Every two weeks, writer Adriaan van Dis is allowed to take the floor in his podcast Van Dis Onfilters, provided by his Amsterdam publisher Atlas Contact, and talk about everything that occupies, drives, moves, inspires or worries him. That formula works, because it has been in the Apple top 10 of most listened to podcasts for weeks.
To add some line to the monologue, the writer sits opposite Simon Dikker Hupkes, editor at the publishing house. The men match well. Dikker Hupkes is subservient, but firm when necessary, and then he kindly and politely, but decisively, shuts Van Dis up and gently sends him in a different direction.
Read, read, read
Van Dis, author of a rich oeuvre, recites poems, talks about his daily life, the literary world, about his work and about conditions in the world. He is concerned about developments in the Middle East, but also about the reading, about the weak attention span of telephone addicts and about all the angry, shouting people in society. He has a good remedy for the latter: reading, reading, reading, traveling through his own bookcase.
Unwinding
It’s a kind slow journalism , this podcast, pleasant to listen to, relaxing and de-stressing. You become in From Dis Unfiltered challenged to take a moment to think about things, to ignore the cacophony of the world and really think together with the writer.
In times when feverish shouting often predominates, on television, social media and yes, sometimes in podcasts, this pace is pleasant, as is Van Dis’s erudition and humor. Anyone who has listened carefully to him will return to the world refreshed after half an hour, with new ideas and sometimes a fresh perspective on the matter. Beware: slightly addictive!
KIRSTEN VAN SANTEN
From Dis Unfiltered can be listened to on the usual podcast channels including Spotify and Apple.