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Czech BooksJohn Banville: claiming Kafka as an Irish writer
A few days ago the Booker Prize winning Irish writer John Banville was in
Prague, to receive one of Europe’s most coveted literary awards, the
Franz Kafka Prize. David Vaughan took the opportunity to talk to the writer
about his work and his fascination with the cultural and literary world of
Central Europe. More
Czech BooksIvan Klíma: a sceptic in the era of entertainment culture
The 78-year-old novelist, Ivan Klíma, is one of the best known and most
widely translated of all Czech writers, with novels like “Love and
Garbage”, “Judge on Trial” or “No Saints or Angels” acclaimed
worldwide. Nearly all Klíma’s work focuses on human relationships, in
particular between men and women, but at the same time he offers far
broader insights into modern Czech society. In a recent interview for Radio
Prague Klíma spoke about his latest book “My Crazy Century” in which
he looks back at the first half of his life including his years in a Nazi
concentration camp and his later flirtation with communism. But when I went
to see Ivan Klíma last week at his house in a leafy suburb of Prague, it
was to talk about the more recent past. I was interested in how he
perceives the years since the fall of communism. The Velvet Revolution came
suddenly, but did it take Ivan Klíma by surprise?
More
Czech BooksMy Crazy Century: Ivan Klíma reflects on his journey to communism and back
When Ivan Klíma was a little boy, he knew he wanted to be a writer. Today,
he is one of the most respected figures of Czech literature. Ivan
Klíma’s life journey included years in a Nazi concentration camp,
membership in the communist party, and later a life on the fringe of the
society, after he was expelled from the party and joined
Czechoslovakia’s opposition movement. In his latest book, My Crazy
Century, Ivan Klíma
explains what happened that he found himself in the ranks of the communist
party, a totalitarian and criminal organization that ruled his country for
four decades. More
Current AffairsRow continues over Kaplicky's "Octopus" design for National Library
The row continues over plans to build a new home for Prague's National
Library. The priceless collection of books and manuscripts is set to move
from the baroque Klementinum building by Charles Bridge to a new location
on Prague's Letna plain. But the winning design - by Czech-born architect
Jan Kaplicky - is attracting no small measure of controversy.
More
Current AffairsFranz Kafka Society lauds Japanese writer Murakami
Haruki Murakami—perhaps the greatest living Japanese author—is currently
here in the Czech capital. The main purpose of his visit is to collect the
annual Franz Kafka award - which is perhaps appropriate, given that
Murakami's own work bears the influence of Kafka, one of the greatest
Prague-born writers of all time. Emily Udell reports.
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