Czech literature at the end of the millennium. All this week that's a
subject that's preoccupying 150 experts on Czech literature from as far
afield as Canada, Egypt and South Korea, who have all gathered in Prague.
The Czech Republic may be small but it has an incredibly rich literary
tradition, reflected in the sheer number of people who have come for the
congress. The Czech Republic's recent history gives the congress a special
edge. It is only the second time that experts on Czech literature have been
able to come together here in the Czech capital. Until the fall of communism
the academic world was divided into East and West - all conferences held
here were burdened by a huge amount of ideological baggage. So the congress
offers a fascinating meeting of ideas, reappraising both the classics and
contemporary authors. Radio Prague's spoke with one of the
participants, Rajendra Chitnis, who teaches Czech and Russian at the
University of Bristol in Britain. He began by asking him whether there is a
lot of interest in Czech writing in the English-speaking world.