European Literature Night: Between Utopia and Dystopia

Europe has a long tradition of utopian and dystopian novelists. Utopia from the sixteenth century by Thomas More, or the twentieth century Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. But what future do contemporary authors envision? Should literature alert us, congratulate us, or inspire us with hope?

During European Literature Night 2023, ten European writers gather to reflect on the utopian and dystopian mirrors of current society in De Balie, Amsterdam, as part of the Forum on European Culture 2023: a Culture of Democracy.

Watch back European Literature Night 2023:

20:00 – 20:10 Introduction | The European Tradition of Utopia and Dystopia
Meelis Friedenthal (Estonia) gives a lecture about the role of utopian and dystopian fiction, from the 17th century until today.
 
20:10 – 20:30 Part I | Historical and Speculative Fiction as Mirrors for Present-day Society
Meelis Friedenthal (Estonia) and Franco Tirletti (Italy) exchange thoughts on mixing historical and prophetic elements in their novels The Bees and The Indonesian Mirror.

20:30 – 21:00 Part II | Against Apocalypse: Finding Hope in Utopian Poetry
Iuliana Alexa (Romania) and Indrė Valantinaitė (Lithuania) read some of their poems and, by analysing each other’s work, talk about the power of utopian writing.

21:00 – 21:15 BREAK
 
21:15 – 22:00 Part III | AI and Literature: Friends or enemies?
Berit Glanz (Germany), Klara Vlasakova (Czech Republic), Carmelo Rodrigues and Willy Lomana (Spain) discuss the relationship between literature, creativity and technological innovations.
 
22:00 – 22:25 Part IV | Is the Western Worldview too Utopian?
Starting from a passage from My Longest Book Tour, Oksana Zabuzhko (Ukraine) and Dallila Hermans (Belgium) discuss the blind spots of Western future thinkers and writers.

22:25 – 22:35 Conclusion and reflection by Aafke Romeijn, Dutch author of the dystopic novels Concept M and 7b.

Moderator: Isabel Sheridan

The 4th edition of the Forum on European Culture focuses on the meaning and future of democracy in Europe. Since the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it has become more and more clear that democracy is no longer an abstract self-evidence, but a fragile construction under pressure. How does Europe deal with technological developments, its history of colonialism, imperialism, and autocratic influences? And if Europe wants to be a democracy, what actions are needed? The Forum brings together artists, activists, and intellectuals to explore democracy as a cultural rather than a political expression. That fits our mission of developing and supporting initiatives in a culture that let us share, experience, and imagine Europe, to facilitate a European sense of belonging.