The eleventh Transpoesie Poetry Festival will take place in September in Brussels. On the shoulders of Janneke Spoelstra (2018), Elmar Kuiper (2019), and Nyk de Vries (2020) stands Cornelis van der Wal to represent Fryslân this year. He will perform on September 26th during the European Day of Languages.
A jury consisting of Alex Riemersma (Language policy advisor for Fryslân province and teacher at NHL Stenden), Janneke Spoelstra (Fryske Akademy), and Ammerins Moss-de Boer (It Skiuwersboun) selected poet Cornelis van der Wal with his poem, Snie is in died fan ferset (Snow is an deed of resistance), from all the submissions. The jury described his submission as a melodic poem that visually expresses the theme through loneliness, a cold but urgent resistance and protest in words that sharpen the senses, and one that offers something new with every reading.
Cornelis van der Wal (b. Leeuwarden, January 28, 1956) is a Frisian writer and poet. He lived in Groningen for 18 years. From 2009-2013, he lived in Sneek, but he has since moved back to Leeuwarden. He has published seven poetry collections. With his first bundle, In nest jonge magneten, he won the Fedde Schurer Prize in 1993. Van Der Wal was webmaster of online literary magazines, Farsk, and later, Ensafh. He also served as a poetry critic for het Friesch Dagblad until June 2011. In 2019, six of his poems were published (in translation) in renowned Danish magazine, Hvedekorn.
