anneprovoost.com anneslogboek .blogspot.com/ nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Provoost
P.F. Thomése, guest author of the Institute 2005
In 2005, the Dutch guest author P.F. Thomése will be a guest in Oldenburg.
On Tuesday 7 June, P.F. Thomése will be reading at the university:
14-16 uur, A14 1-111 (Senate meeting room)
De ongevestigde orde (in Dutch).
On 8 June, P.F. Thomése will read from his book 'Schattenkind' in Dutch and German in the attic of Peterstraße 1 (Kulturamt) at 8 pm. Jan Oosterholt will introduce the author and talk to him about his literature.
In co-operation with literatur büro oldenburg.
Thursday 9 June:
18-20 uur, A10 2-212
Open college waarin Thomése vragen van studenten beantwoordt.
Tonnus Oosterhoff, guest writer RUG 2005
In 2005, the guest writer from the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Tonnus Oosterhoff, will also be a guest in Oldenburg. He will give the readings:
- Literatuurkritiek en literatuuronderzoek
Precieze lezing van De donkere kamer van Damokles van W.F.Hermans leidt tot een ongebruikelijke visie op het boek en Hermans' schrijfwijze en -opvatting. The question arises: why have critics and writers always neglected this way of reading?
- Reading in the lecture theatre of the Oldenburg State Library
(Pferdemarkt 15):
The tendency of the evening will be to show the versatility of the guest. Mr Oosterhoff will begin with a 30 - 45 minute section on internet poetry. This will be followed by a second part in which he will read some poems in German and in Dutch. In a third part, Mr Oosterhoff will read a short piece from his book "Das dicke Herz".
This will be followed by an interview conducted by Prof. Dr Ralf Grüttemeier.
Admission free!
Koos van Zomeren, guest writer RUG 2004
In 2004, the project for the annual event with the respective guest writer from the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, initially in cooperation with the Oldenburg library community, the literatur büro Oldenburg and the Institute of Dutch Studies, will start with the Dutch author Koos van Zomeren.
On 17 November at 4 pm he will give the lecture: De waarden van dieren. Over het mensbeeld in ons dierbeeld.
In the evening, he will read from his book in the lecture theatre of the Oldenburg State Library: Lord Byron was here too.