literalab

Murder Ink

literalab — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:16:48 +0000

The next two weeks of B O D Y’s Sunday European Fiction will be devoted to dark stories of crime and death.

First up is the brutal opening of Polish crime writer Mariusz Czubaj’s novel 21:37, just published by Stork Press in a translation by Anna Hyde. This is the award-winning writer’s first book to come out in English. Czubaj has also co-authored two books with the celebrated Marek Krajewski, subject of a Friday Pick at B O D Y.

To get an idea of the author’s own taste in the genre you can see a list of his Top Ten favorite crime novels.

The following week it will be a story by Romanian writer Marin Malaicu-Hondrari about a hitman with an usual hit to carry out. The work was translated into English by Jean Harris.

Besides being a novelist and poet Malaicu-Hondrari is a translator and has translated Roberto Bolaño’s poetry among other Spanish-language writers into Romania. I mention Bolaño in particular though because not only is his name the stories opening words, but his influence is apparent throughout.

Photo – by Osbornb/Wikimedia

Literary roundup: Rózewicz at the London Lit Fest, Jasieński and translating the Russians

literalab — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:46:26 +0000

The London Literature Festival is underway with a wide range of guests and events, including appearances by James Salter, Paul Theroux, Aleksandar Hemon and George Saunders among many others.

In the literalab universe one of the most unique events takes place May 25 at London’s Southbank Centre, “Mum, Dad, I’m a Poet,” with the great Polish poet Tadeusz Różewicz , whose book of blended prose, poetry and memoir Mother Departs has just been published by Stork Press in an English translation by Barbara Bogoczek. The event will comprise “readings, music and film by actors, poets, critics and friends” such as “poets George Szirtes and Tom Paulin, singing maven Katy Carr, legendary actor Jan Peszek and his daughter, notorious actress and singer Maria Peszek.”

To read more about Różewicz, Mother Departs and an excerpt click here.

There’s also a book club meeting on May 23 to discuss Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita, which I also would have gone to if I were anywhere near London.

Bruno Jasieński – “Keys”

And speaking of Polish poets I didn’t want to forget to link to this fantastic work by Bruno Jasieński posted by Twisted Spoon Press. “Keys” was first published in 1925 and will be part of the upcoming Jasieński collection The Legs of Izolda Morgan translated by Soren A. Gauger and Guy Torr.

Translating the Russian classics

Humanities has an article in which the husband and wife translation team of Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky discuss having finished translating Tolstoy’s major works, the non-existence of definitive translations and how Volokhonsky is “lobbying” her husband for them to translate Turgenev (In the usual husband-wife negotiations this qualifies as so much more elevated than being lobbied to do the dishes more often or don’t go out drinking with your friends so often that I confess to being unable to imagine what it’s like).

Photo – Tadeusz Różewicz, courtesy of Stork Press

Central Europe: The devil’s playground

literalab — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:01:00 +0000

Book World Prague roundup Pt. I

Prague’s book fair just came and went and though I missed seeing a lot of the bigger names and featured events I was left with one strong impression that seems highly significant for Central European literature and the region as a whole. It is that Central Europe is fucked – no exaggeration, not that atmosphere of impending doom that can make a book or film interesting, but the “why would I possibly have a child here when his or her future is so frighteningly bleak.” Fucked.

In a panel presenting Visegrad Insight magazine prominent writers from Poland, Hungary and Slovakia gave their take on their countries’ respective nationalisms, illusions and the role history plays (or doesn’t play) in their national consciousness.

Krzysztof Varga, writer and journalist at Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza, talked about being half Polish and half Hungarian, and that Central Europe is a melting pot as well as being “God’s playground”, where so many developments, ideas and historical experiences have been played out. But then he frankly stated his pessimism about the future here, that nationalism is rising and that the situation is dangerous:

“Central Europe is a great cultural melting pot and I love it but Central Europe is the devil’s playground too.”

