I have opted to miss Spanish lit month for a couple years Richard, my co-host, isn’t blogging these days and I like a new Challenge so How did I come about Czech Lit Month. This will show how lateral my mind can be I have been thinking of an autumn project for a while a replacement for Spanish lit month, but I hadn’t intended to do another country month I had wanted something else, but then I was listening to some music and the song from THE film Once the duo of Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová a Czech singer and I remembered there was a couple of albums and they were called the Swell season after Glenn’s favourite book by the Czech writer Josef Škvorecký a writer whose books I loved and that lead to a rabbit hole of Czech Literature. Capek, Hašek, Klima, Hrabal, and Kundera, but there is so many older writers in translation and some great new writers from publishers like Jantar Books publishing some new voices. Then there is Twisted Spoon have brought out the best of 20th-century avant-grade Czech writing. There is also the best of Modern Czech classic series I have a few from this series. I will be posting updates. I plan a read-along book which I have yet to pick. I also plan to watch a few Czech films over this period as well. Have you a favourite Czech writer or publisher that brings Czech books that I haven’t mentioned. Also, love someone to co-host this with me.
Definitely up for this, Stu – in fact I’ve just ordered two books!!
Oh look forward to see which you’ve chosen
Will see what I have on the shelves, Stu – I think I’ve read all the Twisted Spoon books I have so this might be a good time to do a little shopping… ;D
Yes worth having a look their books are so pretty
Oooh, can we include Kafka???
Yes I was planning to read something by him
Hurrah!
I don’t have much on the shelves, Stu, but they’re good ones and your LitMonth might be the time to read them. I have The Good Soldier Svejk and Kafka’s Amerika plus the more recent The Attempt, by Magdalena Platzova. (I have no idea why I have that one!)
My life is a bit untidy ATM but by September things should be quieter and I should be able to join in.
I think I review the attempt and the other two are classic
Ha! Maybe I bought it because I read your review!
Oh I’m in, there are a couple of interesting possibilities on my TBR. Now if a month could include books from all the Eastern/Central European countries…
Look forward to your choices Julé
Sounds like a great idea. I have a great deal of Czech literature on hand though I am hoping to get through one or two before September—who knows.
Excellent – will have a look and see if I have anything to take part.
Look forward to see your choices
more writers to consider:
Michal Ajvaz (surreal, personal favorite) [Dalkey Archive]
Patrik Ouředník [ibid]
Jáchym Topol [ibid, and Yale/Margellos]
Arnošt Lustig [Northwestern]
and you’ve prompted me to check out Tomáš Zmeškal (Love Letter in Cuneiform [Yale/Margellos]) and Daniela Hodrová (A Kingdom of Souls) [Jantar]) … thxdammit
and today the EBRD Literature Prize went to Bianca Bellová, The Lake [Parthian]
I’m in! I already had my book picked out for Spanish/Portuguese but I’m in for Czech if I can find something I like. I love the way you push us to read more from the rest of the world. It’s great.