![in a state of [war] (2013) – transpoesie festival, antwerp, belgium](https://rozalie.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/250919-Transpoesie-festival-2025-Antwerp-Brussels.jpeg)
18 September 2025. Transpoesie is an annual poetry festival that has been bringing poets from all over Europe to Brussels since 2011. Original poems are presented in the poets’ own languages. This year, for the first time, the festival also comes to Antwerp, at the Letterenhuis. Poets from 16 European countries give voice to the hopes, fears, and dreams of Europe’s people—each in their own language and from their own unique place within the public space. Audiences can experience a rich palette of languages and voices from across the continent. The poets also dive into the Letterenhuis archives, drawing inspiration from the collection to create new work. On Thursday 18 September, 17 European poets take the stage at the Letterenhuis, Antwerp, to express the aspirations, anxieties, and hopes of Europe’s citizens.
One of the works drawn from the archive for inspiration is the poetry piece in toestand van [oorlog] (2013) by Rozalie Hirs.
in toestand van [oorlog] (2013) was commissioned by Words Live 4 (artistic direction: Toine Horvers, Kathrin Wolkowicz) and Perdu, Amsterdam. The work was also published in 2014 in Liegend Konijn (editor: Jozef Deleu).
Date: 2025-09-18
Time: 19:00–21:30
Location: Transpoesie Festival 2025 (Transpoesie tours through Turbulent Times), Letterenhuis, Antwerp, Belgium
Date: 2025-09-19
Time: 11:00–20:00
Location: Transpoesie Festival 2025 (Transpoesie tours through Turbulent Times), St.-Hubertus Gallery – Poetik Bazar – Halles de Schaerbeek, Belgium