Obscene indeed. And angryfying. His death certainly won't make the world any better. "De gezond verstand krant"... Bah. It's the biggest paper of the country... I hope that doesn't mean that the majority of us reasons away these useless deaths like this. The idea behind his presence there may have been that it helps improve the world (an idea can be believed in or not), but that is something completely different.
Only the death of bad people can possibly contribute to a better world (and although they often wear uniforms, they are seldomly found in the ditches), but they are usually rapidly replaced by new bad people, so even their deaths usually don't contribute to a better world.
Bah again.Tatstes worse than mud...

IIWW

The Telegraf ? isn´t it a newspaper which was cooperating with nazis ?

Ron

Who are bad people?
And who is going to decide who is bad?
Thank you for being such an excellent referee by the way.

* De Telegraaf

I am afraid a lot of people will be pleased with De Telegraaf’s words. When a soldier is killed in a war people in general and even their relatives prefer to believe he died for a better cause. Almost nobody will accept the soldier died for a caprice of some simple men of power.
Even after the trench war of 1914-1918 and the stupid offensives, survivors mostly glorified their sufferings. A charming lie is mostly better accepted than the naked truth.

It seems that De Telegraaf is already rewriting history, like Orwell's characters did in 1984.
I am looking forward to seeing the photos from wmfp in Kortrijk. I regret I couldn't manage. Very much.

Zirilla

Yes, de Telegraaf collaborated with the Nazi’s but I’m nor sure if this is a fair argument in this discussion.

Arnon, exactly. Of course there's no objective definition of badness. There's no objective definition of a good or better world either. It's only logic (but abstract) reasoning that the death of people can only make the world better if the deceased was a bad person.
I can think of some people that make the world a worse place in my opinion. Their disappearance would improve the world in my opinion. And that probably makes me a bad person in their opinion. They may be right they may be wrong.

No thanks for saturday: it was great fun. Thanks for having me there.

yes indeed, it isn´t an argument but a fact , and i didn´t brough it as un arg ument but a question. You see i have an impression that de telegraph is a bit nationalistic newspaper, and for those who are not familiar with dutch media, this information might be refilling. Comprendo ?

Arnon,

I think we could sue De Telegraaf for lots of other things.
I wish you good luck tonight, or what else it is you wish to people who are about to win a price.

p.s. the mud wrestling-event was a success indeed. Chapeau to all the female mud wrestlers and to you. You sure know how to fight. Too bad Henk didn't fight.

Arnon

You rather tell his familly he died for nothing? That it was worthless (for the cynicle mind)?

Ilanit, are newspapers meant to provide consolation?

AKO

And now for something completely different : for tonight : TIRZA TIRZA TIRZA!

a charming lie

Who wants to die for St Nicholas?

@Coen van beelen

Do you think it would have been a fair fight between Arnon and Henk?
After all Henk is a professional.

Zirilla

I believe "Comprende?" is the right expression.
Capiche?

As Goethe said: "When ideas fail, words come in very handy".

Ilanit

A newspaper is not invented to comfort the family of fallen soldiers. But most important: what kind of comfort can be found in this rather cheap phrase?

Pablo

Si! naturalmente ´Comprendo`!

Oscar W

But what kind of words – not every word comes in handy when ideas fail.

@Vera M
Sorry, but Sinterklaas is one of the few persons or saints I consider worth to die for. The idea of getting what you like or need (like toys) without paying for is breathtaking, mind-blowing and unusual for the human nature. Sinterklaas is my saint!

afghanistan mud

I can only hope that it will rain like hell next time in Afghanistan, so the war can also become a mindblowing mud wrestling-event for those soldier kids over there, and not some kind of an 'Invasion of the Bodybag Snatchers'.

F Fiddelaar

The rainy season will start soon.

Jan,
Don't get me wrong. St Nicholas is my saint too. The day I was told he did not exist , that I could stop believing in him, was the worst day of my live.

If St Nicholas existed
not one living being would have to die for a better world.

