Related articles
Czech BooksFrom Karel Čapek to Graham Greene: a Scottish poet’s memories of Prague
In a recent edition of Czech Books we looked at the Prague-inspired poetry
of the Scottish poet, Edwin Muir. But it was not just in his poetry that
Muir evoked the atmosphere of the Czech capital. David Vaughan finds out
more in this week’s Czech Books. More
Czech BooksKateřina Rudčenková: the waves of the Caribbean break on the shores of Lake Balaton
What happens when five women poets writing in five different languages meet
on the edge of a Hungarian lake? As we find out now in Czech Books, the
experience can offer rich insights into what different languages and
cultures have in common, and where they differ. David Vaughan talks to the
poet Kateřina Rudčenková. More
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
Czech BooksEwald Osers: “a certain talent for languages”
Last month we heard the sad news of the death of Ewald Osers at his home in
England at the age of 94. Born in Prague at a time when it was still part
of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Osers was an outstanding linguist and a
brilliant translator. Over the decades he translated dozens of Czech
writers and poets into English, and was equally well known for his
translations from German. David Vaughan looks back at a fascinating life. More
Czech BooksRabindranath Tagore: an Indian poet who inspired a Czech generation
This year is the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great Bengali poet,
Rabindranath Tagore, the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize for
Literature in 1913. Tagore has a special significance for Czechs, as we
find out in this week’s Czech Books. More
Czech BooksA Prague poet “infinitely better known than Shakespeare”
In Czech Books this week we find out about the life and times of an
English-born Renaissance poet who spent nearly all her life in Prague and
in her time was more celebrated than Shakespeare. David Vaughan has been
exploring the life and work of “Westonia”.
More
Czech BooksA poetic guidebook to Prague
What does Allen Ginsberg have in common with the great Chilean poet, Pablo
Neruda, Turkey’s Nazim Hikmet, and the Czech Nobel Prize winner, Jaroslav
Seifert? The answer, rather surprisingly, is Prague. In this week’s Czech
Books, David Vaughan tells us more about an irresistibly eclectic new
poetry anthology.
More
Czech BooksFrom Karel Čapek to Graham Greene: a Scottish poet’s memories of Prague
In a recent edition of Czech Books we looked at the Prague-inspired poetry
of the Scottish poet, Edwin Muir. But it was not just in his poetry that
Muir evoked the atmosphere of the Czech capital. David Vaughan finds out
more in this week’s Czech Books. More
Czech BooksVěra Chase: death, strawberries and a dip in the Baltic
Věra Chase is one of the most original voices in contemporary Czech
writing. She has just finished putting together a collection of her poetry,
both new poems and old, some dating back 25 years, to when Věra was a
teenager during the dying days of communist Czechoslovakia. Her writing is
intensely physical, full of energy and irony, and over the years has lost
none of its freshness, or as one critic humorously puts it – stickiness.
David Vaughan looks at the collection and meets its author. More
MailboxMailbox
This week in Mailbox: Some more reactions to the closure of Radio Prague's
shortwave broadcasting. We dislose the identity of January's mystery man
and read from your correct answers. Listeners quoted: Harold Yeglin, Bill
Bergadano, Ian Evans, Stephen Hrebenach, Mick Edwards, Nick Sharpe, Yukiko
Tsuji-Maki, Hiroyuki Okada, Armin Gerstberger, Paul Peacock, Colin Law,
Charles Konecny, Henk Poortvliet, David Eldridge, Hans Verner Lollike,
Richard Chen. More
+1
