I have the immense pleasure to host a conversation with writer Sulaiman Addonia, to celebrate and present the translation of his novel Silence is My Mother Tongue into Dutch: Stilte is mijn moedertaal translated by Irwan Droog, published by Jurgen Maas.

I had read the book already of course, and as I was going to dive into the story again, to prepare for our conversation, an image I had cut from the Chantal Akerman exhibition at EYE last summer, fell from a page. There are always so many layers and complexities in how we receive a story, wrapped within our own experiences and imagination. And then there’s the experiences and imagination of the writer, generously pouring its heart and soul into their words, for you…

“Remember, it is the absence of things that make people creative.”

— a character from Silent is My Mother Tongue

I see I have highlighted this line from the book. It had moved me then, it moves me even more today.

I cannot wait to be in conversation with Sulaiman Addonia and listen to his poetic journey

The event will be in English and live-streamed.
You can book your free ticket on Perdu’s website (do give a donation if you can, Perdu does wonderful work with a team of volunteers passionate about literature and poetry).