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sander pleij

@sanderpleij.bsky.social

1.3K followers 1K following 81 posts

co-founding editor www.europeanreviewofbooks.com

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sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Here’s @daniel.pizza, another guy who loves immersing himself in books. He simply writes a monthly newsletter trying to explain what he loved (or did not) about one. Charming: www.trema.website

Short writing about books worth reading, by Daniël van der Winden

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Frances Butler @frances-butler.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

My review of Noah Walker-Crawford's brilliant book, The Climate Trial, published by @dukepress.bsky.social on the ground-breaking case brought by Saúl Luciano Lliuya supported by @germanwatch.bsky.social has come out with @europeanreview.bsky.social here: europeanreviewofbooks.com/whos-your-ne...

europeanreviewofbooks.com

Who's your neighbor now? - The European Review of Books

A Peruvian farmer sued German energy company RWE claiming damages for flood risk to his home in the Andes.

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

My dream was abundant: a magazine brimming with beauty, clear-eyed, quietly furious yet full of tenderness for the world. Unruly tenderness. Issue TWELVE is out and that's co-founding editor Wiegertje Postma, holding it. Time to roar louder. 👇

Co-founder Wiegertje Postma holding up a new issue

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

To what extent are we part of Mark Zuckerberg? The intellectual equal of Elon Musk has written an essay, and I count 6 different uses of "we." They make "Meta creates this" and "humanity wants this" indistinguishable. europeanreviewofbooks.com/to-what-exte...

europeanreviewofbooks.com

To what extent are we part of Mark Zuckerberg? - The European Review of Books

I started reading « The future is for everyone; the path to a positive AI future », an essay by Mark Zuckerberg, the intellectual equal of Elon Musk, « We are fortunate to live at an incredible moment in history. » Instant annoyance. Who were these fortunate we? The people working on AI? The entire world population? Only Americans, […]

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The European Review of Books @europeanreview.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Issue Twelve 1 September Pre-order: europeanreviewofbooks.com/product/issu...

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

I learned what artistic freedom is in a secret museum hidden in a wooden barn in the Swedish woods, after receiving its padlock code from the artist's daughter: it contained the spectacular explosion of one single mind: europeanreviewofbooks.com/museum-for-o...

europeanreviewofbooks.com

Museum for one - The European Review of Books

I have learned what artistic freedom is. It happened in a secret museum somewhere in Sweden. I had to wade through tall grass toward a windowless barn, painted in faluröd, the reddish-brown color that...

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Went to see French Impressionists. Got stopped instead by fine-lined drawings titled "The Autopsy of Lehman Brothers" and "The Milking of the Middle Class." Carlijn Kingsma calls herself a cartographer of society, and she's right. On the ERB blog now europeanreviewofbooks.com/the-cartogra...

europeanreviewofbooks.com

The cartography of everything wrong - The European Review of Books

So there I am, in a museum in a town that in 150 years has evolved from a community of farmers to an artists’ colony, then to a posh village, and is by now a flashy village of loudmouths with too much...

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

But what’s with Haaland’s Hermes bag collection?

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sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

I’ll mention a word and a name: Jersey and Magritte

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The European Review of Books @europeanreview.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

«Did anyone really think I'd write a biography of a footballer?» Barbi Marković was supposed to write a book about Yugoslav great Piksi Stojković. Instead she wrote Piksi-Buch: a wild, satirical memoir in the voice of a football commentator. Day 24: europeanreviewofbooks.com/the-footnotes/

europeanreviewofbooks.com

The Footnotes - The European Review of Books

The ERB is reading the 2026 World Cup and offering daily dispatches, in collaboration with Hazar Deniz Eker and Sander Pleij (one is losing his belief in football, and the other is mesmerized by it; i...

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The European Review of Books @europeanreview.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Day 24: the French keeper wears gloves inscribed with his philosophy: Foi, Discipline, Travail, Patience et Humilité 70 years ago another French keeper caught TB and had to resort to books for his philosophy. Yet Albert Camus owed his to football. europeanreviewofbooks.com/the-footnotes/

europeanreviewofbooks.com

The Footnotes - The European Review of Books

The ERB is reading the 2026 World Cup and offering daily dispatches, in collaboration with Hazar Deniz Eker and Sander Pleij (one is losing his belief in football, and the other is mesmerized by it; i...

