We are excited to announce the first names of the line up of the Crossing Border Festival 2024, which will take place between 30 October and 2 November in various venues in The Hague.
After two sold-out events Crossing Border will move to a larger venue for the evening programme: The Royal Theatre. We are thrilled to come back to this beautiful theatre where Crossing Border had many magical past editions.
- The evening programme in the Royal Theatre will take place on 1 and 2 November.
- The day programme will take place on 2 November in venues throughout the city, including BorderKitchen, Het Mauritshuis and Zaal 3.
Tickets are now on sale, daytickets and passepartouts for the evening programme and separate tickets for the authors in the day programme.
You can read more about the programme per day here. The full programme will be announced on 5 september.
Literature programme
This year, we once again present an eclectic array of authors from all over the world. Pulitzer Prize winner Nathan Thrall presents his acclaimed novel A Day in the Life of Abed Salama, that paints a human portrait of the tragic struggle and history of Israel and Palestine. We also welcome the Scottish musician and now author Stuart Murdoch, known as the lead singer and songwriter of Glasgow's Belle & Sebastian. He will present his first novel: Nobody’s Empire, about romantic music lover Stephen, who is diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome after a lengthy hospital stay and has a spiritual awakening through music. Moor Mother, also known as Camae Ayewa, is an international jack-of-all-trades: she travels the world as a musician, composer, poet, visual artist and curator, and has exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum and the Brooklyn Museum of Art in New York. During Crossing Border, Moor Mother will recite lyrics from her latest album, The Great Bailout, interweaving past, present and future through her Afrofuturist lense.
Croatian writer Slobodan Šnajder will present his new book The Angel of Disappearance, which he worked on for eight years. The story is an ode to the city of Zagreb and its humble heroes. Presenting the fourth novel of her seven-part series, we welcome Danish writer Solvej Balle, the author of On the Calculation of Volume, about time-prisoners trapped on the date 18 November. Hisham Matar was born in New York where his father was a diplomat for Libya. Matar is an activist against totalitarian regimes in the Middle East and is known for his thought-provoking opinion pieces. At Crossing Border he will join us to discuss his new book Friends.
Furthermore, we welcome French author Jean-Baptiste Andrea, whose work is known for its narrative and emotional power. The long-awaited Dutch translation of acclaimed novel Watching Over Her will be published in October 2024, just before his visit to Crossing Border. De Duyns Salon presents a slightly melancholic yet always cheerful literary carousel with three generations of Duyns. Father Cherry and son Don have once again put together a varied programme of stature. Not only will they perform their own texts: there will also be guest performances by playwright Vera Morina, poet and writer Twan Vet and Pale Puma, the band around singer and guitarist Django Duyns. A unique opportunity to see three generations of one family at work.
More great authors have been confirmed, including Ariana Harwicz, Jonas Eika, Sofie Verdoodt, Safae El Khannoussi, Kaveh Akbar and Karl Marlantes.
Music programme
The music programme this year includes: LA LOM, which stands for The Los Angeles League of Musicians. The group presents a genre-transcending repertoire reflecting the musical diaspora of the Angelenos. We also welcome The Antlers & Okkervil River, who are doing a special tour together. They will be playing intimate solo-ish sets, joined by a couple of musical friends as they will traverse songs of their sprawling catalogs and try-out some works-in-progress. Each will play a set of their own, followed by a collaborative set to coles out the evenings. June McDoom presents her debut EP. Her Jamaican reggae roots blend with a deep love for other styles: first folk music and songwriting from the 1960s and 1970s, later also jazz and early soul. We also welcome FaceSoul, who has been using his love of poetry, music and storytelling to escape from everyday life all his life. He grew up in East Africa. At 19, he embarked on a long world tour, using his voice to connect with communities from all over the world. Local Natives bring their alternative rock with a touch of sixties-style California to Crossing Border - as well as their new album But I'll Wait for You.
For more information about the programme click here.
KIDS’ PROGRAMME | 2 NOVEMBER
The Crossing Border children's book programme is back this year. The second edition will take place on November 2 in several rooms of Theater Vaillant. The programme consists of writers and illustrators from different countries who have earned their spurs internationally. A diverse selection of voices, languages and life experiences.
The writers read their own stories in their native languages and there is also a Dutch translator reading along. There are interviews about the creative and artistic processes behind the stories, followed by interactive workshops. There are separate events for different age groups. Each event lasts +/- one hour. The books are for babies and toddlers (0-4), beginning readers (4-8) and advanced readers (8-12+). The age categories are an estimate.
At the Kids’ programme, we welcome Marc Majewski, an award-winning illustrator and picture book maker who presents Butterfly Child, a gorgeously painted, tender story about a young child who loves dressing up as a butterfly. A joyful celebration of creativity, self-expression, and family. Beatrice Alemagna was born in Bologna and has been illustrating books by all kinds of writers for over 20 years: from Appolinaire to Astrid Lindgren. Paint, pastel, chalk, India ink, pencils, felt-tip pens and collages: whatever technique she chooses, she creates sharp, intense contrasts between dark and light. In doing so, she exposes sometimes challenging themes, such as our relationship to others, ageing and grief. Edward van de Vendel writes books for children and young adults, in the form of poetry, song lyrics, fiction, picture books and non-fiction and has won numerous awards for his work including recently the prestigious Theo Thijssen-prijs and the Gouden Poëziemedaille. Eva Montanari creates scenes populated by tender and bizarre characters. She has published more than 30 books in Italy and abroad; her Little Crocodile series has been translated into 13 languages. Lebanon-born Leila Boukarim traveled the world over the course of her life and now lives in Berlin. She has published several children's books, including Lost Words: An Armenian Story of Survival and Hope, about the Armenian genocide. Leila’s stories are heavily influenced by her upbringing in the Middle East and raising two young boys.
For more information about the KIDS’ Programme, click here.
YOU’LL HAVE TO SCREAM LOUDER | 30 OCTOBER
(Dutch Spoken)
The event for upcoming Dutch language talent is back with the first confirmations: Steff Geelen, David Weel, Ashley Ho and Alexander Moto.
Part of the programme this year is CROSSED: a new literary exchange project that blurs the boundaries between two language areas. CROSSED brings together Flemish and Dutch authors and offers these talents the chance to explore the possibilities of a literary stage. This year’s group consists of six very talented writers: Mahat Arab, Benjamin de Roover, Loeke Vanthouttenghem, Soukaïna Bennani, Nicole Kaandorp and Vlinder Verouden. These writers will collectively work on a performance in the lead up to Crossing Border. Under the guidance of coach Sjaan Flikweert they will explore how their writings might come to life most efficiently.
The festival location will be announced later.
For more information about You'll Have to Scream Louder click here.
