The board of the Amsterdam World Book Capital 2008 consisted of:

Judith Belinfante, Chair ( University of Amsterdam )
Rene Appel ( Association of Writers )
Rob Haans ( Collective Propaganda for the Dutch Book )
Aad Meinderts ( Reading Foundation )
Marieke Oomen ( Dutch Booksellers Association )
Hans van Velzen ( Amsterdam Public Library )
Fri Robbert ( Dutch Publishers Association )
Barry Wiebenga (former Director Reading Foundation )

Poem ‘Amsterdam’

Poet Adrienne Slomp district north of Amsterdam was inspired by the city and wrote the following poem:

The city is a book
even those who do not want to read
explains the IJ
shiny ribbon
exposing the words
streets are
between the lines
behind every facade
lies a life
curve rose
questioned
each sentence Hide
what is not allowed to see light
the gutters flowing
the beating blood
Counting towers lived hours
call it off
old sounds reverberating
triumph that no one understands
squares give space
seeking to eyes
peace parks fenced
respite for those who do not wish
the embrace of the canals
sigh language is loose
of the past
shows the dirt
in all its beauty
flowing away from shore Fri
and shall be open
the IJ

Adri Slomp (Translated)

Poem “A MOKUMER”

Wim Moerenhout, the gray poet of Osdorp, has responded to our call and up to three poems sent to Amsterdam. Here’s the poem A MOKUMER.

A MOKUMER

A mokumer can not live without injected,
The humor he finds in the street every day,
Enjoy it to give tit for tat
And performs like you mean it but not bad.

Try it decides not to command,
Overlapped commands he ever be ignored,
Posh people can not appreciate
Has moved quickly when he sees something bad.

Oh, Amsterdam, your children are figures,
That is sometimes difficult sometimes loyal,
That makes you an interesting story.

Coils that have described in Carmiggelt
And many of your character appears,
He’d love you if you’re not normal.

Wim Moerenhout,
The gray poet of Osdorp
(Translated)

Poem OSDORP, Past and Present ‘

Wim Moerenhout, the gray poet of Osdorp, wrote the poem OSDORP, Past and Present.

OSDORP, Past and Present.

Reminded of it previously Osdorp
there will be a peace in me.
Not far from my parents’ house on foot,
half floor in a narrow,
gloomy street, was the adventure for me:
the gardens, greenhouses, fields, ditches.

And when in winter the locks had been frozen
I could, the city boy, tying the skates,
escape the stuffiness of the city,
enjoying the vastness around me.
Land with a house here and there.
People who edited a piece of land,
A life of hard work, but not wealth.
Sounds and smells, the silence from me that toewaaiden,
crowing roosters, hens cackling,
grunting pig, smells of manure.

I skate sometimes to the church of Locks,
I tied it by the wooden runners off.
Discovered a calmness that was beneficial,
some shops, a cafe and at the church
the resting place of the dead.
Back home, low sunlight conjured
landscape with a mystical shadows.
At night I fell asleep like a log,
I dreamed that day had witnessed.

2

After the hunger winter the city got a new Hunger:
to attend larger, wider at houses.
Triest based in the old country
violence of thick tubes, pistons slorpende
and rooting using graafmonters.
The soil in garden areas, greenhouses, fields, ditches
was doomed to wear a city.

Sadly sighed the thick sprayed country
under rainy skies, wet and cold in winter,
dry and cracked open in spring and summer.
Dust clouds caused than for desert landscapes.

Finally, the unorganized nature of past years,
there were roads, streets, buildings,
parks, lakes, sports fields, office blocks.
What was far away in my memory, almost too far.

Because I, like many, left the old neighborhood
where my youth had lived.
I have been living a long lifetime
in the garden city, once an adventure
areas of the garden, greenhouses, fields and ditches.

Wim Moerenhout
The gray poet of Osdorp

(Translated)

Poem “The Sloterplas”

Here’s the poem that the Sloterplas Wim Moerenhout, the gray poet of Osdorp, specially made for the Amsterdam World Book Capital.

Sloterplas

You create space for water
midst of a young city.
Wherever I am at your bank,
I see a vastness, the colors
receives from the sky.

