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SpotlightA tale of two restaurants
Hrabal’s book "I served the King of England" makes working in a
restaurant sound very dramatic, and very glamorous. But the novel also
suggests that such drama and glamour belong to a time now long gone. To
find out whether this was true, I visited two of Prague’s most famous
restaurants, to talk to their owners about their work from day-to-day. More
SpotlightA tale of two restaurants
Hrabal’s book "I served the King of England" makes working in a
restaurant sound very dramatic, and very glamorous. But the novel also
suggests that such drama and glamour belong to a time now long gone. To
find out whether this was true, I visited two of Prague’s most famous
restaurants, to talk to their owners about their work from day-to-day. More
Current AffairsCzech literary legend Bohumil Hrabal died 10 years ago
Saturday is the tenth anniversary of the death of acclaimed Czech author
Bohumil Hrabal. Although he published his first major work well into his
forties, Hrabal soon achieved great fame. The film adaptation of his
"Closely Observed Trains" won an Oscar only three years after
the book's publication. Banned for several years by the communist
authorities, for some Hrabal had the status of a cult writer. Others
preferred the film adaptations of his works to his books. In any case, for
decades Bohumil Hrabal was a legend in this country.
More
Current AffairsPrague cinema packed for gala premiere of I Served the King of England
Prague's Slovansky Dum multiplex cinema was packed out on Wednesday evening
for the gala premiere of Jiri Menzel's eagerly awaited I Served the King of
England. The film tells the story of Jan Dite, a diminutive, quick-witted
and ambitious waiter, whose fortunes echo those of Czechoslovakia in the
turbulent and often tragic 20th century.
More
ArtsMenzel serves up Hrabal, Yellow Sisters mix a cappella with African rhythm
Coming up in this week's programme - the eagerly-awaited release of Jiri
Menzel's adaptation of I Served The King Of England by the legendary Czech
author Bohumil Hrabal. And four young Czech women bring the sounds of
Africa to the heart of Central Europe - the Yellow Sisters talk about
Mayan oracles, Gambian rhythms and their new album, Singalana.
More
Current AffairsJiri Menzel emerges as the director of 'I served the King of England'
After a bitter struggle for rights, lasting over a decade, one of Bohumil
Hrabal's best loved novels 'I served the King of England' is to be turned
into a film. The palaver surrounding the rights put the project on hold
for more than ten years, and embroiled the famous Czech directors Karel
Kachyna, Jan Sverak and Jan Hrebejk. Jiri Menzel, who won an Oscar for his
dramatization of the Hrabal novel 'Closely Observed Trains', has finally
been selected to direct the film. Rosie Johnston has more on the story:
More
Current AffairsFoundation stone laid for new Bohumil Hrabal Centre on the writer's 90th birthday
Last Saturday, was the 90th anniversary of the birth of Czech novelist
Bohumil Hrabal, who died in 1997. To mark the occasion, a small monument
has been unveiled on the street where he lived in Prague. A foundation
stone has also been laid for a new Bohumil Hrabal centre, which will be
dedicated to the writer's life and work.
More
Czechs in HistoryBohumil Hrabal - a few notes on the writer's style
Welcome to Czechs in History. In today's edition we look at the work of
Bohumil Hrabal, the great Czech novelist whose contribution to modern
European literature ranks among the very highest. Like James
Joyce, who he valued greatly, Hrabal introduced a new syntax and poetics
in his novels that captured many of his experiences from life. Hrabal
showed a deep empathy for characters on the periphery and developed a
lyrical and tragicomic sensibility to describe their lives, by extension
our own. In just a moment we'll be talking with Dr Radko Pytlik, a
specialist on Hrabal's work as well as his friend of more than thirty
years. Dr Pytlik has published a book on Hrabal's work titled "The
Sad King of Czech Literature". Together we'll be looking at some of
Hrabal's influences and style, and shall briefly discuss what is perhaps
Bohumil Hrabal's greatest novel "I Served the King of England".
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