Practical
Friday, 6 November, 2026
- 20:00 until 21:30
De Munt / La Monnaie
Leopoldstraat 23
1000 Brussels
Fiocco room Ateliers of the Munt)
Leopoldstraat 23
1000 Brussels
Fiocco room Ateliers of the Munt)
€8-€12
Vrije Universiteit Brussel invites you to a literary and musical evening at De Munt / La Monnaie. In collaboration with Passa Porta, La Monnaie is organising a literary evening devoted to the major themes of Wozzeck. When it first premiered in 1925, Alban Berg’s opera made a profound impression by highlighting the psychological impact of war and violence on individuals, as well as the consequences of manipulation and exploitation.
These themes will be explored through literary works by contemporary authors whose writings were shaped by personal experiences in war-torn countries: an extract from Hemingway Knows Nothing by Artur Dron will be read by its translator, Roman Nesterenco; the Brussels-based Palestinian poet Ahmed Saleh will read several of his poems; and an excerpt from the award-winning novel Guerre et pluie will be read by its author, Velibor Čolić.
These readings will be followed by a conversation with Anya Topolski, a political philosopher specialising in the works of Hannah Arendt and Emmanuel Levinas; Geertrui Serneels, a member of the Brussels Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Migration and Minorities at the VUB and director of the non-profit organisation Solentra, which specialises in war-related trauma and provides psychotherapeutic support to refugees; and Viktoriia Tuhasheva, a Ukrainian psychologist currently living in Belgium and working at Solentra. The evening will be accompanied by a musical performance of Alban Berg’s Vier Lieder by baritone Leander Carlier(MM Academy).
The authors
Ahmed Saleh is a Palestinian writer, poet and activist originally from Gaza, now based in Brussels. In his writings on literature, politics, identity and memory, he focuses on issues of displacement and alienation, which he explores through the lens of his personal experience. As part of his activist work, he has collaborated with cultural and human rights organisations. As a writer, he has published critical and reflective essays on the political and psychological complexities of exile, and has released his first collection of poetry.
Velibor Čolić was born in 1964 in a small town in Bosnia. After studying literature and working for a short time at a regional radio station as a rock and jazz journalist, he was conscripted into the Bosnian army in 1992. He is the author of Livre des départs (2020), Manuel d’exil. Comment réussir son exil en trente-cinq leçons (2016), Ederlezi (2014) and Sarajevo Omnibus (2012), he was awarded the Prix du Rayonnement de la langue et de la littérature françaises (for his entire body of work). His account of the invasion of Bosnia by the former Yugoslav federal army, right up to his desertion – which marked the beginning of his life in exile – Guerre et pluie was awarded the Prix Rossel in 2024.
Artur Dron is a writer and veteran of the Russo-Ukrainian War. A graduate of the Faculty of Journalism at Ivan Franko University in Lviv, he served as an infantryman in the 125th Autonomous Territorial Defence Brigade from spring 2022. In autumn 2024, he was seriously wounded and has been undergoing rehabilitation ever since. He is the author of two collections of poems and a collection of short stories entitled Hemingway Knows Nothing. His poetry has been translated into ten languages. In 2024, his second collection of poems was shortlisted by the Ukrainian PEN Club for the Shevchenko National Prize.
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This initiative is part of VUB's public programme, a programme for everyone who believes that scientific knowledge, critical thinking and dialogue are an important first step to create impact in the world.
As an Urban Engaged University, VUB aims to be a driver of change in the world. With our academic edcuational programmes and innovative research, we contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and to making a difference locally and globally.
