David Grégoire Van Reybrouck was born on September 11, 1971, in Bruges, Belgium. He is a cultural historian, archaeologist, and author who writes a wide range of texts, including historical fiction, literary non-fiction, novels, poetry, plays, and academic texts.
Van Reybrouck's family background is diverse, with his father having spent five years in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a railway engineer after independence. He holds a doctorate from Leiden University and has written several books, including his debut novel "De Plaag" (The Plague),which received several awards and was translated into multiple languages.
He has also co-edited a volume on the federal future of Belgium and a thought-provoking pamphlet on populism, which sparked controversy and won a distinguished essay prize. Van Reybrouck's book "Congo. Een geschiedenis" (Congo: The Epic History of a People) was published in 2010 and is the result of his extensive travels throughout Africa, including ten journeys to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The book portrays slavery and colonialism, resistance and survival, and includes archival material, interviews, and personal observations.
The book has been translated into multiple languages and has been praised for its unique approach to storytelling. Van Reybrouck has also been involved in organizing literary workshops for Congolese playwrights in Kinshasa and Goma.
In 2020, he published "Revolusi", which applies the same method to Indonesia. He has also written "Against Elections: The Case for Democracy", in which he advocates for a deliberative democracy based on sortition.
Throughout his career, Van Reybrouck has received several awards and nominations for his work, including the AKO Literature Prize and the Libris History Prize. He is a regular op-ed writer for the Flemish national newspaper De Morgen and has been a vocal advocate for democratic reform.
