EKG - of love and The Low Countries II

A literary cardiogram by Igor Malijevský and Jaroslav Rudiš.

Guests: a star of contemporary Dutch literature - writer Peter Buwalda, painter Vincent Willem van Gogh, visual artist Zdeňka Řezbová - Morávková, comic strip stories author Barbara Stok, Czech poet and writer Jáchym Topol and writer Annelies Verbeke.

Music by Dutch singer, musician and visual artist Sonja van Hamel with her band. The concert will also feature screenings of their cartoon animation.

15.1 / 16:00–17:30
Kees Mercks: Překladatelské štěstí
At a lecture that will be of particular interest to students of the Dutch language, Kees Mercks will focus on works by writers such as Komenský, Němcová, Hrabal and Weil. He will talk about the challenges of translating these literary giants. The challenge consists mainly in the fact that in the eyes of Kees Mercks a translation is never really complete, because while the translation may very closely approximate the original, it never captures the whole thing. It is an unresolvable problem, but it is balanced by the pleasure of discovering le mot juste, the right tone, the perfect pun. Free entrance. Presented in Czech.
 

Peter Buwalda
(Bonita Avenue, Euromedia Odeon, 2014)
Peter Buwalda (p. 1971) is a novelist, formerly a journalist, editor and founder of the literary music magazine Wah-Wah. Bonita Avenue is his debut novel. Published in 2010 to critical acclaim, it was shortlisted for twelve prizes. It spent two years on the bestseller lists, and has since been translated into seven languages. In Bonita Avenue Peter Buwalda tells the story of the downfall of a brilliant professor and politician, who crosses swords with his criminal son, his stepdaughter and her boyfriend. The novel reads like a thriller, but its 500 pages of virtuoso and crystal-clear writing are also a portrait of an era, a kaleido­scopic work about a clash between generations.

Barbara Stok
(Vincent, Mlada Fronta, 2014)
Barbara Stok (b. 1970) became known for her comic strip stories in which she plays the leading role. Using her experiences and observations, she sketches a dryly comical, touching picture of an observant girl in contemporary society. Her book Je geld of je leven (2003, Your money or your life) was one of the first graphic novels in the Netherlands. For years she made her own punk rock radio programme. She is also the drummer of the trash duo ‘De Straaljagers’ (The Jets).
Her comic strip story Vincent, commissioned by the Van Gogh Museum, was published in 2013. The story takes the reader on a journey to the brief and intense period of time that the painter spent in the south of France.

Annelies Verbeke
(Spaste ryby, Kniha Zlin, 2013)
(Spi!, Kniha Zlin, 2010)
Annelies Verbeke (b. 1976) became instantly famous with her successful first novel Slaap! (2003, Sleep!). The Dutch edition sold more than 70,000 copies and was published in eighteen countries. Her second novel, Reus (2006, Giant), and her collection of short stories Groener gras (2007, Greener Grass) attracted attention for its unusual realism and lightly bizarre and absurd humour. Annelies Verbeke also writes columns, film scripts and plays. With her novel Vissen redden (2009, Saving Fish), a new highlight in her career, she strengthens her position as one of the most prominent authors of her generation. ‘My stories are usually about the underdog,’ says Verbeke, ‘because to my mind, he (or she) is closer to the essence of life, and is therefore more interesting in his quest for his own truth. I want to move readers, make them laugh and give them a feeling of solidarity, in the hope that this – even if only briefly – will draw them a little closer together.’

ABOUT EKG

EKG is a literary musical show, which in collaboration with Archa Theatre has been headed by Igor Malijevský and Jaroslav Rudiš since the start of 2007. EKG is today the largest Czech scene for live literature and aims to cross over genres and generations. The protagonists are always on the border of literary reading, musical evening and theatrical cabaret; each show is a premiere and a final performance at the same time. Improvisation, communication with the audience and authorial recitals of new texts by contemporary Czech writers all feature prominently in the performance.