The water moved by wind,
gives me endless patterns.
Sometimes windless hours
a puzzle for you
light and dark. And a
lone fishing boat
strengthens your silence.

The sand from your game,
buried in the country when
and gave a foothold to
hundreds of blocks.

But nature, which was
partly remained
because you vast water
surrounded by waving reeds,
by grass, bushes and trees,
continued to give breath
the living man.

Who created you,
We knew that without nature
can not live.

Wim Moerenhout
The gray poet of Osdorp

(Translated)

Poem ‘world book capital Amsterdam: a very long book’

Borough ZuiderAmstel Poet, Charles EN Grazell, made his second poem about Amsterdam World Book Capital! We still call all the poets in their poems district of Amsterdam World Book Capital to us e-mail .

world book capital Amsterdam:

a very long book

The old city is a market. A market
the old city: stalls with many miles.
Tons, hundreds of tons of books
pressing the peat soil of many centuries.
And every book you can browse inside.
Go and sit sprawled in the words and
choose the left or right edge of a dialogue.
Ask an indirect object glass
and snacks to serve on the pages of language.
Turn up your vowels Bredero’s songs
Julius Röntgen hear.
Then walk with Kylian and Kouwenaar,
with Presser and Willem Pijper:
through the trees as metaphors
are meditating in a plot of canals
(Talking, but stay humble like a adverb).
Late at night, when the sun as a
direct object is gone, do
the sentences with a pennenstreekje love
with a grammatical passion ready.
And in the night breeze as a vast space
depends on the punctuation of the stars
you dream that your life is a big book,
published in the book world city
and that you find in all those miles:
that book you’re writing yourself.

Charles EN Grazell
first quarter of poet ZuiderAmstel
and the third of Amsterdam

(Translated)

Poem Amsterdam World Book Capital 2008

Borough ZuiderAmstel Poet, Charles EN Grazell made the first poem of Amsterdam World Book Capital.

Amsterdam
World Book Capital 2008

Who does not love the words-
loses its value.
whose words bruises
and knevelt, affects all
freedom lost.

that is the sense of being, which
Century after century has taught
books by my city,
all those books to his
streets, with its canals
written and put,
bound and released:

Who does not love the words-
loses its value.
whose words bruises
and knevelt, affects all
freedom lost.

read on the battlefields
of how the pages
writers (such as Erasmus.
Coornhert and Multatuli
and many others) in the
books of my city,
centuries challenged books
free to think – it
true, and worthy
and just to be:

Who does not love the words-
loses its value.
whose words bruises
and knevelt, affects all
freedom lost.

Charles EN Grazell
first quarter of poet ZuiderAmstel
and the third of Amsterdam

(Translated)

Amsterdam, City of Letters

Ever since the Golden Age of the Dutch Republic in the 17th century, Amsterdam has been a world book capital with a leading reputation in the Netherlands and beyond. Amsterdam has always opened its doors to writers fleeing oppression elsewhere. Along with the open-mindedness of the book trade, this tradition has ensured the Dutch capital’s thriving success as a literary hub, as a home to many industrious writers, printers, bookshops, publishers and antiquarian booksellers. UNESCO’s granting of the title of World Book Capital to Amsterdam presents the city with a unique opportunity to reaffirm its international reputation as a place of refuge for free speech and the written word.

Mission statement

Amsterdam World Book Capital wants to inspire and propagate dialogue and debate about the freedom of expression. The city aims to do this by adopting the ‘Open Book’ theme as its guiding principle. This theme ties in with Amsterdam’s character as a city of books, linking books with the social realities of the present, in the Netherlands and around the world. An ‘open book’ clearly presents plenty of opportunity to share insights into sector-specific domains such as copyright, self-censorship and digital media, and to explore them in greater depth.

As World Book Capital, Amsterdam will encourage a wide-ranging public to become actively involved with books in all their diversity during the twelve months the city bears the title. This will be achieved by organising an array of public events and happenings as well as workshops at schools and in city neighbourhoods. The ‘openness’ of the theme does not apply for the professional field alone, but also extends to the public at large. The whole city must be imbued with inspiring, intriguing and exciting initiatives and activities around reading and books. Amsterdam World Book Capital is therefore making a priority of reaching out to the public in their own neighbourhoods, so that all the city’s inhabitant feel they are active participants in Amsterdam World Book Capital.

