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Czech BooksThe prison poet: remembering Ivan Martin Jirous
Last month was the end of an era in Czech poetry. The man who practically
embodied the poetic underground of the 1970s and 80s, Ivan Martin Jirous
– alias Magor, or Loony in English – died at the age of 67. Not only
was Magor one of best Czech poets of his generation, but also the driving
force behind the underground rock scene. He embodied the longing for
rebellion and freedom, as so-called “normalization” sucked the air out
of Czech and Slovak society. In Czech Books, David Vaughan talks to one of
Magor’s close friends and associates. More
Current AffairsCzech underground legend Ivan Martin Jirous dies aged 67
One of the legends of the Czech underground, poet Ivan Martin Jirous, died
in Prague on Thursday at the age of 67. Ivan Jirous, or Magor – literally
“the crazy one” as he was affectionately called by his friends – was
perhaps best-known as the artistic manager and spiritual leader of the
underground band The Plastic People of the Universe, but this eternal rebel
was also a sensitive, contemplative poet and master of the Czech language. More
ArtsMarkéta Baňková’s The Magpie in the Empire of Entropy
Last week saw the awarding of the annual Magnesia Litera awards for 2010
recognising excellence in Czech literature. The main award for book of the
year went to the Jan Balabán for Zeptej se táty, who died only a few
months after its completion at the age of just 49. Other winners included
Martin Ryšavý and Josef Hrubý in prose and poetry while the literary
discovery of the year went to artist and debuting author Markéta Baňková
for a beautiful little book called Straka v Říši Entropie. We look at
that debut in this week’s Arts. More
Current AffairsMilan Hlavsa - legendary Plastic People frontman remembered
January 5th marks ten years since the death of Czech underground music
legend Milan Hlavsa. At the age of just 49 in 2001, the frontman for The
Plastic People of the Universe and Půlnoc succumbed to lung cancer; fellow
musicians from both bands will commemorate the singer and bassist on
Saturday at Prague’s Akropolis. More
Czech BooksBeetles, gravediggers and a familiar face from Radio Prague
Radio Prague’s literary connections go back over seventy years, starting
even before the Second World War. Well known writers like Arnošt Lustig,
Lenka Reinerová or Benjamin Kuras have all at one time worked here. And
the tradition continues. Pavla Horáková, known to many Radio Prague
listeners as the voice of our letters programme Mailbox, has just had a
novel for children published with glowing reviews. She is David Vaughan’s
guest in this week’s Czech Books. More
Current AffairsDocumentaries, discussions bring to life recent history for Czech students
An unusual history project is running in Czech schools throughout November,
organised by the NGO People in Need. For the next few weeks, around 700
secondary schools across the country will be showing documentary films
about the nation’s communist past, as well as inviting former political
prisoners to come and talk to children about their experiences of being
persecuted by the state. More
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