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Blood is thicker than water, and after nine long years Crossing Border is returning to Antwerp. The programme will be announced in September, but we're working hard to make this edition unforgettable.

The festival takes place in De Studio, a building on the Mechelseplein with an illustrious history. Built as a noble palace in 1870, it was successively a bank, a hotel and an acting school. De Studio has a theater room, a large studio, a lounge for debates, lectures and concerts and cinema rooms. Today De Studio is a busy, alternative place with an ongoing cultural program. The opening night takes place in Arenberg, a wink to previous successful Antwerp editions: these were also held in Arenberg.

The festival is organized in co-production with various cultural partners in Antwerp: Arenberg, De Studio, Antwerpen Boekenstad, poppodium Trix and Lees! (former Antwerp Book Fair). The Flemish edition is held in the same week as the The Hague edition. The special opening night in Arenberg takes place on November 4. The festival night in De Studio will be held on November 6, on different stages.

The program will be announced in early September, together with the start of ticket presales.

Crossing Border returns to Antwerp!

It's word binge time with three brilliant writers in June at Borderkitchen! Roy Jacobsen kicks off with the third of his four part Norwegian island series, Karin Slaughter premières her new bloodcurdling thriller and Gary Shteyngart presents his latest novel. Save the dates!

You can't wait and already want to go to the BorderKitchen evenings? You can!

 There are still tickets available for the BorderKitchen evenings in May 

(1954) debuted in 1982 with his short story collection 

(Prison life). By then, Jacobsen knew what he was talking about: he grew up in a suburb of Oslo and in his teens became member of a criminal gang. The police arrested him when he was 16 and he was placed in solitary confinement for 35 days.

Since 1990 Jacobsen is fulltime writer since 1990 and is considered one of Norway’s most important writers. His 

(2013), a chronicle of the Barrøy family living on an island, was published in more than twenty countries. At BorderKitchen Jacobsen will present the third of what will be a four part series. ‘Nobody can leave an island’, Jacobsen writes in 

. ‘An Island is a cosmos in a nutshell, where the stars sleep in the grass under the snow.’

Locatie: BorderKitchen, Kerkstraat 11, Den Haag
7,50 euro 

(1971) decides to write a new thriller, how she does it already sounds like the opening chapter of one of her novels. She retreats for weeks on end in a small cabin somewhere in the Georgia woods and sees or talks to no one until the book is finished. This recipe has proven itself with a blood curdling series of thrillers that have been sold more than 40 million times in 120 countries, rightly earning her the nickname ‘Queen of Crime’.

Visitors of BorderKitchen have a scoop: the Dutch translation of her latest book has rolled off the press the day before.

locatie: BorderKitchen, Kerkstraat 11, Den Haag
7,50 euro 

(1972) grew up till his seventh in the shadow of an enormous Lenin statue in St. Petersburg, he spent the next seven years in a New York apartment without TV. A trip to Prague in the nineties was the inspirational source for the imaginary city of Prava in his debut novel 

At BorderKitchen, Shteyngart will present his recently published 

 (2021). In it we follow a diverse group of old friends, among them a Russian writer, a psychiatrist, an app developer and a film star, sit out the pandemic in a remote country house. Old wounds are torn open and new romances erupt. ‘A powerful fable of our broken time’, commented Salman Rushdie.

BorderKitchen in June!


In the coming months we will be back with several exciting literary evenings. In April you can go to two evenings in the Royal Theater. Het Nationale Theater and BorderKitchen present an exclusive performance by Tom Lanoye. The Poezieboys are back with Poeziebar XL and we have two American guests in the BorderKitchen in May: Torrey Peters and Jennifer Egan. Read more about the performances below. We hope to see you soon!

April 3 HNT and BorderKitchen present Tom Lanoye (Dutch spoken)

April 20 Poezieboys and Crossing Border present Poeziebar XL (Dutch spoken)

May 16 BorderKitchen presents Torrey Peters

May 19 BorderKitchen presents Jennifer Egan

 will read exclusively from his new book 

 in the Royal Theater. Unique because the story about collaboration in the Second World War in the arts takes place in the Royal Theater.



