Luuk Van Middelaar

Luuk van Middelaar (b. 1973) is a Dutch political philosopher and currently the speechwriter and an advisor to the president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy. He published his first book, Politicide, in 1999. Since its original publication, The Passage to Europe has received the Socrates Prize for the best Dutch philosophy book and the European Book Prize 2012.

Education

Van Middelaar has a PhD in philosophy from the University of Amsterdam (2009). He studied history and philosophy at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (1991-1999), including a year at Sorbonne in Paris (1993-1994), and did a postgraduate in Political studies at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris (1999-2000).

Other books and articles

The author’s first book, Politicide, is a critical study of post-war French political philosophy. It was widely acclaimed in the Netherlands and won the Prix de Paris in 1999. It was re-edited in 2011; French and Brazilian translations are in preparation.

Since running the book section of the philosophical monthly Filosofie Magazine while still a student (1996-1998), Van Middelaar was a regular contributor of essays and book reviews to de Volkskrant and Trouw (2000-2006), had a two-weekly foreign affairs column in NRC Handelsblad (2008- 2009) and has published articles in Le Monde, the Wall Street Journal, Die Welt. He has contributed to numerous book volumes and peer-reviewed academic journals, such as the European Constitutional Law Review.

Van Middelaar also was the guest editor of an academic volume on utopian thought, practice and architecture: Utopie. Utopisch denken, doen en bouwen (2003).

Academic research

From 2000 to 2002, Van Middelaar was a researcher at the Centre Raymond Aron of the E.H.E.S.S. in Paris. From 2007 to 2009 he was a researcher at the University of Amsterdam’s Germany Institute (DIA).

Political experience

Since early 2010, Van Middelaar has been working as the speechwriter and an advisor to European Council President Herman Van Rompuy. The author worked twice before as political advisor: in 2002-2004 in the private office of European Commissioner Frits Bolkestein and from 2004 to 2006 as political secretary of the liberal VVD group in Dutch parliament, advising group leader Jozias van Aartsen.

Personal

Luuk van Middelaar is married to artist Manon de Boer. They have one child, Julius (born 2009).