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Current AffairsPrague Writers’ Festival opens 19th year
Sunday evening saw the opening of the Czech Republic’s main annual
literary event, the Prague Writers’ Festival, at the city’s Laterna
Magika theatre. Now in its 19th year, the festival continues its mission of
bringing the crème de la crème of the literary world to Prague, and Czech
writers to the world’s attention as well.
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PanoramaLaughter and remembrance of 1968 at the Prague Writers’ Festival
Writers from all over the world gathered in Prague this week to recall the
strange days of 1968. The Prague Writers’ Festival, which was originally
set up to promote Central European writing abroad, attracted a
larger-than-ever number of authors to the Czech capital – here to recall
the Prague Spring of 1968, as well as what they themselves were up to, the
year that shook the world. More
Czech BooksThe Good Soldier Svejk and the Dada happening
Dada was born in Zurich in February 1916, when Hugo Ball and Emmy Hennings
launched the Cabaret Voltaire. The First World War had brought many
artists to the city, and besides opposing the war with a passion, the
Dadaists defied prevailing artistic conventions, describing their work as
'anti-art'. Their impact on art, writing and theatre is felt to this day.
But
what does this have to do with the Czech Republic? The answer is: more
than we might think. More
Current AffairsU.S. author E.L. Doctorow on Vaclav Havel and "Ragtime"
One of the guests at the 17th annual Prague Writers' Festival was the
critically acclaimed American author E.L. Doctorow. A native of New York,
Doctorow's books - including The Book of Daniel and Ragtime - are known
for their blend of history and social criticism, and the writer made
headlines in 2004 when he criticised the
U.S. president George W. Bush. More
Current AffairsThe forgotten world of Czech Dada at the Prague Writers' Festival
When Hugo Ball and Emmy Hennings launched the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich in
February 1916, they set into motion a process that was to cause a
revolution in European art, writing and theatre. This was the beginning of
Dada. The Dadaists described their work as 'anti-art', defying the
prevailing artistic conventions of the time and passionately opposing the
First World War. Several of Dada's founding proponents had roots in
Romania, but what is less well known is that Dada also had a number of
intriguing Czech connections. This is to be one of the focal points of the
17th Prague Writers' Festival that starts this Sunday, bringing together an
impressive list of world-renowned writers and academics, including two of
the grand old men of American letters, E. L. Doctorow and Gary Snyder.
David Vaughan spoke to the festival director, Michael March.
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