Hosts Jos Nargy and Joep Hendrikx bring Rock 'n Roll back to poetry in a steaming, sweating and cheering Royal Theater. 10 poets make an appearance, including Asha Karami, Elfie Tromp and Joost Oomen.


 (U.S.) wrote one of the best international debut novels of the past year with Detransition, Baby. The book is about gender, being transgender and motherhood. Torrey Peters will be interviewed by Persis Bekkering.




On May 19, we have an American star author as our guest: Pulitzer Prize winner 

 will make her way to our very own BorderKitchen stage. Roos van Rijswijk will discuss her new book The Candy House in which the successful but restless entrepreneur Bix Bouton develops a technological program that gives access to all your memories, which you can also exchange with others. The system tempts many – though not everyone.


Of course there is plenty of room to ask the authors questions and to have your book signed.

Exciting news! On April 3, Crossing Border, in collaboration with White Rabbit Books and New Dutch Writing, presents the unofficial opening event of the London Book Fair. A live event with Dutch authors, music and international guests in the cultural hotspot The Social in Central London. The program will be announced in the coming weeks.

___________________________________________________________________________

Crossing Border will be 30 years old in 2022! And we celebrate that with a number of special live events. In the near future we will also look back at the history of the festival with a colourful collection of video material from the archives. We will start with three videos: 

an episode of Lola da Musica from the VPRO

 and unique images by Ian Kerkhof. You can find everything on the Crossing Border YouTube channel.

Before Crossing Border started in 1993, there was the Zuiderstrand festival in 1991 and 1992. 

 is a registration of the edition in 1992 by the local broadcaster in The Hague (not to be confused with the Polygoon news:)). With Benjamin Zephaniah, Simon Vinkenoog, Eddie Kagie and Jablkon.

After the beach and the name change, Crossing Border was on the rise: check out this 

 in 1994 with Gerard Reve, Kathy Acker, Gavin Friday and Linton Kwesi Johnson. 

 was also made in 1994 by filmmaker Ian Kerkhof with legendary names such as Henry Rollins and Mark E. Smith

 online with Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream), Claire Keegan, Natasha Brown, Joost van Bellen, Stephanie Phillips, Oek de Jong, Sasha Filipenko and Richard Powers. Listen via your favorite streaming service. Via 

Upcoming events and Crossing Border London!


After two years finally a festival again. Organizing an international live festival during a pandemic proved a challenge, but we went for it and thankfully everything fell into place, including sold out venues and fantastic artists.



 immediately set the tone on the opening night with a book presentation and violin solos. On Friday, 

 demonstrated his great sense of humor in front of a packed Royal Theater, and many more highlights followed such as 

Douglas Stuart, Ghostpoet, CMAT, Tamsin Calidas, Stuart A. Staples

 and many others. 

The move to Korzo Theater and surroundings worked out really well, and so did the extension of the day programme. Next year we will continue on this path, hopefully in full force.

To all visitors: thank you for coming! We hope you enjoyed it and hopefully we’ll see you again next year! The dates are already confirmed. 

Crossing Border 2022 takes place 2 – 5 November ’22 in The Hague

 for more photos of Crossing Border 2021.

See you next year!



With The Chronicles, Crossing Border 2021 once again presented a platform for young, talented and mostly international writers and translators in residence. A daily festival story by authors 

Olivia Wenzel, Natasha Brown, Marta Barone, Tobi Lakmaker, Jens Meijen 

was translated ‘live’ by literary translators P

eter Huijzer, Nevorice Matheu, Sander Grasman, Katja Vekshina, Lotte Hammond 

.

The festival stories are now online!
Click 

Letters of support in the collection of the Museum of Literature



Not so long ago, Crossing Border found itself in serious trouble after the negative Kunstenplan advice. The hundreds of messages of support we received were of crucial importance and helped to turn the tide.

The Museum of Literature has now included the collected statements of support in its museum collection. A very great honour.

Writer Anne Louïse van den Dool wrote a beautiful piece about the protest book. Read it 



On Thursday 18 November the legendary guitarist of the Patti Smith Group 

 comes to BorderKitchen. Don’t miss this!

