Making Literature Travel

17th – 20th May, 2012

Prague

This year LAF partners once again with Svet knihy / Book World to present a programme of events based around the main theme of the book fair – the literature of the Black Sea region. Focusing on a region that lies on the border between Europe and Asia, events will feature authors from Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Ukraine and Turkey and will also provide a wide context for the fair’s guest of honour: Romania.  Three young poets who participated in LAF’s Word Express project will talk about their Balkan literary journey and read their work at the gala evening which will close the events. LAF will also be presenting a debate about the European Union Prize for Literature featuring three past winners.

European Union Prize for Literature
Friday 18th May, 10am, Literary Café 
The European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL) was established three years ago to celebrate the diversity of European literary life by selecting emerging writers from around Europe and taking their work beyond national and linguistic borders. Three of the past EUPL winners, Kalin Terziyski (Bulgaria), Rǎzvan Rǎdulescu (Romania) and Tomáš Zmeškal (Czech Republic) talk about how the prize “makes literature travel” and what it means to be translated into other languages.
Moderated by: David Vaughan (Radio Prague and BBC)
Organisers: Literature Across Frontiers, Svět knihy, s.r.o.
In English with Czech simultaneous interpreting.

Literature of the Black Sea – a panel debate
Friday 18th May, 5 – 7pm, Growing with the Book Hall
With authors Ayfer Tunç (Turkey), Lyudmila Ulitskaya (Russian Federation),Anton Sanchenko (Ukraine), Guram Odisharia (Georgia) and Kalin Terzijsky (Bulgaria).
Moderated by: Florin Bican (Romanian Cultural Institute)
Organisers: Literature Across Frontiers, Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Romania, Romanian Cultural Institute, Svět knihy, s.r.o.
In English and Russian with Czech simultaneous interpreting.

Word Express: A Literary Journey from the Balkans to Istanbul 
Saturday 19th May 12pm – Literary Hall
Three young writers from countries of the Black Sea talk about Word Express, a project for literary exchange in South-East Europe. In a region marked with past and present conflicts, Word Express aims to cross cultural and linguistic boundaries and bring new literary voices to the fore. Word Express started with three epic train journeys which took authors from Armenia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Croatia, Greece, Israel Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia, Romania and the United Kingdom through the Balkans to Istanbul in 2009, and has continued to create a “new generation” literary network.  With Ivan Hristov (Bulgaria), Zaza Koshkadze (Georgia) and Pelin Özer (Turkey), moderated byAlexandra Büchler (Literature Across Frontiers) For more information on the project, including writing from the participants, visit www.word-express.org
Organisers: Literature Across Frontiers, Svět knihy, s.r.o.
In English with Czech simultaneous interpreting.

Gala Evening – From the shores of the Black Sea
Saturday 19th May, 7pm – Václav Havel Library, Řetězová 7, Praha 1
A gala evening with authors featured in the main programme of the Prague Book Fair. Prose writers Ayfer Tunç (Turkey) and Kalin Terziyski (Bulgaria) read from their work and discuss the region on the crossroads of Europe and Asia which they come from. Meanwhile poets and musicians Ivan Hristov (Bulgaria) and Zaza Koshkadze (Georgia) play live music from two shores of the Black Sea and read their poems together with poets Svetlana Carstean (Romania) and Pelin Özer (Turkey).
Moderated by: Alexandra Büchler
Organisers: Literature Across Frontiers, Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Romania, Romanian Cultural Institute, Svět knihy, s.r.o.
In Czech and English with authors reading in the original language.