17 June – European Literature Night 2022: To be in a time of war

These days, writers in Europe are writers in times of war. To many, this was unimaginable up until the morning of 24 February. To others, this has been a scenario that has loomed large over the continent already for a long time; again to others, like the poet Etel Adnan from whom we borrowed the title of this year’s edition of the European Literature Night, war has been an almost continues given.

For the 2022 edition of the European Literature Night, EUNIC Netherlands invited writers to think about the effect of the war in Ukraine on Europe’s past and future. How can writers speak up? How can the literary imagination create understanding and insight into the history that has led to this war? Have we been naïve or even blind, taking our security, freedom and rule of law for granted? Is our past still the same, or should we revisit it, and reconsider its fundamental lessons? And what are the lessons for the future?

These questions were discussed with European authors, scholars and journalists during the 2022 edition, which took place on 17 June at 20.00 in De Balie, Amsterdam. You can rewatch the discussion below.

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