In the year 2008/2009, Amsterdam will be presenting itself as a port of sanctuary for the World of Books by entering into a dialogue and establishing links to the printed word as an instrument for building bridges across countries and cultures. These objectives will be achieved by bolstering existing initiatives, by launching one-off and recurring events, and by exchanging expertise and ideas with other countries.

Aims and objectives
Amsterdam World Book Capital aims to firmly place Amsterdam on the world map as a city of books par excellence, to promote the book and the publishing profession and to broadcast the ‘Open Book’ message far and wide. The event will achieve this by forging links, building bridges and entering into dialogue. The general public’s active involvement in this process is key, in order to spark an active engagement with books as well as to broach and tackle industry-specific themes that are relevant at an international level. The topical theme is highly appropriate for pressing home the social relevance of books and the spoken word, and for reaching out to a broader public. At the international level, expertise and ideas from other countries will be welcomed with open arms and, in turn, disseminated to other countries, as a means of promoting Amsterdam as a sanctuary for the freedom of expression, a quality that rests on a centuries-old tradition and coexists with professional expertise.

Theme and motifs

The theme of Amsterdam World Book Capital is the ‘Open Book’. The motifs that with this include the city as a place of sanctuary, open-mindedness, tolerance, freedom of expression and dialogue.

Scope

The national and international allure of Amsterdam as a refuge for the freedom of expression and as a world-leading city of books is an important spearhead with regard to the event’s scope and reach. Amsterdam World Book Capital is also endeavouring to penetrate deep beneath the skin of society, which means that the participation of local and regional publics will be actively encouraged.

Target groups

From professionals to the general public and from young to old: Amsterdam World Book Capital is taking place in a multifaceted city with a highly varied population and a diversity of visitors. The Amsterdam World Book Capital programme takes these differences into account by being highly targeted and recognises overarching similarities by building bridges.

Visualisation

In view of Amsterdam’s history – and besides the logo and the use of other visual media in the city itself – the organisation has endeavoured to find iconic personalities who tell a story about Amsterdam, a World Book Capital of yesteryear and the 21st century, as well as reflecting international allure and sparking the interest of diverse target groups, all in harmony with the umbrella theme.

The three selected icons are:

Spinoza

Amsterdam is the ‘City of Spinoza’. Spinoza spent the greater part of his life in Amsterdam and it is here that he formulated his revolutionary ideas. Nevertheless, Spinoza has not received the recognition he deserves.

Anne Frank

Anne Frank is the most famous writer that the Netherlands has ever produced. In recent years we have seen increasing evaluation of Anne Frank as an author. It seems self-evident that Anne Frank should occupy a prominent place in the capacity of accomplished author.

Annie M.G. Schmidt

The internationally renowned author of children’s books, Annie M.G. Schmidt, has captivated many generations of children with her immortal characters. Her works include Pluk van de Petteflet (Pluck mit dem Kranwagen in German, Pluk el del Torrificio in Spanish, with the Dutch-language film version dubbed as Tow Truck Pluck in English), Jip en Janneke (Bob and Jilly, Julia und Alexander, Los inseparables Mila y Yaco, even Jippus et Jannica in Latin), and Minoes (Minnie, Cette mystérieuse Minouche, Die geheimnisvolle Minusch). Annie M.G. Schmidt was born and bred in Amsterdam and her oeuvre encompasses many genres, including songs, musicals, and radio and television scripts. Many of her children’s books were successfully turned into films.

PROGRAMMATIC FRAMEWORK

The year will be subdivided into four ‘seasons’, with one or several major public events taking place during each season.

1. April-June 2008

The opening sees the spectacular arrival of the flotilla of books, an opening celebration for the city of Amsterdam and all its inhabitants. With an international festival, a special programme for children and youngsters, an international symposium on copyright and, of course, an extravagant celebration of books on and around the water.

