Soon it will be February and Valentine: Time for Saint Amour. A company of writers, poets and singers touring with the good message of love and desire. This fifteenth edition is doing its best to avoid the carnal pleasures to have, but rather, more or less, on love and tenderness.

The Iraqi Rodaan Al Galidi made our Dutch language on a miraculous way his own and makes his new mother tongue a frisky foal.

Donald Antrim, who flies in from New York, should have been on the stage of Saint Amour in 2003, but was prevented at the eleventh hour. We will now know what we were missing.

Bernard Dewulf, poet, essayist, winner of the Saint Amour-prize for Good Sex, columnist of De Morgen, expresses his most tender side.

Which personality the actor Axel Daeseleire will show remains to be seen, but it’s certain that there will be laughing. He brings, as an homage to the author who so often and so prominently took part to Saint Amour, an excerpt from Het Verlangen (The desire) of Hugo Claus.

The Amsterdam Ariëlla Kornmehl will read from her novel De familie Goldwasser (The family Goldwasser), about a Jewish girl who falls in love with a non-Jewish boy.

From Bart Moeyaert the bundle Gedichten voor gelukkige mensen (Poems for happy people) was recently published. We dare assume that some of the people in the audience of Saint Amour will feel appealed.

Winner of several prestigious literary prizes Anne Provoost enters the stage with its remarkable, yet unpublished love.

Stijn Vranken, who earned his spurs at various stages, such as Sprekende Ezel (Talking Donkey), brings a selection from his recently published debut bundle Vlees Mij (Meat me).

The French version of Woody Allen, François Weyergans, winner of the 2005 Prix Goncourt, concludes the show.

Herman Brusselmans, au fond de most tender one of all writers, also takes part at Saint Amour part but gives only twice acte de presence: on Feb. 11 in Dilbeek and on Feb. 17 in Knokke.

Stef Kamil Carlens, Singer of Zita Swoon, provides us with fine musical intermezzi, while presenter Sven Speybrouck has promised to be in top shape.