Lenny Kaye will be interviewed by Lee Brackstone about his latest book 

: an exploration of ten key moments in the history of rock ‘n’ roll. An hour of listening to the most amazing anecdotes of a man who has spent decades on the frontline of rock ‘n’ roll, playing with all the greats. He’s bringing his guitar along!

Date: Thursday 18 November 2021
Time: 20:00
Duration: 60-minute interview + Q&A
Location: BorderKitchen, Kerkstraat 11, Den Haag
Costs: 7,50 (excl. service costs)
Click 

Photos, Chronicles stories and more upcoming events 

Crossing Border 2021: it happened

Less than two weeks to go for Crossing Border!



From 4 – 6 November, over 70 international artists will perform at Crossing Border Festival, with ten locations in the historic city center of The Hague and for the first time: a full day programme on Saturday 6 November.

After weeks of careful deliberation, we’re announcing the timetable today! We also announce the final additions to the festival line-up, including author Oek de Jong and the Belgian band ILA.

Click 

Five great new names complete the line-up of Crossing Border 2021

 (1952) will talk with Ivan Borghstijn. Oek de Jong is writer of an impressive oeuvre, including his best-known books 

 talks about his intoxicating new novel 

 With blood-soaked sentences he describes the hardships and atrocities on board a VOC ship, from the perspective of a wide variety of characters.

Also confirmed: 

, the three-piece fronted by 24-year-old singer-songwriter Ilayda Cicek, who exposes the fickleness of life with her melancholic music. Spoken word artist 

 tells stories about “holding on to the constant letting go and being able to find yourself in being lost” and author and songwriter 

 performs a set based on his new theatre show ‘Reiziger van het Ruige Land’, a journey of songs and stories that takes you from the Groningen countryside to The Great Wide Open of the American road.



ILA is not the only new music act you can discover at Crossing Border this year. For many bands and artists, this will be their first show in The Netherlands!

Take 

, the ensemble of French producer, instrumentalist, and DJ Neue Grafik, forged during after-hours jam sessions in the Total Refreshment Centre in London. Their first album sounds like a big, energetic celebration of cultural cross-pollination.

Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson aka 

is an alternative popstar from Dublin who writes humorous songs about serious topics: fast-food shop breakdowns and kitchen sink dramas, inspired in equal parts by Dolly Parton and RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Black feminist punkband 

 is one of the most talked about bands on the UK live scene. Their sound is a warped fusion of postpunk in the style of The Raincoats and the pop of 1960s girl groups.



is fast conquering the Belgian hip-hop scene. In her songs, she switches effortlessly between Russian, Dutch, and English lyrics. With her raw but poetic lyrics and laidback beats, she undermines linguistic and cultural boundaries.

New York-based musician 

 plays ambient folk that evokes the magical in everyday life. Her second solo album ‘Phenomenal Nature’ is filled with observations capturing the nature and humanity that surrounds her.

South London’s 

began life in 2018, in the home of songwriter Myles McCabe. Their latest album ‘Megabear’ consists of 52 tracks of about half a minute, made to be played on shuffle. With each listen, a unique sonic narrative is created.

Timetable is ready: discover new music and five exciting new names

Timetable online and programme complete


There are many nice additions to the line-up of Crossing Border, but let’s start with a recap of the latest corona regulations. Crossing Border is a festival with seated and standing areas and must therefore take place with 75% of the regular visitor capacity, and with a corona admission pass (CoronaCheck) at the entrance. Once inside there are no restrictions for the visitors. The evening programme takes place from 19.00 to 00.00 (doors open 18.00).

 (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Grinderman) comes to Crossing Border! On Thursday 4 November he will be interviewed at Korzo Theater. During the lockdown Ellis kept himself busy writing, which resulted in a remarkable debut: 

. A story about a piece of gum that became an icon and a meditation on the meanings we bestow on objects and experiences.




On 1 July 1999, Dr Nina Simone gave a rare performance, fated to be one of her last in Britain. After the show, in a state of transcendent awe, Warren Ellis crept onto the stage and took Simone’s piece of chewed gum from the piano, wrapped it in her stage towel and placed it in a Tower Records bag. The gum remained with Ellis for twenty years – a sacred totem, his creative muse – until 2019, when Nick Cave, his collaborator and great friend, asked him if he had anything he could contribute to Cave’s Stranger Than Kindness exhibition . . . Together they agreed that the gum should be housed in a glass case, as though a holy relic. Fearing it would be damaged or lost, Ellis had it cast in silver and gold, sparking a chain of events that no one could have predicted, transporting him back to his childhood and his relationship to found objects.