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

in my favorite new magazine @equatormag.bsky.social

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

The Dutch were kicked out by a great Morocco, after playing on the defense Berlin Dadaists knew better. in 1919 Jedermann Sein Eigner Fussbal was published: Everyone His Own Football: don't let yourself be kicked around. Kick your own ball Day 20: europeanreviewofbooksfootnotes.substack.com»

europeanreviewofbooksfootnotes.substack.xn--com-3ga

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The European Review of Books @europeanreview.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

One in four players at this World Cup was born outside the country they represent. Day 19 of our diary: Whatever happens tonight in Netherlands–Morocco, migrants win. europeanreviewofbooks.com/the-footnotes/

europeanreviewofbooks.com

The Footnotes - The European Review of Books

The ERB is reading the 2026 World Cup and offering daily dispatches, in collaboration with Hazar Deniz Eker and Sander Pleij (one is losing his belief in football, and the other is mesmerized by it; i...

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

« An altklug child knows too much to be truly young, yet has somehow preserved the guilelessness of youth » ALTKLUG (old-smart) Thank you @tobiashaberkorn.bsky.social for teaching me that word, blnreview.de/en/ausgaben/...

Tobias Haberkorn · Never Young—Editorial to Reader 7

“The oppressive yet strangely compelling feeling of never really having been young may itself be a form of longevity, one that resembles the condition of many young people today.” A striking number of...

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The European Review of Books @europeanreview.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Cabo Verde — a tiny archipelago at its first World Cup — drew 0-0 with Spain (who 'should' have scored twice), 2-2 with Uruguay, and held on against Saudi Arabia. Three draws, no wins, no losses — on to the next round. Day 17 of our diary: europeanreviewofbooks.com/the-footnotes/

europeanreviewofbooks.com

The Footnotes - The European Review of Books

The ERB is reading the 2026 World Cup and offering daily dispatches, in collaboration with Hazar Deniz Eker and Sander Pleij (one is losing his belief in football, and the other is mesmerized by it; i...

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Virility van Dijk

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sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

We wrote about a 1928 Belgian poem where a goalkeeper’s head is knocked off and rolls like a ball. A reader pointed us to the same image in a 14th-century English romance, So it IS coming home. football as a literary trope from Octavian to King Lear europeanreviewofbooks.com/the-footnotes/

europeanreviewofbooks.com

The Footnotes - The European Review of Books

The ERB is reading the 2026 World Cup and offering daily dispatches, in collaboration with Hazar Deniz Eker and Sander Pleij (one is losing his belief in football, and the other is mesmerized by it; i...

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The European Review of Books @europeanreview.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Three shots, all off target. At his prime Ronaldo was inevitable, so what is he now? Day 8 of our diary reads Ronaldo (41) against a poet from his own island, who thinks no one ever really leaves Madeira. europeanreviewofbooks.com/the-footnotes/

europeanreviewofbooks.com

The Footnotes - The European Review of Books

The ERB is reading the 2026 World Cup and offering daily dispatches, in collaboration with Hazar Deniz Eker and Sander Pleij (one is losing his belief in football, and the other is mesmerized by it; i...

Reposted by sander pleij

The European Review of Books @europeanreview.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Collective wisdom? Truth machines? Sports betting and prediction markets reveal the truth? Then why is England always a favorite while they haven’t won since 1966? europeanreviewofbooks.com/the-footnotes/

europeanreviewofbooks.com

The Footnotes - The European Review of Books

The ERB is reading the 2026 World Cup and offering daily dispatches, in collaboration with Hazar Deniz Eker and Sander Pleij (one is losing his belief in football, and the other is mesmerized by it; i...

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

It’s about my favourite poet, from Belgium.

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The European Review of Books @europeanreview.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Before the battlefield comes the dance floor. Turkey sent its World Cup team in a convoy of flag-draped cars, drones, cameras: the full soldier's farewell. Then they out-shot, out-passed and out-played Australia, yet lost 2-0. Day 5: on football and martyrdom: open.substack.com/pub/european...

open.substack.com

Return either as a veteran or a martyr

by Hazar Deniz Eker

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The European Review of Books @europeanreview.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

«'I'm not a victim of racism. I am a tormentor of racists. » Vinícius Jr, who leveled Brazil against an impressive Morocco. Day 4 of our World Cup diary is about a form of racism you can't miss: the quieter kind that hides inside a compliment…thefootnotes.substack.com»

thefootnotes.substack.xn--com-3ga

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to Park Chan-wook after South Korea came back to beat the Czech Republic in their opening game of the World Cup this morning. Day 2 of The Footnotes europeanreviewofbooks.com/the-footnotes/

europeanreviewofbooks.com

The Footnotes - The European Review of Books

The ERB is reading the 2026 World Cup and offering daily dispatches, in collaboration with Hazar Deniz Eker and Sander Pleij (one is losing his belief in football, and the other is mesmerized by it; it’s up to you, dear reader, to guess which is which), and others. UPDATES: Day 2 | 12 Jun 14:42 […]

