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Czech BooksNaked on a dead horse: strange happenings in the world of Patrik Linhart
North Bohemia is a strange part of the Czech Republic. It combines bleak
industrial towns with striking natural beauty, and its people are also
different. The area was almost completely depopulated with the expulsion
of its German inhabitants after World War Two, and people moved in from
across Czechoslovakia. So perhaps it's not surprising that North Bohemia
also has its own very special and rather peculiar literary culture.
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ArtsThe Wonderful Years of Bumper Booksales: Michal Viewegh's enduring popularity
Today's Arts takes a look at the Czech literary phenomenon that is Michal
Viewegh. Loved and hated in equal measure in the Czech Republic, he is yet
to take the English-speaking market by storm. When he does, we too can
expect to see his face all over the covers of magazines, and stands in
bookshops dedicated to his considerable output. I met up with Michal
Viewegh to ask him about how it was to be a writer in the current Czech
climate.
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Czech BooksPoetry from the Twilight Zone: writing from North Bohemia
The impossibly named Mnohacek Zgublacenko writes sung poems. He is one of
the writers featured in a brand new anthology of Czech literature. This is
a fantastic book of over sixty new writers, and the good news is that it is
going to be available in English translation later in the year. It will be
available on the Czech Ministry of Culture website. Mnohacek Zgublacenko
is one of the poets living in the Twilight Zone of North Bohemia.
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Current AffairsPlaywright Tom Stoppard special guest as Czech PEN Club marks 80th anniversary
The PEN is an international organisation which - as well as providing a
social forum for writers - fights for the rights of imprisoned authors and
promotes free speech. The Czech branch of PEN has just celebrated its 80th
anniversary - in the exact same place where it was established. More
One on OneJosef Rauvolf - the janitor who helped bring American Beat culture to Czechoslovakia
Coilin O'Connor's guest on One on One this week is the translator and
filmmaker Josef Rauvolf. Although he now works as Culture Editor of the
Czech magazine Instinkt, Mr Rauvolf is perhaps best known in this country
as the Czech translator of American Beat writers such as William Burroughs
and Jack Kerouac. His translations of Burroughs's novels The Naked Lunch
and Junky are particularly popular and have sold thousands of copies. In
recent years, he has also helped make acclaimed documentaries on
underground cultures in both the US and Communist Czechoslovakia.
Interestingly, after graduating from Charles University as a librarian in
the mid-1970s, Mr Rauvolf initially spent eleven years working as a
janitor in Prague. So what prompted him to make this unusual career
choice? More
Czech BooksJane Kirwan: a poetic passion for the Czech Republic - despite the prepositions
Jane Kirwan was born of Irish parents in England and has been based in
Prague for several years. In this programme we will be look at her poetry
from recent years, much of which is about her connection with this
country. Her first book called "Stealing the Eiffel Tower" was
highly acclaimed. Here is the title poem:
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Czech BooksIlona Ferkova - stories that capture Roma life in the Czech Republic today
Ilona Ferkova writes in the Romany language, closely related to the ancient
Indian language Sanskrit. It has survived and adapted itself through the
centuries ever since the ancestors of today's Roma left India a millennium
ago. Ilona has written a fascinating collection of short stories that
capture both the tribulations and the poetry that shines even through the
material hardship of life for many Roma in the Czech Republic today. More
Czech BooksBozena Nemcova - the mother of Czech prose
Hello and welcome to Czech Books, which this week will be looking at the
Czech icon and -in the words of Milan Kundera - the mother of Czech prose,
Bozena Nemcova. We'd like today to dig a bit deeper into the reality of
the woman behind the image, which is embedded in Czech culture. Nemcova
lived from 1820 to 1862 and was a major figure in the Czech national
revival. She's most famous for her book about an idealized rural community
in the early 19th century, "Babicka" - The Grandmother. This
book has been translated into many languages and is known by all Czechs as
part of their school reading. Nemcova's image is also very much a part of
Czech culture. Here are a few lines from Babicka in a 19th century
translation by Frances Gregor. More
Current Affairs'Harry Potter' and 'Lord of the Rings' top list of Czechs' favorite books
And the winner is: "Harry Potter," and not by a nose. In a
nationwide survey of nearly 100,000 people, Czech readers have named the
English author J.K. Rowling as having penned their favorite book.
More
Czech BooksPrincess Libuse: the wisest woman in Czech literary history
Today we look at one of the legendary figures in Czech history - sometimes
described as the "Mother of the Czech Nation" - the medieval
princess Libuse or Libussa, who has inspired many writers through the
centuries. I'm joined by Pavla Jonssonova, who has studied the way that
the Libuse legend has been interpreted by different writers, and to what
extent it reflects the possible real history of Libuse. More
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