11˚C
From the canals of The Netherlands emerged a great pool of talent and indeed genius’, which have surfaced over the last centuries. From Rembrandt, through to the tormented Vincent van Gogh to Louis Couperus and Harry Mulisch.
For a small country where large parts of it sit under sea level, The Netherlands has a wide variety of interesting cultural acts. Hague-born Cees Nooteboom is one such example and has won numerous awards for his literary work. Another interesting modern Dutch writer is Harry Mulisch whose self-described opus magnum The Discovery of Heaven is regarded as one of the best Dutch books ever written. Dutch writer A.C. Baantjer whose works have been widely translated offers non-Dutch speakers an opportunity to delve into the world of Inspector DeKok – must-reads for those wishing to look into the underworld of The Netherlands.
Discover Arling & Cameron, a group that blends a lot of different genres to construct an interesting electronic, if you are drawn to this duo then try Breda-native Tiesto, who has made a big name for himself on this-scene over the last decade and regularly tours across the world to perform at sold-old venues.
The Netherlands has been embroiled in the great controversy surrounding the assassination of film director Theo van Gogh in 2004 for his film Submission and the subsequent death-threats issued to Ayaan Hirsi Ali who was featured in this Islam-critical film.