Prague Writers Festival
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Prague Writers' Festival is one of the most lively cultural events in Prague and one of the more notable literary events in Europe.
Its roots go back to 1980, to Keats House in London, when, in cooperation with the journal Index on Censorship there were readings by writers from Central and Eastern Europe. The festivals have been organised throughout by Michael March, who in 1991 decided to move the festival to Prague, as a showcase for literature by Czech writers in opposition to the previous communist regime. During these festivals, held most recently in Divadlo Minor, writers such as Josef Škvorecký, Ludvík Vaculík, Ivan Klíma, Eva Kantůrková and others have discussed topics such as "Wedding preparations in the countryside: Divorce of politics and culture." The Prague Writers´ Festival has become over the years an internationally acknowledged social occasion, in 2005 it had its second brief appearance in Vienna and it has aspirations to expand to New York and Athens. It gains considerable media coverage and many of the events are broadcast via the internet. Every year several internationally distinguished writers are presented. In the recent past, these have included such as John Banville, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Salman Rushdie, Irvine Welsh, William Styron or Nadine Gordimer. The main media partner of the PWF is the British daily newspaper the Guardian, which often refers to Festival events, issues and news on its cultural pages. The PWF can be seen from anywhere around the world connected to the internet – interested people can see both streamed live broadcasts and archived broadcasts on their monitors. The dramaturgy and atmosphere of the festival is unique. The usual program consists of afternoon conversations between writers, and in the evenings writers' readings and during the day other support actions such as book signings in bookstores, concerts or film projections. Festival events are normally translated by simultaneous interpreting into Czech and/or English. The PWF also works throughout the year, organising other related events.
Its activities also focus on students, cooperating for example with students from the Charles University, Masaryk University and Prague College of Journalism.
In 2005 the Festival celebrated its 15th anniversary, attended by e.g. Michele Houellebecq, Ed Sanders, Yves Bonnefoy and David Grossman.
The line-up for 2006 included Hana Andronikova (Czech Republic), Howard Brenton (England), Sarah Churchwell (USA), Jorie Graham (USA), Jaroslav Holoubek (Czech Republic), Robert Menasse (Austria), Monika Načeva (singer, Czech Republic), Jorge Semprún (Spain), Aharon Shabtai (Israel), Wole Soyinka (Nigeria), Jáchym Topol (Czech Republic), Vassilis Vassilikos (Greece), Jorge Volpi (Mexiko).