Obscenity? Who really cares?
Propaganda all is phoney.

Bob Dylan said that

And for tonight: the winner is, Arnon Grunberg with his masterpiece TIRZA .........
I said that

Anna

Winner of what?

Manon

AKO award for literature

You 've been named a sadist on Dutch televisiont onight, Arnon Grunberg. Do you agree? Simon Vinkenoog

Anna

Ah. I don´t know it. Is it worth reading?

I mean Tirza.

Arnon, thanks for some great television! Though part of the credit goes to the director, and your godson, of course.

AKO

Arnon
It's so sad you didn't win. Or should I say it is sad that A F Th...
Your godson looked great.

No, no, no!
Lawyer Spong only discussed Tirza from a legal point of view.

Fat man listens to the voice he hears,
in a crowded room full of covered up mirrors,
desperately searching into the lost forgotten years,
for dignity

But....Godson was divine and I guess Arnon is wondering what it's gonna take to find dignity

but his godson was divine.
And lawyer

@Vera M
Let us at least keep the spirit of Sinterklaas alive. (For example, the pope is trying the same with Jesus, I assume – so why would we not do the same?). Sinterklaas once did exist in Turkey and became a saint, but I think you are already aware of that fact.

@Simon Vinkenoog
If somebody calls Arnon a sadist, then they can start calling me a mass murderer, and Bush a choir boy…

About ‘Schervengericht’ I already said here, it is an interesting book (I liked the subject very much), but I think the structure is unnecessary complicated and chaotic.

I'm watching the rerun 'as we speak', because I went to bed early. My first thought on seeing your godson on your lap is: 'human shield', but perhaps I'll change my mind as we go along...

http://www.elsevier.nl/nieuws/cultuur_en_televisie/artikel/asp/artnr/177920/index.html

Did A.F.Th. accept the gesture?
That's the question

Applause

I could be wrong, Arnon, but i think i noticed you specifically asking your godson to applaud the winner.
If so, i think it's the most beautiful gesture of all.

i thought afth didn't want to be in the same room with you... strange how quickly he changed his mind and ran into the same room when he was told he could accept a prize.

Pablo

There is nothing wrong with applauding a winner and my godson likes to applaud.
If you like the gesture, then this is satisfying.
Especially because this was the last time I went to an event like the Ako. Or Libris for that matter.

@Pablo
AfTh has a very tormented look in his eyes, if you ask me. He looks like an artist. Let us leave him alone now, he has got the special attention and the prize.

I think Mr. Arnon already sells enough books for the AKO and they want to promote A.F.T.vd. H. now that's he's been in the publicity as well.

If the measure of his ego is caused by torment, then I agree that he'd be left alone.

jan
To me A F Th had a look in his eyes of someone who had cheated

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-Rsp5DKMbg

Here you can watch the complete broadcast again.

And I am glad that you (Arnon) decided to not go to these contests anymore, they are like freaking exhibitionist shows.
You are very sensible having made this decision, hope you'll stick to it.
The "grachtengordel" honor has been saved last night. Let them be happy with it.

Godson

It appears that Mr Peters, literary critic of de Volkskrant, has mistaken your godson for a "little girl". I suspect that your godson will forgive Mr Peters in due time.

Obscenity

The title is becoming more and more brilliant by every minute. From a dead bad paper soldier boy towards not winning a book prize. Both involve serious grieving moments. As for me, as a anti-moralist, i'm still waiting for a better world over here..

Pitty

A Pitty Tirza did not win the Ako. I think it's a great book. As for the corporal: In the Netherlands it is a free choice to join the army, and in my opinion, when you decide to join the army you accept the fact that there might be a possibility that you can get killed. I can only imagine that you join the army in a sort of "protect the peace" way, and not in a "i'd like to shoot my gun" way. Therefore i can sorta understand why the Telegraaf choose those words. iI do admit it's a bit euhm.. blue to say. The fact that there are Dutch soldiers in Afganistan is offcourse a different subject.