Looking back on the nonfiction fellowship
In preparation for our Guest of Honour programme at the Gothenburg Book Fair in 2027, we are organising several fellowships exclusively for Swedish publishers. These initiatives aim to introduce them to our literature and authors, with the hope that by 2027, Swedish translations of Flemish authors will be published. We kicked off in early February with a week dedicated entirely to nonfiction. Ten publishers travelled from Sweden to Antwerp and immersed themselves in the rich and diverse nonfiction that Flanders has to offer.
Day 1
Monday, the day of arrival, we started with a dinner to get to know one another. Tuesday took us to De Studio, where Charlotte Van den Broeck introduced the publishers to her work and treated them to a poetry reading. After lunch, we visited the always-impressive Nottebohm Room in the Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library, where no fewer than three philosophers – Ignaas Devisch, Martha Claeys, and Tinneke Beeckman – took the floor to discuss their work. The day concluded with an interview with Margot Vanderstraeten, who shared insights into her approach to interviewing people for her books.
I had a nice week in Antwerp. Flanders Literature had put together a great program with interesting authors and exciting books!Martin Ransgart, Bokförlaget Forum
Day 2
Wednesday featured another round of author interviews. We highlighted Anaïs Van Ertvelde, Hind Eljadid, and Lize Spit together, as their work explores themes of (female) bodies and motherhood. The conversations revealed both striking similarities and the distinctive qualities of each story. In the afternoon, we welcomed the publishers to our offices, where we hosted a rights centre with publishers from Flanders and the Netherlands. This led to productive exchanges.
I enjoyed all the presentations by Flemish authors. But meeting some of the publishers in the rights centre and getting an overview of the city center of Antwerp by walking around also made the fellowship truly valuable.Carl Lindsten, it-lit
Day 3
Thursday began at Café Boekowski, where (art) historians Koenraad Jonckheere and Bart Van Loo delivered a captivating history lesson. Finally, we crossed the city to Paddegragt, where Chris Ceustermans and Lotte Lola Vermeer took us on a literary journey to Hungary and the farthest edges of Russia.
