Seminal Russian formalist critic Viktor Shklovsky has been back in the limelight as of late due to a slew of translations by Shushan Avagyan published and forthcoming from Dalkey Archive, including Bowstring: On the Dissimilarity of the Similar and Energy of Delusion, a pair of works of literary theory, as well as the more essayistic/historical […]
Yuri Andrukhovych came to Prague’s Forum 2000 more as a journalist from a country very much in the center of debates about political liberties and freedom of the press than as the writer of the postmodern absurdist novel Perverzion. At the forum itself he discussed the situation of Ukraine and its beleaguered yet extremely resilient […]
Two Geniuses: Francis Bacon & Bohumil Hrabal is a recently opened exhibition at The Gate Gallery that presents an illuminating parallel between two masters of their respective mediums. Both developed unique styles that swam against the current of modern art and literature. “If Bohumil Hrabal had been a painter he would have painted like Francis […]
While everyone seems vitally concerned with the portal Loki utilizes to make a surprise appearance on earth in The Avengers there is another portal I’d like to turn your attention to. If you haven’t gone to the Czech Literature Portal site yet now is your chance. From the beginning of May I have taken on […]
Work of Alexander Kluge, among the boldest filmmakers and writers of the past 50 years, as well as being a key figure in New German Cinema, gets Prague showing It is not uncommon to find artists who came to film from work in other mediums. Some are painters turned filmmakers, while others turned to film […]
Being a good or great writer is certainly no guarantee of having a great, good or even remedial grasp of politics, culture or, really, anything at all. Yet there are writers whose intellect outside their books approximates their intellect in their books, and so it can be worth hearing what they have to say. For […]
Author Jo Nesbø provides a Czech audience insight into the creative process that has pushed him to the peak of the crime fiction world Norwegian crime fiction writer Jo Nesbø made his first trip to Prague this April 13 for the publication of the Czech version of his latest in the Harry Hole mystery series, […]
The varied world of Czech literature, past and present, contains a vast store of work virtually unknown outside of the Czech Republic Nothing lasts forever, and the recent losses of Václav Havel and Josef Škvorecký emphasize the finitude of what was probably the greatest generation of Czech writers. Fortunately, there are numerous younger writers whose […]
Broadcaster, filmmaker and writer Dennis Marks talks to literalab about his recently published book Wandering Jew: The Search for Joseph Roth, in which he follows the geographical trail of the constantly moving writer from his roots in Brody, Ukraine through other outposts of the multicultural Austro-Hungarian Empire. Literalab: What gave you the idea for looking […]
Documentary film commemorates humor and humanity of Czech writer who lived through and documented history’s darkest days Approaching the anniversary of Czech-Jewish writer Arnošt Lustig’s death on Feb. 26, 2011 at age 84, a new documentary film celebrating his life and work is being released, titled Arnošt Lustig – devět životů (Arnošt Lustig – Nine […]
