Petra Dvořáková presented her novel The Crows (Anthea Verlag, translated by Hana Hadas) for the second time at this year’s Leipzig Book Fair. Jiří Hájíček explores the theme of personal and familial trauma in his novel 370m Above Sea Level (Karl Rauch Verlag, translated by Kristina Kallert), in which the protagonist returns after years to the flooded landscape of her childhood to come to terms not only with the loss of her home but also with the event that once tore her family apart. The events were moderated by Christina Frankenberg and Maximilian Mengeringhaus; the translations were by Nella Nitrová and Rico Schote.
At the national booth, a discussion followed between Michal Ajvaz and Lukáš Cabala, moderated by Stefanie Bose and interpreted by Rico Schote. Ajvaz spoke about his novel Passages Under Glass (Anthea Verlag, translated by Veronika Siska), while Cabala presented the novel Do You Still Remember Trenčín? (Anthea Verlag, translation: Stefanie Bose), a poetic homage to his hometown, in which Trenčín transforms into a space where memories, fantasies, and unexpected human stories merge.
In the evening, we made our way to the impressive Schaubühne Lindenfels, where Barbara Šalamounová, together with Professor Volker Schlecht, reflected on the Czech-German artistic connections of her parents, Jiří Šalamoun and Eva Natus-Šalamoun. The event was a tribute to two outstanding figures in book illustration and graphic design, whose creative work and professional lives were closely tied to the Czech and German cultural spheres.
The Schaubühne Lindenfels also hosted the event Bodies, Words, Saunas which Marek Torčík opened with a presentation of his novel What Time Does Not Take (Anthea Verlag, translated by Mirko Kraetsch), one of the most striking Czech debuts of recent years. The event was moderated by Libuše Černá, and Stephan Wolf-Schönburg read excerpts from the book.
Marek Torčík was followed by Marita Kelbl with her book Neither Boy Nor Girl (Anthea Verlag, translated by Barbora Schnelle), Iryna Zahladko with her work How to Apply Makeup While Sick, and Antonín Zhořec with his poetry collection I Prick the Solar Storm. The discussion was moderated by Daniel Schmidt, and Laura Richter read excerpts from the works.
The evening concluded with Vratislav Maňák and his book With Wittgenstein in the Gay Sauna (Karl Rauch Verlag, translated by Lena Dorn). The event was moderated by Martin Krafl, and Stephan Wolf-Schönburg read excerpts from the book.
Pictures: Sabine Felber/Literaturtest