Thursday 4 November (extra festival day)
Korzo Theater, 20:00

 is a touching novel about loss, guilt, and parenthood, the Russian-Flemish hip hop artist 

 who undermines linguistic and cultural boundaries with her raw but poetic lyrics and laidback beats, and spoken word artist 

who reflects on a youth marked by dyslexia and racism in his new book 

.

Word artist Manu van Kersbergen also comes to Crossing Border, together with the Utrecht-based collective Multibeat. 

 shares the stage with three prolific spoken word artists: 

, who narrates vulnerable, musical stories in which she searches for truth, 

(known from a.o. hip hop collective KernKoppen), and the Palestinian, hip hop inspired 

.
Other newly confirmed spoken word artists are 

, who writes and speaks about religion, love, her own background, nature, and humanism, and Karim Ellouta aka 

, who in his texts moves between worlds of growing up, the now (

) and having both a Dutch and Egyptian nationality.




For the day programme the following names are added: poet, playwright, and performer 

who writes about sexuality, alienation, and queer utopias, 

, who made her debut last year with the fiery collection of poetry E

, who became known nationally with her performance during the national commemoration of Remembrance Day.

They will perform on Saturday 6 November in 

 as part of an afternoon with poets and spoken word artists. More information about the programme and times soon on the website. This location is freely accessible.

Click 

Covid-19 update, new confirmation: Warren Ellis and even more names! 

Warren Ellis at Crossing Border 2021 and more

The programme of Crossing Border 2021 is almost complete!

, who was innocently imprisoned in Guantánamo Bay for over 14 years and tells his baffling story in 

, about the mythical Sudanese jazz band Kamanga Kings who embark on a completely unexpected road trip across Trump’s America, and 

, daughter of a member of the Manson Family, who faces her dark past in her long-awaited autobiographical novel.

Also confirmed: the Dutch-Ukrainian debutant 

with his singular fusion of hiphop, African percussion & pop melodies and the boundary crossing 

, forged during after-hour jam sessions in London. 

makes a comeback with his beautiful new album ‘Facts & Fears’ and the New York-based folk musician 

 evokes magical worlds with her second solo album ‘Phenomenal Nature’.

Click 


New this year is the day programme on Saturday 6 November in various unique bookstores, theatres and other venues in The Hague: Onze Ambassade, Theater Pepijn, Theater Branoul, BorderKitchen, The Bookstor Cafe and Stanza Bookshop.

New names for the day programme are 

, who traded Notting Hill for an isolated island life in the Scottish Hebrides. Debuting authors 

 join actor Jos Nargy for a conversation at his kitchen table. Previously confirmed for the day programme: 

Crossing Border will take place on 5 & 6 November in the historic centre of The Hague, with Korzo Theater as its main location.

More info about the types of tickets and prices on the 


At this moment in time, it is impossible to predict what the situation regarding Covid-19 and national corona measures and/or travel restrictions will be in November. We are now anticipating a fully live festival with a CoronaCheck for visitors. That means entrance is only possible if you can prove at the door that you have no corona. This can be done by showing a proof of vaccination, proof of recovery or an official test for entry and an ID. More information on 


If a live event cannot take place because of new COVID-19 restrictions, or if you have been tested positive before the event, we pay back your ticket (incl. service costs) quickly and without hassle.

The European Literature Prize 2021 goes to 

 by Saša Stanišić, in the translation of Annemarie Vlaming.

 A masterpiece in which one family symbolizes one of the most turbulent periods in post-war history. 

On Saturday 6 November at Crossing Border, jury chairman Manon Uphoff will present the award to Saša Stanišić and Annemarie Vlaming and the winners will talk about their work and the art of translation.