Plans to stage the opening on the banks of the IJ waterway are gradually taking shape, with the Amsterdam Public Library (OBA), the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ concert hall, Pakhuis de Zwijger – a warehouse converted into a centre for culture and media – and the Overhoeks Tower as the landmark venues. Spectacular events both on and alongside the water will play an equally important role, with a fleet of ships, canal boats, ferries and specially designed ‘literary boats’ transporting the public between the venues. Two illustrious international authors will feature as keynote speakers during the festival’s official opening ceremonies on 23 April.

From 24 to 27 April, Amsterdam’s international literature festival will unfold at various places in the Dutch capital. At the same time, ‘The Republic’ will be declared on the banks of the IJ, providing a sanctuary for a multitude of artists who will regale the public with surprise encounters with artistic bounty of a literary hue.

There will also be a number of symposia for professionals during this season, as well as exhibitions and other activities.

2. July-September 2008

The emphasis of the summer season is on a whole raft of open-air activities, amateur writers and the international visitor.

Parc Poetry is the ambitious public event that will be taking place in Amsterdam’s various parks, surprising visitors and open-minded summertime tourists with live poetry, music and artistic happenings, offering a different look at the park and the surroundings through the eyes of writers and poets. There will also be writing workshops for budding authors and lovers of literature under the supervision of established columnists and published authors. Coinciding with the start of the academic year, an important international symposium about self-censorship will be convened in De Balie, a centre for culture and politics. The annual ‘European Heritage Days’ (‘Open Monumentendag’) mark the start of a special project entitled ‘Printing in Progress’ (‘Drukwerk in uitvoering’) that will introduce the public to book production processes of centuries past. A composition ‘for printing press and orchestra’ will receive its premiere and the myriad printing presses in the Netherlands will each print a single page of a book that will be presented at the close of the Amsterdam World Book Capital year.

3. October-December 2008

The arrival of autumn means it is time to seek shelter indoors. This season’s focus is developments in digital media and animation.

AWBC will be coordinating its activities under this theme with Cinekid, an annual film, television and new media festival for children, the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) and the PICNIC Cross Media Week. There will be a series of masterclasses on illustrating for children’s books, and the annual exhibition of ‘The Best Dutch Book Designs’ (‘De Best Verzorgde Boeken’) will open at the Stedelijk Museum. There will also be various symposia during this period, as well as guest appearances by several leading international authors.

4. January-April 2009

The New Year also means the end of Amsterdam’s year as World Book Capital is gradually approaching. In the same way as the cycle of seasons ends where it begins, Amsterdam World Book Capital also culminates in a “big bang” on the banks of the IJ.

AWBC will be staging an unforgettable celebration on and around the Leidseplein in association with the Riposte Festival of Literature (Literatuurfestival Weerwoord), which is celebrating its fifth anniversary. A massive tent will be erected on the Dam Square for the National Read-Aloud Days (Nationale Voorleesdagen). At the end of a whole twelve months as World Book Capitial, Amsterdam will be transformed into one big bazaar, so that everyone can roam through the city (from north to south and from east to west), visiting all kinds of organisations and stages where activities of a literary hue will be taking place. The public will once again be offered transport in ‘typical Amsterdam style’ – this time by means of pedal power (of the two- and three-wheeled variety), special trams and other modes of transport. The banks of the IJ waterway are once again the focal point for this Amsterdam Literary Bazaar, and it is from here that the title of World Book Capital will be given a rousing send-off at the close of a year filled with books.

Announcing Definitive Programme of the Copyright Symposium
Amsterdam World Book Capital is pleased to announce the definitive programme of the Internationale Copyright Symposium on 21 and 22 April 2008. The Copyright Symposium is the first event in the context of the year-long Amsterdam World Book Capital programme, which officially opens on 23 April 2008. Internationally respected speakers share their views on the role of copyright in the age of the internet and far-reaching digitization. This is an area that concerns everyone involved in the publishing profession. Make sure you register soon for the International Copyright Symposium on 21 and 22 April 2008, using the online registration form.

24-01-2008
Call for Nominations IPA Freedom to Publish Prize
The International Publishers Association (IPA) has issued a call for nominations for the 2008 IPA Freedom to Publish Prize.

