“As soon as her mother turned away to do some other chore, the girl tore off pieces of dough and made them into little figures. She lined them up in ...
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Prague Microfestival XIV
The 14th Prague Microfestival takes place next weekend. Billed as a festival ...
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Bianca Bellová
“And this handsome but utterly stupid young man, who had never had to deny himself an eighth dumpling in his life and was playing at being a committed left-winger, even taking the liberty of professing a kind of ideological solidarity with her, he wasn’t even capable of finding out the most basic information about her […]
Karel Šebek in B O D Y
I write to keep the train on course to crush meit’ll happen on a morning no less beautiful than thishands latticed in love like jailbars shall adorn every windowI am seeking death her silver in every living momentwords piled like cadaversa death camp of happiness – from an untitled poem by Karel Šebek, translated from […]
Siegfried Mortkowitz in B O D Y
“Yes. The Mortkowitz funeral. I remember now. That was definitely yesterday.” Then, as if I’d suddenly turned radioactive, he spun on his heels and rushed away, leaving me to simmer in the soup of my bewilderment and humiliation. I felt that everyone was now looking at me, happy to have their attention momentarily diverted from […]
Literary roundup: Ukrainian writers on the war
AGNI magazine has published “Dispatches from Ukraine“, a series of writings and reflections by mostly Ukrainian writers, filmmakers, journalists, professors and more. It starts off with a powerful piece by novelist Yuri Andrukhovych, “After Bucha”: However, what we see testifies to dehumanization. The population of Russia successfully dehumanized itself. This is an anti-world. This is […]
Visegrad: A Novel; The Prague Reading
On May 4, Duncan Robertson will be appearing at Shakespeare and Sons bookstore and cafe to read from his newly published novel Visegrad. I will be hosting the event – in the sense that I’ll introduce and do a Q&A with Duncan, not that I live in a bookstore. Visegrad is the picaresque journey of […]
March 6 – Natalia Klyuchareva
Translated from the Russian by Mariya Gusev I wasn’t expecting to be this scared. It was a physiological reaction I could not control, even with all of my resolve. As soon as we got there and took our place, my knees began to tremble. This was terribly embarrassing. And I could do nothing to stop […]
End of the World Diary, Pt. III – Natalia Klyuchareva
Translated from the Russian by Mariya Gusev #end_of_the_world_diary I teach at a literary seminar. A colleague wrote that a student had just given her a story where a rocket hits a TV tower. And a student gave me a story where two people were fleeing a nuclear explosion that had engulfed Moscow. I envy those […]
One Day All This Will End
Translated from the Russian by Mariya Gusev and Rebecca Bella Wangh One day, all this will endFor sure, it will run its course —Bombs and buckwheat will run outTanks and matches will run outCannon fodder will run outCheese in the mousetrap will run outAir in a space suit will run outTime and money will run […]
End of the World Diary, Pt. II – Natalia Klyuchareva
Translated from the Russian by Mariya Gusev #end_of_the_world_diary I read the news that Putin put nuclear weapons on high alert, decided to enjoy life for the last time, went to a coffee shop, drank a mango sea buckthorn smoothie. It was very tasty. At a nearby table, two blondes with oversized lips are arguing with […]
End of the World Diary, Pt. I – Natalia Klyuchareva
Translated from the Russian by Mariya Gusev Throughout this week, which will close out the first month of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Literalab will publish the writing of Natalia Klyuchareva. “The End of the World Diary” recounts her reactions during the war’s opening week. “March 6” tells about her experience attending an anti-war rally. […]
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