Foto © Frank Ruiter David Van Reybrouck
David Van Reybrouck is a cultural historian, archaeologist and a poet, playwright and non-fiction writer. He achieved his greatest success with his historical book, Congo, which was awarded the Libris History Prize 2010, the AKO Literature Prize 2010 and the Prix Médicis 2012. His essay Plea for Populism earned him the Jan Hanlo Essay Prize 2009 and the Flemish Culture Prize Criticism and Essay 2009. In 2014 he also received the Gouden Ganzenveer for his work. His pamphlet Against Elections was awarded the Henriëtte Roland Holst Prize and praised by former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan. He also wrote the theater monologue Para (2016) and A jihad of love, for which he recieved the Flemish Community’s Badge of Honor together with Mohamed El Bachiri in 2017. In the same year, he published the essay Peace can be learned, together with Thomas d’Ansembourg. Van Reybrouck’s Boekenweekessay Zink was awarded Prix du livre européen. His work has been published in more than twenty languages.