Toespraak van staatssecretaris Fleur Gräper-van Koolwijk bij de opening van de Vlaams-Nederlandse beursstand op de Leipziger Buchmesse
Staatssecretaris Fleur Gräper-van Koolwijk (OCW) sprak op donderdag 21 maart 2024 tijdens de opening van de Vlaams-Nederlandse beursstand op de Leipziger Buchmesse. Deze toespraak is alleen beschikbaar in het Engels. Het gesproken woord geldt.
Good morning everyone.
In the Netherlands, we have a well-known saying: ‘Better a good neighbor than a distant friend.’ That saying does not apply here today. Because we are not just neighbors: between Flanders, Germany and the Netherlands, there is also a deep-rooted friendship in the field of culture.
It is a friendship that has grown over the years. And one that will have another opportunity to grow today.
Before I continue, I would like to start by thanking a few people. First of all, the German Minister Claudia Roth, and Joachim Pohlmann, Head of the Flanders Culture Cabinet.
My thanks also go out to Astrid Böhmisch and to her predecessor Oliver Zille, the driving forces behind the Leipzig Book Fair.
I would also like to thank the Dutch Foundation for Literature and Flanders Literature, who have joined forces so that Flanders and the Netherlands can jointly present themselves today as host country of this year’s Leipzig Book Fair. And also Margot Dijkgraaf and Bettina Baltschev, who are ensuring that Flemish and Dutch writers can be seen and heard at the book fair and beyond it.
That is what is so great about this event. At the Leipzig Book Fair, it is not only possible to view the wonderful work of German writers, but also to see what Flemish and Dutch authors have to offer.
And I already have a spoiler for you: it is a lot. It is a literary landscape that is anything but flat and actually extremely varied. Ranging from well-known names to new voices, with new stories.
These are authors who have the courage to venture into uncharted territories. Authors who do not shy away from difficult subjects, but aim to open them up to discussion and debate.
They do so for audiences of every age. Because they cast these stories in novels, poems and children’s books.
Books like ‘Aleksandra’ by the author Lisa Weeda, in which Ukraine’s dramatic history is told based on Weeda’s own family history.
Then there are the poems by Flemish poet Charlotte Van den Broeck , whose carefully-weighed words address such themes as climate change. The book ‘Misjka’ by children’s authors Edward Van de Vendel and Anoush Elman tells the story of Roya, a girl who has fled her own country and tells her life story to her dwarf rabbit, Misjka. Such an amazing variety of stories, produced by a wide range of authors and illustrators.
I am also amazingly happy to be here today. Happy that Flanders and the Netherlands are presenting themselves as host country during the Leipzig Book Fair.
It gives us an opportunity to join forces and show how our literary landscape is structured. And everything that it has to offer.
I hope that more people are able to find their way around that landscape. That includes German readers, who have such a rich literary world of their own to explore.
Hopefully, they will choose more often for a German translation of a book originally written in Dutch. A book that presents them with a different perspective. 1 that shines a new light on this world.
Because that’s what literature does. Literature enriches you.
If I am really honest, I can’t leave home without my e-reader. If I ever have to wait in line, or for my husband, I always reach out for it.
There are all kinds of books on it. Including translations.
I actually think reading translations is important. By reading books by foreign writers, you are presented with a different perspective and a different field of view. A new take on the world.
You discover a piece of the globe that you didn’t know before. Or see it through different eyes.
Literature temporarily transports you into someone else’s shoes. It allows you to experience new adventures or absorb a piece of history.
Dear friends,
These are just a few of literature’s many superpowers. Superpowers for which we all owe a debt of gratitude to the people you will find here today and over the coming days.
I began my speech by expressing a few words of thanks. And, of course, I can't forget the most important people.
The people who create these books. The authors who have the power to touch, thrill and move us with their stories. The illustrators whose drawings bring words to life. And the translators, whose work helps these stories reach even more people.
It is all of you who create that literature landscape. It is you who give it shape.
It is you who ensure that it is a landscape worth discovering. Make sure to do that in the days ahead.
Thank you!