Literature

Frisian has evolved markedly as a cultural language. For example, by translating the works of Shakespeare into Frisian. Nowadays, many Frisian publishers are producing books in Frisian that cater to every type of genre: novels, chick lit, crime fiction, travelogues, anthologies of poetry, and children’s and youth books.
Take a look in our webshop to see the variety of books published in Frisian.

Books about Frisian literature in English
As long as the tree blooms. A short history of Frisian Literature
Swallows and Floating Horses. An Anthology of Frisian Literature

Article about Swallows and Floating Horses: Nullehakkebaitseboksebaitseboksenullehakke! The creation of a language

Leeuwarden City of Literature
As a UNESCO City of Literature, Leeuwarden and the surrounding province of Fryslân are committed to fostering the development of a professional literary community, building an international network and making literature as accessible as possible (while also addressing low literacy and multilingualism). More info.

The Poet of Fryslân
Every two years a new Poet of Fryslân will be elected. Eeltsje Hettinga was the first ever Poet of Fryslân in 2017. The Poet of Fryslân writes six to ten poems a year, and knows how to reach and tie to an audience with his poetry. Here you can find more information about the Poet of Fryslân, including some poems translated into English.

Poetry Collective Rixt
Poetry collective RIXT is a broad platform of Frisian poets. Theye write and publish poems about current issues in and outside Fryslân and show the relevance of Frisian poetry to a wide audience. Their main goal is to bring Frisian poetry to the public’s attention.

As a platform they are involved in various projects regarding Frisian poetry, their ambition in the coming years is to promote Frisian poetry internationally. Frisian poetry has the quality to be heard on stages outside our region and international contacts and exchanges will invigorate the Frisian poetry scene. Visit their English language website for more information and Frisian poetry translated into English.

Media

Frisian is encountered throughout many forms of media, such as radio, television, magazines, newspapers and the internet. Omrop Fryslân, Fryslân’s regional broadcaster, produces programmes for radio and television (news, sport, documentaries and entertainment) in Frisian. The operative language is Frisian. In actual practice, conversations are also bilingual. More information about the Frisian Broadcasting Company is available on Wikipedia.