Poëzie Integraal II:
Festival, by Mia You

Perdu presents the second edition in the Poëzie Integraal series, in which a poetry collection is read from beginning to end. Prepare yourselves for an intense experience in which the interconnections and evolution of themes, emotions, and language usage reveal themselves. Why merely sample when you can fully immerse yourself?

This second bilingual edition focuses on the poetry collection Festival by Mia You, which Eddie Azulay translated into Dutch earlier this year. This beautiful translation has received rave reviews, and the English edition is expected around November 15. During the evening, the staged reading will switch between Dutch and English, allowing the two voices and the multilingual reading to add new layers to the poetry. 

Additionally, Peishan Xu, a versatile sound and performance artist, will respond to the collection Festival with a new musical piece. Peishan’s artistic practice includes creating soundscapes, installations, improvisations, and performance pieces, as well as composing and producing alternative pop and electronic music, the latter of which can be found on Spotify.

In short, it promises to be a unique and festive exploration of Festival. We look forward to welcoming you.

Mia You was born in South Korea, grew up in the United States and now lives in Utrecht. She is the author of the poetry collection I, Too, Dislike It (1913 Press, 2016) and has published in De Gids, Artforum, Boston Review, and Los Angeles Review of Books. She teaches at Utrecht University and the Sandberg Institute. Festival (Belladonna, 2024) is her second collection, the first to be published in Dutch translation (Uitgeverij Chaos).

Eddie Azulay studied writing for performance at HKU. They write and translate plays and poetry from English to Dutch.

Peishan Xu is a Utrecht-based sound artist, performer, and musician known for his modulation live sets, experimental soundscapes, and theatrical performances. Recent projects include an artist residency at De Nijverheid Utrecht, a performance at De Appel Amsterdam, and work on a theater production for Asia TOPA 2025 in Australia. Peishan’s interdisciplinary approach merges technical expertise with creative innovation, pushing the boundaries of sound design and immersive auditory experiences.