The book ball marks the launch of the Boekenweek, a week- long campaign for Dutch literature. The invitation-only event, first held in 1946, is attended by the publishing elite, plus a sprinkling of starry-eyed first-time authors. Held at the Stadsschouwburg in Amsterdam, it always gets wide media coverage, presumably because it’s the only way all those would-be-novelist journalists can actually get in.