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The European Review of Books @europeanreview.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

The ERB is reading the 2026 World Cup: daily dispatches with Hazar Deniz Eker and @sanderpleij.bsky.social One is losing his belief in football, the other is mesmerized by it; up to you, dear reader, to guess which is which. 39 days only: europeanreviewofbooksfootnotes.substack.com/subscribe

europeanreviewofbooks.substack.com

Subscribe to The Footnotes

Reading the World Cup in daily dispatches. Click to read The Footnotes on Substack. Launched 11 hours ago.

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

This week, Pope Leo XIV called AI the new Tower of Babel. l A century ago, Europe's writers—Zweig, Rolland, Mann—raged against the war. Their petitions went nowhere. I wondered whether intellectuals ever change anything. The essay ends with a petition to Claude.

europeanreviewofbooks.com

KRIEG - The European Review of Books

Stefan Zweig, Marcel Proust, Thomas Mann & Romain Rolland: lessons from the trenches, for AI models

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The European Review of Books @europeanreview.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Issue eleven is out. The subscription price is lowered. We write about populist algorithms, Stefan Zweig, Pasolini, Thomas Mannm And 3 fiction writers take the stage. europeanreviewofbooks.com/issues/issue...

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The European Review of Books @europeanreview.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

We picked up Issue 11 at our printer’s. Call her minty, call her sage, either way #11 is another beauty. We had an egg sandwich at a gas station to celebrate. Print members can expect Issue Eleven to land on doormats in the coming weeks. The issue launches digitally this coming Thursday 14 May

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

« An instrument needs to be touched, held, played. » Pascale Bernheim founded ‘Musique et spoliations’ to recover instruments looted in WWII. She has just tracked down a €10M Stradivarius. Fernanda Eberstadt reports: europeanreviewofbooks.com/looted-laute...

europeanreviewofbooks.com

Looted Lauterbach - The European Review of Books

The most sublime of the violins made by Antonio Stradivarius (Cremona, c. 1644-1737) have names like roses: there is the « Countess Polignac » and the « Davidov », the « Lady Tennant » and the « Molit...

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

Georges Perec spent years feeding his analyst false dreams and tidy confessions — leaving him feeling, as the analyst later wrote, "a terrible hollowness." A reflection on @grantamag.bsky.social new Therapy issue, in this week's free ERB newsletter. europeanreviewofbooks.com/newsletter/

europeanreviewofbooks.com

Discover Europe's best writers and ideas - The European Review of Books

✅ Weekly insights on European literature✅ Book reviews and author interviews✅ Original essays and short stories✅ Discover writers from across Europe The European Review of Books FREE weekly Dispatch b...

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

"The first word I ever wrote was 'pisser' — this is how Nanny called me to my face." 😊 Here’s an essay about a bastard language born of centuries of violence, and what happened when we tried to translate it. In this week's free ERB newsletter: europeanreviewofbooks.com/newsletter/

europeanreviewofbooks.com

Discover Europe's best writers and ideas - The European Review of Books

✅ Weekly insights on European literature✅ Book reviews and author interviews✅ Original essays and short stories✅ Discover writers from across Europe The European Review of Books FREE weekly Dispatch b...

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sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

"We edited, while the embassies destroyed documents and evacuated from Kyiv." An essay 4 years in the making — drafted before the invasion, rewritten as it began, revised again as Bucha was liberated. The full piece is in this week's free ERB newsletter. europeanreviewofbooks.com/newsletter/

europeanreviewofbooks.com

Discover Europe's best writers and ideas - The European Review of Books

✅ Weekly insights on European literature✅ Book reviews and author interviews✅ Original essays and short stories✅ Discover writers from across Europe The European Review of Books FREE weekly Dispatch b...

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sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

The 2026 Munich Security Report states: “the US-led post-1945 international order is now under destruction” What can one do? Here’s Queen Maxima, who enrolled as a reservist in the Dutch Army because, says the Ministry of Defence: "The safety of The Netherlands can no longer be taken for granted”

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

The President of the US just called Greenland “a piece of ice.” Just that? I turned to fiction. Yes, in the Danish novel De kolde Flammar, nature groans and glaciers squeak. But in contemporary Greenlandic novel it’s: boredom, desire, alcohol, and colonial trauma. That’s fiction. Not truth.

