News
Indonesian edition Revolusi launched in Jakarta
On october 10th the Indonesian edition of Revolusi was launched in Jakarta. Revolusi is a superb history of Indonesia’s fight for independence. It traces Indonesian pre-history, Dutch colonialism, the Indonesian National Revolution, and the modern era, drawing on interviews with civilians — both victims and perpetrators living with impunity. The book paints a vivid picture of imperial brutality against Indonesian resilience.
Goethe medal 2025 awarded to David Van Reybrouck
The Goethe Medal will be awarded by the president of the Goethe-Institut Gesche Joost at a ceremony in Weimar on 28 August 2025. Besides Van Reybrouck, this year's Goethe Medal honours Turkish cultural promoter Osman Kavala and linguist Li Yuan from China. The award winners will also perform at Kunstfest Weimar.
The Goethe Institutes abroad nominate candidates based on their significant contribution to international culture and education policy and their outstanding artistic and educational work; the prize winners are selected by a jury chaired by Thomas Oberender.
David Van Reybrouck appointed Philosopher Laureate of The Netherlands and Flanders
Effective April 1, 2025, Belgian writer, thinker and historian David Van Reybrouck will be appointed Philosopher Laureate of The Netherlands and Flanders. He will devote the next two years to what he calls “vérdenken. On the occasion, he wrote the essay The World and the Earth. Van Reybrouck follows in the footsteps of the current Philosopher Laureate, Marjan Slob. Previous Thinkers were Hans Achterhuis, René Gude, Marli Huijer, René ten Bos, Daan Rovers and Paul van Tongeren.
L'arbre de l'authenticité selected for Tiger competition IFFR 2025
The film essay by photographer and artist Sammy Baloji, for which David Van Reybrouck wrote the screenplay, will be screened in the Tiger Competition at the Rotterdam Film Festival (IFFR). L' arbre de l' authenticité explores the colonial history of the Democratic Republic of Congo and its ecological consequences. Based on research from the 1930s, the film highlights the crucial role of the Congo Basin as a CO2 repository and its impact on our global ecological balance.
Shortlist Baillie Gifford Prize
Revolusi had made it to the shortlist of Britain's most prestigious non-fiction award, the Baillie Gifford Prize.
The prize recognises and rewards the best of non-fiction and is open to authors of any nationality. The winning author will receive £50,000.