Nisrine Mbarki Ben Ayad (1977) is a versatile writer. She is a poet, novelist, playwrighter, translator and literary curator for international festivals. As a literary translator she translates poetry from Arabic and English to Dutch. She has been nominated for several Dutch and Belgian prices. Mbarki Ben Ayad is appointed Dichter der Nederlanden, the official Dutch Poet Laureate, for the upcoming two years.
On Nisrine Mbarki Ben Ayad’s recent appointment as Dichter der Nederlanden, the official Dutch Poet Laureate: Here is a poet “who is both critical and unifying, who dares to hold up a mirror and knows how to effectively use language to do so”. The committee admires “the poetic qualities of her work, in which she manages to make tough subjects sing” and writes: “As a poet who does not shun complexity but rather embraces it, Mbarki Ben Ayad offers a refreshing and profound sound in this day and age.” In her poetry, Mbarki Ben Ayad questions (according to the selection committee) “common narratives and fixed ideas until they are dismantled, by asking critical questions, analyzing how power works, empathizing with others and above all: through language and imagination”.
