Escaping the routine

Are you afraid you haven’t truly lived? You’re not alone. A young European generation seems tired of the compromises in politics and life. No wonder young authors, like Simon Strauss, are writing stories filled with intense emotions, real experiences, nostalgia and heroic individuals. Because of the focus on emotions and the individual, these Romantic stories are often negatively viewed as feeding into anti-liberal movements. Are these stories forces against freedom, equality and democracy? Or can Romanticism offer Europe solutions in our turbulent day and age? We discuss it with Simon Strauss and the famous Dutch author Connie Palmen.

Writer and journalist Simon Strauss from Germany – a country known for its pragmatism and long tradition of compromise – wrote his debut novel Seven Nights about hitting thirty and the fear of never having truly lived. Connie Palmen wrote her debutnovel De Wetten in 1991 about a similar topic. Some say these romantic stories might be feeding into right wing, anti-liberal movements. What can these authors say about the possibilities of Romanticism?

About the speakers

Simon Strauss is a German historian, journalist and author. In 2017 he released his debut novel Sieben Nächte to much critical acclaim. The Tagesspiegel hailed him as one the greatest talents of his generation.

Connie Palmen is one of the most influential Dutch authors, and has been for a long time. Her debut novel De Wetten (1991) was incredibly succesfull, selling more than 400.000 copies, and translated into more than 24 languages.