Current Affairs The 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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