“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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Visegrad: A Novel; The Prague Reading
On May 4, Duncan Robertson will be appearing at Shakespeare and Sons ...
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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 […]
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. […]
‘Prague Fatale’: in the crossfire of Czech resistance and the Butcher of Prague
WWII-era crime novel depicts hunt for Czech resistance fighters, their German contact and enactment of a seemingly impossible crime Prague Fatale is the eighth book by Philip Kerr that follows hard-nosed Berlin homicide detective Bernie Gunther as he navigates his way between the world of everyday street murders and the much more menacing variety of […]
Russian voices of dissent
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues along with the war of information accompanying it there has been a tendency to turn away from anything Russian as a gesture of solidarity with Ukraine. What this leaves out are Russian voices of dissent, voices that speak out despite the growing and significant risks involved. Among those […]
My Seven Lives | Review
The 2022 Winter Issue of B O D Y nears its end with my review of My Seven Lives by Agneša Kalinová and Jana Juráňová, translated from the Slovak by Julia and Peter Sherwood. The book is an interview memoir that covers Kalinová’s eventful life and is a fascinating reflection of 20th century history in […]
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