“Last year, when the course was provided online, we had over 400 participants. People attended from far outside Nijmegen, even from Hungary and Aruba. I often hear feedback that it was wonderful to gain in-depth understanding of what you read and to be challenged intellectually.”
“Many of the participants teach Dutch at secondary schools, which is our primary target group. They draw inspiration from the course, but not necessarily from the books themselves because they may be too difficult for their students. However, they come into contact with new insights and new approaches to literature. In the past, story analysis revolved around technical aspects such as perspective – which is still the case at many secondary schools. But as literary scholars, we now look more at gender issues and representation: how is ‘the other’ depicted in literature? We also look at how literature functions. For example, an elite group of white men has long determined what literature is.”
“As a literary scholar, you mainly raise questions. Should certain books be banned? I am very explicit about this: don't do it. I find it absurd that Black Venus by Jef Geeraerts has been removed from the literary canon in Flanders. The main character is indeed quite sexist and feels superior to black people, but you shouldn't ban the book for that reason. Moreover, despite these controversial aspects, Black Venus is an extremely well-written novel. Books may be abrasive and difficult to digest. Being confronted with a vision you don't agree with makes you think. Movements such as #MeToo and Black Lives Matter make us look at literature differently, which I experience as a great enrichment.”
“The power of literature is that it introduces you to ethical questions and to other worlds, times and people. If you want to get to know another culture from the inside, you should read books from that culture. Judges and lawyers also say that by reading literature, we widen our perspectives. Literature gives you access to what drives people, to their sublimated experiences. I have often experienced that myself. For example, De Lammeren by Mustafa Kör was a huge eye-opener about the tragedy of living between two cultures. You can read about this topic in the newspaper, but you can also feel its impact by reading literature.”
Tip: Follow the refresher course Recente Nederlandse en Vlaamse letterkunde 2022
Eight meetings from 26 January to 9 May 2022 (physical and online) | Intended for Dutch scholars, Dutch teachers, alumni and other interested parties | The final meeting on 9 May is an interview with Adriaan van Dis about his climate novel KliFi | Information about participation and registration: www.ru.nl/pucsociety/docenten/natraining/postacademische-cursus-recente-nederlandse-vlaamse/
Jos Muijres (1957) studied at Radboud University. He has been associated with the Modern Dutch Literature section as a lecturer-researcher since 1984. He has coordinated the annual refresher course in Recent Dutch and Flemish Literature since 2005,