01-11-2007
The Diary of Anne Frank wins Audio Book Prize
The Dutch language audio CD of Anne Frank’s Het Achterhuis (The Diary of a Young Girl) has been awarded the Dutch Prize for Best Audio Book 2007. In awarding the prize, the jury noted that the book’s narration by the Dutch actress Carice van Houten (whose recent roles include leading lady in Paul Verhoeven’s film Black Book) brings “Anne Frank back to life”. Anne Frank is one of the icons of Amsterdam

03-09-2007
The board of the bookpublishers of the Dutch Publishers Association (GAU) decided to sponsor the IPA Freedom to Publish Prize in connection with Amsterdam World Book Capital. The prize will be presented at the opening ceremony of the international seminar on censorship on 18 September 2008 in Amsterdam.

06-09-2007
The Dutch audio CD “The Diary of a Young Girl -Anne Frank” is nominated for the Dutch Prize for Best Audio CD 2007.

03-09-2007
Princess Laurentien visited Manuscripta. Princess Laurentien visited the stand of Amsterdam World Book Capital at Manuscripta (3th September 2008). The Princess spoke with director Lidy klein Gunnewiek about Amsterdam World Book Capital. On the background CPNB director Henk Kraima (behind the Princess) and deputy-director Paul Mosterd. The CPNB organised the bookfair Manuscripta.

20-08-2007
In the weekend of 25-26th of August you could have visited us at the Uitmarkt. The Uitmarkt is the start of cultural season in Amsterdam and runs from 24-26 of August 2007. You could have visited The Amsterdam Bookmarket on Saturday and Sunday from 11.00-18.00 hours. Our stand (nr 1) was at the start of the bookmarket at the Piet Heinkade (Oostelijk Havengebied).

07-07-2007
Amsterdam World Book Capital was present at the opening of the new Amsterdam Public Library at 07.07.’ 07.

16-06-2007
In September 2008, the 2008 IPA Freedom Prize will be presented by the President of the International Publishers’ Association (IPA), at the international symposium on (self-)censorship that is being held in the Dutch capital as part of Amsterdam World Book Capital 2008. This was announced at the presentation of the 2007 IPA Freedom Prize to the Zimbabwean publisher Trevor Ncube at the opening ceremony of the second International Cape Town Book Fair, which runs from 16 to 19 June.

23 April 2008
Amsterdam in Words
Locatie: Amsterdam Public Library (OBA)

18 May 2008
Wereldboekenmarkt (World Book Market)

18 May 2008
Hier is … Adriaan van Dis

18 May 2008
Simon Vinkenoog 80!

9 June 2008
Onmoeting met Siri Hustvedt
locatie: Spui 25

10 June 2008
PAUL AUSTER signeert bij Selexyz Scheltema
locatie: Selexyz Scheltema

27 June-26 September 2008
Spinoza as a guide for a free world, exhibition

10 June 2008
Lezing Paul Auster

20 July 2008
POETRY in Frankendael

9+10 Aug 2008
POETRY in Bijlmerpark

10 Aug 2008
Poet in Sloten

17 Aug 2008
POETRY in Amstelpark

6 Sept 2008
Interactive poetry exhibition in the Vondelpark

1 Oct 2008
Children’s Book City

19-26 Oct 2008
Cinekid theme days of film adaptations of children’s books at Westergasfabriekterrein

6-7 Nov 2008
Adaptive Content Processing Conference

16 Nov 2008
Photos of Letters to Anne in the Holendrecht activity centre

30 November 2008
One Minutes Festival with the presentation of the Book in 1 Minute Award

10 December 2008-8 March 2009
Romeyn de Hooghe. The Late Golden Age brought to life.

23 December 2008
Wintertime stories, Boerderij Langerlust

January-February 2009
Hidden Treasures: Amsterdam City Archives

29 January 2009
The Gedichtendag (Poetry Day)

15 February 2009
Letters to Anne, Volkskrantgebouw, Wibautstraat

19 February to 1 March 2009
Children’s book film festival, De Uitkijk Film Theatre

20 March 2009
The Night of Books

22 April 2009
Closure, Amsterdam World Book Capital