Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer

A novel about Europe, the old continent,which is so full of the past that there is no room for any future.A well-known writer arrives at the Grand Hotel Europa to deal with the failure of his fateful love story by writing a novel.The once luxurious hotel is slowly falling into disrepair; similarly, in the author’s eyes, the great and mighty continent of the same name, Old Europe, is declining, too: in recent years,it has become an open-air museum and a theme park for tourists.In an extensive story full of historical and literary references, the author reflects on migration, sex and art, and illustrates how Europe and the rest of the world are changing under the pressure of globalization and mass tourism.

Published by Host 2021

Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer (* 1968) is a writer, poet, and journalist, who is considered one of the most important voices in contemporary Dutch literature.He studied classical Greek at the University of Leiden, where he later lectured.Since 2008, he has been living and writing in Genoa, Italy.His latest novel, Grand Hotel Europa, became the most successful Dutch novel of 2019.