Lex Bohlmeijer in gesprek met P.F. Thomése en Marijn Kruk

BLACK-OUT - PF Thomése

'No one had seen the black SUV coming.'

The wealthy in the villa village of Blankendaal, 'the reserve', as they call it among themselves, reside safely behind their fences and hedges and do not notice anything.

At the wheel is Grace Rainville, voice actress. She is not from here. The SUV is not hers, by the way, but her ex's. She is on her way to his turnkey dream villa, where he has started a new phase with his new love. In the backseat, in a child seat, her (and his) daughter Norah is sleeping. Grace must have taken a wrong turn. Somewhere nearby, behind a hedge, the carefree chatter of a children's party can be heard. What happens a moment later, she no longer notices. She only hears it when she wakes up in the middle of the consequences. And then the consequences are yet to come.

BLACK-OUT is PF Thomése at his best: gripping, exciting too, cruel, witty at times and unexpectedly moving. A great reading experience.

Rebellion - Marijn Kruk

The Populist Revolt and the Struggle for the Soul of the West

In both Europe and the United States, so-called national populist movements have been coloring the political landscape for some time now. Taking advantage of the unrest over immigration and loss of identity, populist leaders have come to power in many places. Geert Wilders' big election victory at the end of 2023 and the results of the European elections show that this moment is far from over.

At the same time, populism masks the broader ambition behind this movement. It is a counter-revolution, aimed at overthrowing a left-liberal and 'globalist' elite that would undermine Western identity.

Classical conservatives, right-wing Christians, dark ethnonationalists and all sorts of conspiracy theorists are working side by side. The Hungarian capital Budapest serves as an intellectual breeding ground and a model. Viktor Orbán is leading the fight for what is 'our own' in the midst of a modernity that is eroding it. Does this uprising have a chance of success, and if so, at what price?

Rebellion is a journalistic exploration of the illiberal moment and takes the reader on a journey through Europe today.