The complete programme of the festival translated into English: english_programme.doc

Introduction

Welcome to the website of the Poetry Day festival. This is the eleventh year of the festival, which now takes place in about forty towns in the Czech Republic for two weeks around the anniversary of the birth of the great Czech Romantic poet, Karel Hynek Mácha (16.11). The festival features readings by well known and established Czech poets such as Petr Král, Petr Borkovec, Viola Fischerová, Marie Šťastná etc. as well as many events for children in schools and libraries. It features the work of poets in the regions as well as in the capital, evenings organised by literary groups and institutions as well as individuals. It also celebrates poetry in languages other than Czech, e.g. this year there will be readings in Portuguese, Romanian, Hungarian, Russian, Slovak, Romani, Polish and more.

The question of the role of poetry in a society plagued by extremism and consumerism is also addressed in the ‘against apathy’ evening organised by the literary magazines Psí Vino and Haluze in Prague on 17th November, twenty years after the end of communism – what role can poetry play in our lives today?

International Programme

Tuesday 10.11.2009
18:30 Evening of contemporary Romanian poetry (in Romanian, Czech and English)
Poetry, music and film presentation, with the participation of Czech actors, presenting the work of a number of leading Romanian poets: Florin Bican, Denisa Comănescu, Ioana Crăciunescu, Nichita Danilov, Gellu Dorian, Ioana Ieronim, Nicolae Prelipceanu, Nicolae Stoie, Varujan Vosganian.
Café Krásný Ztráty, Náprstkova 10, Prague 1
Wednesday 11.11.2009
19:00
A reading and meeting with Hungarian poets Anna T. Szabó, Dániel Varró and the Czech poet Tomáš Míka
Hungarian Cultural Centre, Rytířská 25-27, Prague 1
Friday 13.11.2009
18:00 Polish-Czech literary evening
Programme Poetry Day at the Municipal Library 2009.
Reading by Polish prose writer and translator Piotr Kepski, who writes under the name Walter Sobchak, author of novels such as Druga Ameryka and Single, with Czech poet Josef Straka.
Prague Municipal Library, Poetry Section, Mariánské náměstí 1, Prague 1
Monday 16. 11. 2009
19:00 Grand day of Czech and Slovak proto-poetry.
In the context of the second international Prague paraliterary conference, this time on the theme: Virtual world.
The viral aspects of protopoetry and their influence on the collective unconscious will be heard by the best Czech and Slovaks para- proto- and pata-poems in the the form of verse and song!
Selected verses from Plných gací will be recited by HaDr. Gaco Novomesský and František Kostlán,TBc. will introduce the integrated theories of proto-poetry, InGr. Saša Gr. will explain the difficulty for the scientist in testing proto-poetry on sheep and dogs, MäDr.Thomka will tell us all about the state of Slovak proto-poetry in the context of the Hungarian influence and there will be other well-known experts in paraliterature.
The grand evening of proto-poetry will be under the protective wings of the Slovak literary club in the Czech republic. Arranged by the literary club Mlha (fog).
Jindřišská 5, vchod z pasáže, II. schodiště, 4. Patro, Prague 1 www.unijazz.cz
Tuesday 17.11.2009
20:00 Conor O’Callaghan
Reading in English and Czech by the leading Irish poet Conor O’Callaghan. He has published three collections of poetry - The History of Rain (1993), Seatown (1999) and Fiction (2005) as well as a book about football, Red Mist: Roy Keane and the Football Civil War (2004). Translations and commentary by Štěpán Nosek, Justin Quinn, Tomáš Fürstenzeller and Petr Borkovec. In cooperation with Literature Across Frontiers.
Café Fra, Šafaříkova 15, 12000 Praha 2
Wednesday 18.11.2009
18:30 What feeds the Jewish soul?
A composition arranged by Jana Barochova and Tomáš Karger about the family history of the American poet Larry Jaffe in prose and poems, combined with the musical poetry of Czech poets.
Arranged by Bilbo with the co-operation of Památníkem národního písemnictví.
Music with poetry, accompanied by the acoustic guitarist and singer: Jana Barochová
Authors reading: Tomáš Karger
Památník národního písemnictvi, sál Boženy Němcové, Strahovské nádvoří 132/1, 11800 Prague
Thursday 19.11.2009
18:00 Combined Russian-Czech literary-poetry evening.
Part of the programme: Poetry Day in the Municipal Library 2009
Combined Russian-Czech literature-poetry evening with well known Moscow-based specialists in Bohemian literature Sergej Glovjuk, Michal Pismenny and Anny Bessmertnoj. Throughout the evening there will be a poetry reading with diversions into the history of Russian and Czech poetry.
Annex of Prague Municipal Library - Dejvice, building of the Národní technické knihovny, Technická 6, Prague 6
Saturday 21. 11. 2009
19:30 Poetry in three languages
A meeting with Portugal’s Eduardo Vaz, who is reading from his poetry collection ‘Yours’ (Publ. Orfeu, Brusel 2009) accompanied by a guitarist from Lisbon and the singer Jiřina Nebesářova.
Reading in Portuguese, Czech and French with guest Ljuba Fuchs.
Supported by the the Portuguese Embassy, the Institute Camoes and D’ARTE.
České Centrum, Rytířská 31, Prague 1