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Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, photo by Stephan Vanfleteren

Ilja leonard Pfeijffer

  • Author
  • Poet

Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer (born 1968) is a classicist, writer and poet. After studying Classical Literature, he obtained his PhD from Leiden University in 1996 for his thesis on the archaic Greek poet Pindarus. 

Pfeijffer published his debut collection of poetry, Van de vierkante man, in 1998 and his first novel, Rupert, een bekentenis, in 2002, The novel Grand Hotel Europa (2018) brought him international acclaim. He also revealed himself as a skilled playwright for Het Nationale Toneel and Toneelgroep Maastricht, among others. 

Pfeijffer’s work focuses on such major themes as love, migration, mass tourism and the workings of democracy. He has won several awards, including the Libris Literatuurprijs (2014), the Anton Wachterprijs (1999), the C. Buddingh'prijs (2002), and the VSB Poëzieprijs (2016). He has also been nominated several times for the AKO Literatuurprijs.