Winner of the 2012 European Prize for Literature for his novel Turkish Mirror, Viktor Horváth pointed out the dismal situation in Hungary, where the governing Fidesz party makes use of the growing far right for its own purposes. Another winner of the European Prize for Literature from last year Slovak Pavol Rankov joined the consensus, though he made a distinction between the Slovak and Hungarian outlook in regard to history: “We want our future to be better than our history was while Hungarians want the future to be the same as history was.”

Rankov also pointed out how the Czech’s characteristic irony distances them from the kind of historical glorification more typical of Hungary and Poland. Of Poland’s need to see itself as a suffering victim Varga was particularly scathing: “Polish people can’t live without historical catastrophes. They can’t live without wars and uprisings. Freedom is an uncomfortable situation.” And though he thought that by now Poland would be a boring country where the parliament talked about taxes and the GDP, instead they go on about history and the nation.

(An aside: if prize-winning writers are so pessimistic just imagine how gloomy it is for non-prize-winning writers).

Irena Brezna in B O D Y

literalab — Sun, 19 May 2013 10:09:52 +0000

“Should I ask Jesus Christ for help, or should I write to our President in the capital? But even Jesus Christ himself is having a bad time and Comrade President could give an order to have Mama executed – after all, he is strict and fair. I’m afraid that Mama wouldn’t take her blindfold off in front of the firing squad. Then she wouldn’t make it into the history books and she would be a nobody forever. I’ll figure it out myself. I’ll bury my big, beautiful mother deep in my heart like the hawk in the yard.”

From an excerpt of The Best of All Worlds, a novel by Swiss-based Slovak novelist and former war correspondent Irena Brežná as translated by Janet Livingstone in this week’s Sunday European Fiction at B O D Y.

Literary roundup: Russian literature in prisons, on spies and some Czech honey

literalab — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:54:30 +0000

The Washington Post has an amazing article about teaching Russian literature in prisons in Virginia. Not only does it recount how convicted felons are getting enthusiastic about reading Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and company, and having their minds opened up to the wider possibilities of life by what they’re reading as opposed to being reformed or restrained by the usual brilliant and extremely well-thought out strategies of the US penal system, but it ends with a quote from one of the prisoners that is a work of literature itself:

“Last night, I was sitting on my bed and it all of a sudden hit me: How am I going to be remembered?” Green said. “I sat there for an hour, just looking at my leg, thinking about how I would answer that.”

If Hollywood film adaptations of his books, among many other aspects of modern life, have sent Tolstoy spinning in his grave then at least this article gives him reason to take a short break.

Russian Spies

Upon
Our territory
A gang has been dispatched
Of spies,
Of arsonists,
Of bandits,
Of murderers

“The Call,” by Vladimir Mayakovsky

The latest issue of Chtenia is titled “Spies and Impostors” and is all about espionage. None of it is available online but looks like an interesting mix of fiction, essays and poetry.

Topol

European Literature Night took place last night and Czech writer Jáchym Topol was a participant in London. In the run up to the event English PEN published a Topol work titled “A Little Honey,” translated into English by Alex Zucker.

Photo – A corridor of the end of the world prison at Ushuaia, now a museum by Luis Argerich/wikimedia commons

Book World Prague 2013

literalab — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:57:40 +0000

Prague’s book fair Book World Prague (BWP) 2013 runs from May 16 to 19, with some events having already taken place in various spots throughout the city. The main fair hosts Slovakia as this year’s Guest of Honor, with a significantly larger and less restricted group of writers attending the event than when, say, Saudi Arabia were in the same position two years ago.

The list includes writers such as 2012 Anasoft winner and Best European Fiction 2013 entrant for Slovakia, Balla. You can read his story “Contagion” online at Two Lines in a translation by Julia Sherwood (as was “Before the Breakup” in BEF). Pavel Vilikovský, who I interviewed last time he was at BWP, will be there as well, perhaps giving me the chance to follow up on the announced Part II of the interview two years after the fact.

The other main focus of the fair is poetry, and starting with tonight’s reading of expat poets at Charles University’s K4 Club to the presence of a range of Czech and international poets too numerous to list as well as a number of interesting discussions and readings there is a lot on tap for poetry lovers.

Other interesting guests coming for the fair include Hungarian novelist Peter Esterházy, formerly Paris-based Czech poet and prose writer Petr Král and Polish novelist Michał Witkowski.

