Topic Archive Culture
22nd edition of Prague Writers’ Festival brings international literature greats like Hanif Kureishi to Czech capital
On Saturday, the 22nd edition of the prestigious Prague Writers’ Festival
kicks off in the Czech capital, under the theme of “Only the future
exists”. For five days, visitors will have the opportunity to attend
readings, discussion panels and film screenings featuring writers from
around the world. As every year, the festival brings writers of
international caliber to the city, with the British novelist and
screenwriter Hanif Kureishi probably the most famous guest this year. Sarah
Borufka spoke to the festival’s president, Michael March, about the
guests, the mission and the theme of the festival. More
Award-winning Czech typographer takes on Gujarati
Type design is an ancient art enjoying a renaissance in the computer age.
The specificities of writing systems that were once passed down from master
to apprentice can now be worked with by designers anywhere in the world who
have the patience and the talent to take on a foreign script. One such
designer is David Březina, one of the founders of the Brno type foundry
Rosetta. In 2008 his Skolar type family received international recognition
and he is now working on a font for the Gujarati writing system, used by
over 60 million people in the Indian subcontinent. When he came to our
studio recently I asked him how he became interested in type design in the
first place. More
Exhibitions & street art a part of Czech cultural season in London
Czech Open 2012 is a cultural season in London that began last month and
will last through to August, also during with the summer Olympic Games.
Organised by the Czech Centre in London, the season offers a variety of
programmes in the borough of Islington, including an exhibition called Coal
and Steel and Disorient Express which is set to open, and a street art
project being worked on now by two Czech and British artists. More
The stories of Dvořák’s symphonic 'Bouquet'
Wherever you are in the world, if you are an occasional listener to your
local classical music station then you have probably come across Antonín
Dvořák’s set of symphonic poems from 1896, opuses 107 to 110. What you
may not know is that they describe a series of stories very dear to Czech
culture, Kytice, or "The Bouquet". More
Composer and pianist Hana Robinson
In this edition of the Sunday Music Show we talk to the talented young
singer, composer and pianist Hana Robinson, who studied at the Berklee
College of Music and launched a successful musical career in the Czech
Republic. In the show you we discuss learning piano in childhood, sport,
her stay in the US and being diagnosed several years ago with MS and how
that changed her life. More
The Blonde Bitch Strikes Again at a Prague theatre house
The increasingly absurd world of Czech politics is proving a huge success
at a small Prague theatre house which is drawing the crowds with a
political cabaret based on real life politics. Actors reciting verbatim
excerpts from wiretappings involving prominent politicians and statements
from the scandalous trial against the de-facto leader of one of the ruling
parties keep the audience in gales of laughter; a sad testimony of the
sorry state of Czech politics. More
Iva Frühlingová: the road to success can be bumpy
Peter Smith’s guest on One on One this week is Iva Frühlingová – model,
singer, actress and author. Born in the town of Litvínov, with a French
grandfather Iva dreamed of going places and most of all of seeing Paris –
the city she’d heard so much about as a child. Her dream came true at the
age of 14 when she first travelled to Paris as a budding model. Today she
divides her time between Prague and Paris, engaging in modeling, singing,
writing and most recently acting. Peter began by asking her which of those
“skins” she felt most at home in. More
Bellamy Moon - a dynamic up-and-coming band from Prague
In this edition of our Sunday Music Show, we feature Bellamy Moon, a young
Prague-based band whose tunes are sure to make even the most reserved
concert goers dance - or at least tap their foot. More
Martin Palouš and his role in a Havel absurdist drama
The Václav Havel Library was initially set up in 2004 just after President
Havel ended his final term of office. The idea was that it would become a
focal point for Havel’s legacy, bringing together material connected with
his life and work and with the principles that Havel embraced as
playwright, dissident and president. But where does the library go now that
Václav Havel has died? David Vaughan talks to Martin Palouš, who took over
as director of the library just a few months before Havel’s death in
December. More
The Prague Police Museum - an institution that explores the history of police and crime in Czech lands
Tucked away in a former monastery in Prague’s Nové Město, the Czech
Police Museum boasts a fascinating permanent exhibit exploring the history
of Czech police, the development of criminology, infamous murder cases and
much more. Sarah Borufka went along and has this report. More
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