Aleksandar Ristovic (1933-1994) is a Serbian poet whose sole book in English, Devil’s Lunch, was translated by Serbian-American poet Charles Simic and published in 1999. At Harriet, the blog of the Poetry Foundation poet Jeffrey McDaniel provides a mouth watering introduction to Ristovic’s work by taking readers through the title poem “Devil’s Lunch.” For more […]
Latest News
A Couple of Poor Polish-Speaking Romanians
Eastern disillusionment meets western incomprehension On Dorota Masłowska’s play – “A Couple of Poor, Polish-Speaking Romanians” It is hard to be subversive in the 21st century. Writers and artists of all kinds have been aiming in that particular direction for so long now that it seems almost old-fashioned. And if you’re from what is commonly […]
The urgency to write: an interview with Petra Hůlová
Czech novelist Petra Hůlová (b. 1979) vaulted to fame almost a decade ago with the publication of her debut novel All of This Belongs to Me (Paměť mojí babičce, 2002). Since then she has written five more novels in Czech and in 2009 saw her much acclaimed first novel published by Northwestern University Press in […]
Prague Writers’ Festival postscript
I like writers’ festivals – not when the writers read their work, which is usually boring, or when the discussions are overly organized, in which case they can be dull too. The most interesting aspects of writers’ festivals are the moments that typically slip through the cracks, that you have to see in person to […]
Does the Novel Have a Future? Yes, and it has a past too
A response to Tao Lin’s article in the New York Observer. Every so often the “Novel” is brought out on the stage of a newspaper, magazine or manifesto like a patient aboutto go under the knife in an operating theater. “Does the Novel Have a Future?” reads the headline of Taiwanese-American writer Tao Lin’s latest […]
Tomáš Kafka: the rhyming ambassador
For many authors the acronym MFA refers to the Master of Fine Arts programs in writing that are currently so popular in the US, and that some critics argue create a stifling uniformity among aspiring scribes. For Tomáš Kafka, MFA instead refers to his employer, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As the current Czech […]
The Kafka Bubble
The 20th century is often justifiably referred to as a bloodbath. The 21st century is bloody too, but might more accurately be described as a bubble bath. It was ushered in following the bursting of the dot-com bubble, and since then has experienced a housing bubble, a commodities bubble and almost every kind of financial, […]
Re-covering Kafka: an interview with Peter Mendelsund
Designing book jackets requires a certain amount of humility and acceptance that your work will be enjoyed without most people acknowledging the time and effort you put into it, or ever associating the book with your name. On the other hand who else is there who can boast of having collaborated with the likes of […]
Prague Writers’ Festival 2011 preview
Link: Prague Writers’ Festival about to get underway The 21st Prague Writers’ Festival boasts the presence of Don DeLillo, Derek Walcott, Junot Díaz and a host of Czech and international writers coming to take part in readings, discussions, book signings and more. DeLillo will be reading a text from Falling Man specially edited for the […]
Prague Writers’ Festival likes it hot
Some literary stars, like the cautious Don DeLillo, had to be enticed to the festival, while Nobel laureate Derek Walcott volunteered himself The 21st Prague Writers’ Festival (PWF) — with a thematic title of Some Like it Hot — begins Saturday, April 16, with a program packed with literary encounters, including readings, discussions, book signings […]
literalab 