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

The Vatican, neurologists, and engineers all ask: what does it mean to be human? Maybe the answer is simpler than code. We suffer, we love, we endure. And that, still, no AI can imitate. europeanreviewofbooks.com/can-ai-have-...

europeanreviewofbooks.com

Can AI have a headache? - The European Review of Books

« This summer my inner warrior was kissed back alive by an unlikely figure: the Pope. »

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

The Vatican defends humankind against authoritarian tech… just read:

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

✊ ANTI BLACK FRIDAY ✊ Hé rebel! Tell all you’re charged double, because YOU are different. Pay €230 instead of €105, and become a benefactor — with tote bag, pin, stickers, but foremost: the honor of paying more than asked for. You are a contrarian hero. europeanreviewofbooks.com/subscribe/

europeanreviewofbooks.com

Become a member - The European Review of Books

Welcome to the European Review of Books. Become a member — choose your plan and step into the world of ideas and cultures. Already a member? Log in to manage your subscription. It’s our Jubilee –– tak...

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sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

10.000 — help! we have success ✨ Our newsletter just passed 10,000 readers (now 10,600!) — from Europe, Canada, India… hello India! 🇮🇳 So happy. We focused on quality writing + design, then got new team members, and now we’re growing fast — I may need to come back soon with a second crowdfunding…

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

Any fool can see the head of state is naked, a complete phony. I see The Emperor’s New Clothes referred to more often, and wondered: is it about the vanity of a leader? Or about citizens that keep nodding at what they know isn’t there? europeanreviewofbooks.com/current-preo...

europeanreviewofbooks.com

Current Preoccupations, week 39 - The European Review of Books

Any fool can see that the head of state is naked, that he is a complete phony — except for himself. Such appears to be the premise of The Emperor’s Clothes, a fairy tale I see referred to more and mor...

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sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

Lenin youth is made to salute an embalmed dictator, becomes Catholic schoolgirl, then historian of repression, and writer on sabbatical in Rome, with a book on the Bulgarian gulag — plus she met Pope Francis at the Biennale ✊ europeanreviewofbooks.com/texting-with...

europeanreviewofbooks.com

Texting with ... Lilia Topouzova - The European Review of Books

I wanted to show that history and memory are inseparable—and that unsilencing is itself a method.

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

europeanreviewofbooks.com/newsletter/

europeanreviewofbooks.com

Newsletter - The European Review of Books

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sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

Eurovision? This weekend it is Intervision: Russia + US + China + Brazil ao And Europe? Europe is busy perfecting its eye-roll routine…

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

Train punctuality: 🇩🇪 #Germany: 70% 🇵🇱 #Poland: 80% 🇺🇦 #Ukraine: 95% Hard not to be humbled by this. Oksana Forostyna reviews The Train Arrives on Time by Marichka Paplauskaite europeanreviewofbooks.com/glory-to-the...

europeanreviewofbooks.com

Glory to the rails – The European Review of Books

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sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 14/09/2025

Sixteen children. A dynasty across Europe. Still haunting politics. europeanreviewofbooks.com/queen-of-the... (free)

europeanreviewofbooks.com

Queen of the night – The European Review of Books

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sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

One of the year’s best just got longlisted for the Booker: One Boat, from @jcbuckley.bsky.social Buckley’s writing really stands out. I actually texted him this year, and asked: ‘How did you learn to write?’ europeanreviewofbooks.com/texting-with...

europeanreviewofbooks.com

Texting with … Jonathan Buckley – The European Review of Books

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 05/07/2025

@cantavest.bsky.social

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 05/07/2025

@aluckmann.bsky.social

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 05/07/2025

Beloved Blueskyans, I need a little help —there's a reward. The ERB is growing: major universities across Europe and the US are subscribing. But we need more. Please forward, repost or email the text in the reply to who can subscribe. If you help, I hereby grant you the title of INTELLECTUAL.

sander pleij @sanderpleij.bsky.social · 29/06/2025

Magic

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Luigi Prosperi @luigiprosperi.bsky.social · 29/06/2025

Sunday reading: “How to abandon an archive. When an authoritarian regime collapses, what happens to the archives of its secret police?” europeanreviewofbooks.com/how-to-aband... on the archives of Syrian secret services (via @europeanreview.bsky.social, by @uungor.bsky.social and Ali Ajasem)

europeanreviewofbooks.com

How to abandon an archive – The European Review of Books