Fellowship for Swedish publishers
Four days of stories, ideas and new connections in Antwerp
From 20 to 24 April, Antwerp set the scene for an intense and inspiring international exchange during the Fellowship Fiction & Nonfiction, organised by Flanders Literature together with the Dutch Foundation for Literature. Over the course of four carefully curated days, Swedish publishers immersed themselves in contemporary writing from Flanders and the Netherlands, discovering new voices while moving through some of the city’s most evocative literary and cultural spaces. The fellowship is part of the lead-up to Flanders and the Netherlands being the guest of honour at the Gothenburg Book Fair in 2027.
The fellowship opened with a warm welcome dinner, immediately setting the tone: open, curious and informal. That sense of ease carried through the programme, as conversations unfolded in historic houses, museums, literary archives and independent bookshops — places that invited both focus and exchange, and proved ideal for getting to know authors and their work.
From the Rubenshuis to new international collaborations
The official programme began at the Rubenshuis, where Saskia De Coster and Rob van Essen spoke about their writing in a lively interview, followed by a short visit to the garden for a group photo in spring light. Later that afternoon, participants gathered at the offices of Flanders Literature for a mini rights centre. In a series of fast-paced meetings, Swedish publishers met with Flemish and Dutch publishers, opening the door to potential new international collaborations.
Revisiting the past, exploring intimacy
Wednesday turned the spotlight on historical fiction. At the Museum Plantin-Moretus, Aline Sax, Sacha Bronwasser and Anne Mieke Backer discussed how they revisit and reinterpret the past in their work, each from a distinct discipline and perspective. The afternoon shifted to more intimate territory with a conversation between Maaike Neuville, Jozefien Van Beek and Ester Naomi Perquin on motherhood, family narratives and vulnerability.
The day concluded high above the city at the MAS, where Elvis Peeters, Barbara Stok and Nisrine Mbarki Ben Ayad presented their work against a panoramic view of the harbour and Antwerp’s skyline — a setting that underscored the breadth and ambition of contemporary writing.
Politics, ecology and Europe under discussion
On Thursday, the focus moved to the political, social and ecological questions shaping literature today. At Paddegragt, Anton Jäger, Caroline de Gruyter and Marijn Kruk reflected on Europe’s political present and past in a lively moderated discussion. After crossing the Scheldt to the Left Bank, Tine Hens, Matthias M.R. Declercq and Nadia de Vries were interviewed about their books.
The fellowship came to a close at independent bookshop Stad Leest, where Roderik Six, Falun Ellie Koos and Aleksandr Skorobogatov shared reflections on family ties, loss and mourning — an intimate and fitting ending to a rich and wide-ranging programme.
Looking ahead: stories that travel
By blending in-depth conversations with informal moments, shared meals and walks through the city, the fellowship offered participants a vivid overview of contemporary writing from Flanders and the Netherlands. We hope these encounters will resonate beyond Antwerp — and lead to many new Swedish translations in the years to come.