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Czech BooksBlanka Čechová: finding Kafka in Kosovo
Not many people would give up the salary, status and security of a job as a
high-flying European lawyer for all the uncertainties of being a full time
writer. But this is exactly what Blanka Čechová has done. After several
years working for international institutions that seemed to feed on their
own bureaucracy, she became disillusioned, and instead has taken her
experiences as an inspiration for her writing. Her new novel, “Totál
Balkán” draws richly from the time the author spent with an
international mission in Kosovo, and the picture it paints is far from
flattering. David Vaughan meets a writer who has not been afraid to court
controversy.
More
One on OneStephan Delbos- a Prague-based poet, teacher and reporter
Stephan Delbos is a Prague-based poet. Five years ago, he moved to Prague,
where he edits the Prague Review, teaches literary writing at Charles
University, works as a business reporter at the English language newspaper
The Prague Post and occasionally hosts the Alchemy poetry reading series at
the Globe café. I talked to Mr. Delbos about the English language poetry
scene here in Prague and what initially drew him to the city. More
Czech BooksA taste of Prague spring for an actor in Egypt’s revolution
It was apt that one of the participants in this year’s Prague Writers’
Festival was the Egyptian novelist Hamdy el-Gazzar, who played an active
part in the dramatic events last spring on Cairo’s Tahrir Square. It is
no coincidence that the revolutions across North Africa and the Middle East
came to be known as the “Arab Spring”, taking their name from events in
Czechoslovakia – the Prague Spring – over forty years earlier. You do
not have to look far to find parallels between the atmosphere of then and
now, and the events of ’68 are also a warning that not every popular
uprising ends happily. David Vaughan talks to Hamdy el-Gazzar about his
experience as a writer and journalist. More
SpecialHanif Kureishi – the famous British author on Prague, Islam and multiracial societies in Europe
Undoubtedly the most famous guest at this year’s Prague Writers’
Festival, the British novelist, screenwriter and playwright Hanif Kureishi
rose to international fame in 1985, with his screenplay for the film “My
Beautiful Laundrette”. Since then, he published the novel “The Buddha
of Suburbia” to great acclaim and continues to write extensively, both
for the screen and works of fiction. Ahead of his first reading at the
festival, I asked him about his work, why he enjoys the short story form
and if he had previously visited Prague. More
One on OneWriter and psychologist Gündüz Vassaf on totalitarianism, modern Turkey and the role of Islam in his life
Amongst intellectuals in Turkey, the psychologist and author Gündüz
Vassaf is a bit of a rock-star. He writes a weekly column for the newspaper
radical, was a founding member of the Istanbul chapter of Amnesty
International and resigned from his post as university professor in protest
of the 1980 military coup. Born and educated in America, Vassaf is regarded
as one of the most important critical voices in Turkey. Currently, he is in
town for the Prague Writers’ Festival, and we spoke to him ahead of the
gala opening. The interview opens with the question of whether he is
familiar with the city at all. More
Current Affairs22nd edition of Prague Writers’ Festival brings international literature greats like Hanif Kureishi to Czech capital
On Saturday, the 22nd edition of the prestigious Prague Writers’ Festival
kicks off in the Czech capital, under the theme of “Only the future
exists”. For five days, visitors will have the opportunity to attend
readings, discussion panels and film screenings featuring writers from
around the world. As every year, the festival brings writers of
international caliber to the city, with the British novelist and
screenwriter Hanif Kureishi probably the most famous guest this year. Sarah
Borufka spoke to the festival’s president, Michael March, about the
guests, the mission and the theme of the festival. More
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