The 

 goes to the best contemporary European novel that was translated into Dutch and published the previous year. What is unique about the prize, is that both author and translator are honored.



was born in Višegrad (former Yugoslavia) in 1978 and fled to Germany with his parents when he was fourteen. With the outbreak of the Bosnian war, they had to leave their country because his mother is Muslim and his father a Christian. With 

 he won the Deutsche Buchpreis in 2019. In this autobiographical novel, Stanišić meticulously dissects what happened during his flight to Germany while narrating his family history.



 (1972) studied German Language and Literature, specialising in Translation. Since 2005 she has been translating fiction from German into Dutch, having now translated more than 30 books including novels by Juli Zeh, Eva Menasse, Daniela Krien, Beatrice Meier and Alain Claude Sulzer. From Saša Stanišić she also translated 

The Crossing Border program is almost complete!
Newly confirmed artists, our day program on Saturday November 6 in various special bookstores, theaters and halls in The Hague, tickets info and the European Literature Prize 2021 winner ...

New Names for Crossing Border 2021

The first names for Crossing Border 2021 are announced and tickets are now on sale! Crossing Border takes place 4-6 November 2021. The festival relocates to beautiful new venues in the historic heart of the city. New in addition to the evening programme: a full day programme on the 6th of November. On the 5th of November is a special event with Colson Whitehead. We’re anticipating a full live event without corona restrictions.


Confirmed are among others Douglas Stuart (day programme), who will talk about his Man Booker Prize winning debut Shuggie Bain, the feminist postpunk band Big Joanie, Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie about his memoirs Tenement Kid, and Stuart A. Staples (Tindersticks) who will perform an acoustic set with solo work and Tindersticks material.

Also confirmed: Colson Whitehead (special event), Jesús Carrasco, Patricia Lockwood, Maxim Osipov (day programme), Willy Vlautin, Agustín Fernández Mallo, Eva van Manen, Sasha Filipenko, Hassan Blasim, Claire Keegan, Alejandro Zambra, Olivia Wenzel, Natasha Brown, Marta Barone, Lale Gül, Jens Meijen, Froukje, CMAT, Adrian Crowley, Sophie Hunger, Billie Marten, Ghostpoet, ME REX, Theon Cross, Anthony Joseph.

More names are announced in the next few months on the programme page.

Get your tickets quickly! More info on tickets and fees on the ticket page.




Crossing Border moves the evening programme to the Hofkwartier and surroundings in the historic centre of The Hague: wonderful new locations in and around Korzo Theater, hidden church De Parochie HH Jacobus en Augustinus and the Lutheran Church.


Crossing Border around the clock! Apart from the evening programmes with music and literature, this year for the first time there will be a full day programme on 6 November spread over 8 locations including Theater Branoul, Cremers downstairs, The Bookstor Café, Boekhandel Stanza and Onze Ambassade. More locations to be announced. Tickets are only 10 euros as an introduction to this new part of the festival. A ticket allows you to roam freely between all the venues.
The day programme includes interviews with Douglas Stuart and Maxim Osipov about their latest novels. Some artists will participate in both the evening and daytime programme. The full day programme will be announced in September.




We are anticipating a 100% live event without restrictions.
If measures have to be taken to allow the festival to go ahead, such as a corona access test, ticket buyers will be informed and you can ask for a refund if you object to these measures.

Should it be impossible to go ahead with a live event because of new COVID-19 restrictions, all your ticket costs (incl. service costs) will be refunded in full, without hassle.


Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead (The Underground Railroad, The Nickel Boys) talks about his new novel Harlem Shuffle. A gloriously entertaining novel about the heists, shakedowns, and rip-offs set in Harlem in the 1960s.

Colson Whitehead (New York City, 1969) grew up in Manhattan as a child of successful entrepreneurs. After his studies at Harvard, he started writing for The Village Voice and began drafting his first novels. His last two books The Underground Railroad (2017), a favorite of former president Obama, and The Nickel Boys (2019) became international bestsellers. Before writing the latter, Whitehead already started working on Harlem Shuffle, an ingenious story set in the New York City of the 1960s. It’s a family saga masquerading as a crime novel, a hilarious morality play, a social novel about race and power, and ultimately a love letter to Harlem.

Location: Koninklijke Schouwburg,
Date & time: Friday 5 November 12:30
Tickets: 10 euros

The Crossing Border festival presents a great list of first names, this year's new day and evening programmes, special events and more ...

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