Women of Brussels with Nisma Alaklouk
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practical information
Departure at 11:00 in the Brussels Park (Warandepark/Parc de Bruxelles), at the fountain in front of the Parliament (Wetstraat/Rue de la Loi). Arrival estimated at 12:30 at the Stock Exchange (Sint-Gorikshallen/Halles Saint-Géry)
Language
The Palestinian writer Nisma Alaklouk will take you on a tour of Brussels as described in her latest novel, Brusselse vrouwen (Women of Brussels). We will see the parks, streets, squares and cafés of the city centre through her eyes and listen to the stories of her characters, four women from the Arab world and a Belgian, whose paths cross in Brussels.
A walk with writers
On three Saturday mornings in July and August, we will walk through the city with writers and discover a number of Brussels neighbourhoods through their perspective. The selected authors have each recently published a book in which the city plays a prominent role. During the hour and a half walk, they will take you to places they have written about, reading out short fragments, comparing past and present, fiction and reality. They will also tell you about the challenges of capturing such a superdiverse city as Brussels on paper.
A rare opportunity to get to know, on foot, a book, an author and a corner of Brussels from a new perspective! Don’t forget your umbrella!
Women of Brussels
In her latest novel, Brusselse vrouwen (Women of Brussels), the Palestinian writer Nisma Alaklouk gives voice to four characters, who talk about their lives, ideas and desires. Four very different women from the Arab world and a Belgian woman, whose paths cross in the city. Brusselse vrouwen is a book about virginity, drugs, having an affair and domestic violence, and it is sharp enough to tear to shreds the many clichés about Arabs and Europeans.
The women like to meet in the parks and cafés of Brussels. As a relative newcomer, Nisma has a unique perspective on life in the city: enough reasons to step out and listen to how she sees and experiences Brussels!
About the author
Nisma Alaklouk (b. 1986) is from Palestine. She has lived and worked in Brussels for several years. She has published three novels in Arabic, and her work has featured in anthologies. She has won several literary prizes in Palestine and is active in Flanders as a PEN author. Brusselse vrouwen (Bitbook, 2019, Dutch trans. Desirée Custers) is the first of her novels to have been translated entirely into Dutch.
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