The book fair program in English can be downloaded as a PDF here.

Prague Microfestival

literalab — Sun, 12 May 2013 15:37:25 +0000

The fifth Prague Microfestival of poetry runs from May 12 to 14 with an extra night of readings on May 15. Celebrating “new and innovative poetry that ventures into the realm of experimentation and the visual arts, unfettered by the narrow boundaries of national literatures” the festival brings together 12 writers from Norway, Croatia, the US, Australia and other countries besides those closer to home.

This year’s guest of honor is Paris-based American poet Alice Notley. Reading take place at Charles University student club K4 and start at 7pm. All the events will be in English and Czech. After the readings there will be live music.

On May 15 there will be a reading and music by six expatriate authors associated with Book World Prague titled “I’m back in Prague, flooded with light…”

The program and other information can be found at www.praguemicrofestival.com.

Valery Ronshin in B O D Y

literalab — Sun, 12 May 2013 07:48:11 +0000

“A good day to all our passengers,” she said, smiling. “My name is Masha. Our flight today will be at an altitude of 6,000 meters. We’re flying to Malaysia. The captain of our crew is pilot first class Ivan Potapov. He is a very experienced pilot. He’s been in five air disasters and all five times he’s made it through alive, when the other passengers and crew all perished. Have a pleasant flight, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for your attention.”

From “My Flight to Malaysia,” a story by Russian writer Valery Ronshin and translated by José Alaniz is part of the story collection Living a Life: Totally Absurd Tales published by Glas New Russian Writing.

European Literature Night 2013

literalab — Thu, 09 May 2013 23:05:32 +0000

For a fifth year European Literature Night is taking place in cities throughout the continent. On May 15 work by writers dead and alive will be celebrated in a host of interesting locations, in both cosmopolitan locales whose names evoke a long cultural history – Florence, Bucharest, Vienna, London, Prague – all the way to a number of smaller cities in Bulgaria and Slovakia.

Just sticking to the living authors there is a terrific lineup of authors travelling around. To name some of the Central and Eastern European ones: Jáchym Topol will be among the authors appearing at London’s British Library, Jacek Dehnel and Răzvan Petrescu will be in Dublin, and Michał Witkowski in Prague.

Truthfully, it’s confusing trying to figure out which author is actually coming to the event in person. Of course, sometimes it’s obvious. The fascinating Bucharest lineup of authors includes Antonio Muñoz Molina, Dino Buzzati, Péter Esterházy, Paweł Huelle and James Joyce. Now it’s safe though unfortunate to say that neither Joyce nor Buzzati will actually be in attendance, but I don’t know about the others. Adding to the confusion is the fact that Péter Esterházy is also on the list for Prague. It’s possible only his work is being read, or that he’s attending one and not the other. Obviously the best alternative and use of the EU budget would be having him read in Bucharest and then whisking him into a helicopter and flown Prague but the way cultural budgets are being cut these days this might be viewed as wasteful and extravagant.

Prague’s Literature Night is typically focused in varied locations in a single neighborhood and this year it’s in an area of Prague 7 that has its own unique atmosphere and some lesser-known churches, cafes and buildings.

Jelena Lengold in B O D Y

literalab — Sun, 05 May 2013 22:59:08 +0000

“ … and for a moment he felt himself flagging inside her, that helped him, in fact, to wriggle out again and push her onto her back, now she was looking at him a little surprised, a little breathless, her eyes were shining like some crazed junkie’s, her pupils were enormous, she had placed her two front teeth over her lower lip as though she was going to bite herself and was looking at him, looking, without saying anything, and he thought that she had looked at others in this same way, perhaps that very day, or the day before, perhaps her husband, who knows, maybe she looked at him like this, you can never know that, we always feel we are entirely unique in someone’s life and it always turns out that that was just self-delusion …”

From “Fairground Magician” by Jelena Lengold, a story from the Serbian writer’s European Prize for Literature-winning short story collection. Istros Books will publish the collection in English translation by Celia Hawkesworth in September 2013 under the title Pockets Full of Stones.