Between May 7 and August 14, 2022, every day during the 100-day Arcadia cultural program, Happiness delayed of Leeuwarden UNESCO City of Literature brings a new story to a different, paradisiacal spot in Fryslân.
The common line: the search for beauty during and after the pandemic. What gives us courage, what seeds do we plant for the future?
Annelies Verbeke, Elke Geurts, Etgar Keret (Israel), Gerda Blees, Joke van Leeuwen, Koos Tiemersma, Marek Šindelka (Czech Republic), Nyk de Vries, Pilar Quintana (Colombia), Thomas Verbogt and ninety other authors have all written a new short story about.
Fifteen storytellers are going to tell the stories. In the backyards of the Frisians, in vegetable gardens, in gardens of states and ‘stinzen’, in tea- and flowergardens and in festival sites. There are stories in Frisian, stories in Dutch and stories in English.
The source of inspiration is the fourteenth-century masterpiece by the Italian poet and scholar Boccaccio: the Decameron. A collection of one hundred stories, told in ten days by ten young people fleeing the plague.
Just like then, we now tell each other stories to pass the time, to entertain each other, to reflect on the misery. But also – and above all – to find a little bit of beauty and happiness again.
Information
* Happiness delayed is freely accessible;
* Come spontaneously, we do not work with reservations or registration (except for the private premier for our guests on May 7th);
* Full is full;
* Bring your own garden chair or blanket;
* Dress for the occasion: an outside event;
* With welcome, introduction, the story, discussion and a garden tour, the duration of the programme is about one and a half hour (at festivals the programme takes less time);
*After the stories are told, they can also be read and listened to on the website.
Use the green button below to see the overview of locations, storytellers and stories. More information to follow!
Enjoy a sneak preview of one of the stories, Wjukken from Berber Bouma.
photo: Mirjan van der Meer
video: Hatogkrøller
