Section Archive Czech Books
Dickens and the Good Soldier Švejk
Here is a question for the Dickens bicentenary. What is the connection
between the great 19th century English novelist and the best-loved Czech
literary anti-hero? The answer is, surprisingly enough, that without
Dickens we quite possibly wouldn’t have Švejk at all. David Vaughan
looks at this and some other Czech links with Dickens in this week’s
Czech Books. More
Hana Andronikova: mourning a powerful Czech literary voice
It seems very strange to be talking about the Czech writer Hana Andronikova
in the past tense. When she died of cancer on December 20th last year, she
was only 44, and until the last months of her life had been at the height
of her creative powers. Author of two successful novels, several plays and
numerous short stories, she was one of the most versatile younger Czech
writers, and will be hugely missed. David Vaughan looks at her life and
work. More
Charles Ota Heller: a soldier at the age of nine
In the last days of World War II, nine-year-old Ota Heller picked up a
revolver and fired it at a German soldier. He did not wait to see if the
man was still alive. For decades afterwards he talked to no one about the
experience, and only recently has Ota Heller – or Charles Ota Heller, as
he is now called – felt able to return to his memories of the war,
collecting them in his book “Out of Prague”. In this week’s Czech
Books he talks to David Vaughan. More
From 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
Jan Novák: the man who lived Miloš Forman
When Jan Novák describes himself as Miloš Forman’s autobiographer, he
is not entirely joking. He really did co-write the most famous
Czech-American film director’s memoirs, and Forman himself has spoken of
the book as “my life as lived by Jan Novák”. But Jan Novák is a great
deal more than a biographer. More
Kateřina 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
The 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
Brass bands, beer and a famous boulevard: Czech links with Mexico
In this programme we go south of the border, to explore some intriguing
Czech literary and other cultural links with Mexico, stretching right back
to the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Bernie Higgins begins by
recounting an extraordinary episode from the mid 19th century. More
Ewald 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
John 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
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