“Maximum diversity in minimum space”. Making Milan Kundera’s beautiful words describing the Old Continent his own, Olivier Guez asked twenty-seven writers, one per member state, to write a short story or a narrative related to “places evocative of European culture and history”, brought together in a fascinating collection entitled Le Grand Tour (Éditions Grasset). The famous author of The Disappearance of Josef Mengele (Prix Renaudot 2017) recently visited Bozar with Leïla Slimani to praise the flexibility of our identities. In these dark times of nationalistic tensions and sadness, he returns to our stage with Jan Brokken (NL) and Agata Tuszyńska (PL), two of the contributors to Le Grand Tour, to celebrate the cultural variety of the European Union. An ode to freedom and diversity.
Jan Brokken is one of the greatest Dutch writers, awarded the Lucy B. & C.W. van der Hoogt award in 1988 and the ICODO prize in 2004. He is the author of Baltische zielen (Baltic Souls) and De Kozakkentuin (The Cossack Garden).
Agata Tuszyńska is a Polish writer and journalist whose work has been awarded the Xavier Pruszynski PEN-Club Prize and the Gloria Artis Medal for her contribution to Polish cultural production.
Moderated by Pascal Claude, journalist, presenter of Dans quel Monde on vit and Et dieu dans tout ça? on La Première (RTBF).