Introduction
We welcome your participation in the 12th 'Den poezie', a two-week celebration of poetry organised around the birth date of the great Czech Romantic poet K.H. Macha on 16.11. Our festival takes place throughout the country in around forty towns, in libraries, cultural centres, schools, cafes, galleries and other less traditional spaces, including, this year, riverbanks.
The festival is coordinated by the Poetry Society (Spolecnost poezie) and brings together a range of individuals and groups involved in organising poetry events and promoting interest in poetry. Events include readings, music, theatre, happenings etc. The aim is to celebrate not only the great Czech poetic tradition and the importance of poetry in our lives, but also to encounter the poetry of other cultures and so there will also be a number of readings by poets from other countries.
This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Macha and we hope to support the subversive and inspirational spirit of his work, despite the weight of the monumental occasion, in our festival, which has the title Endless Landscape (Nekonecny kraj). As well as the many readings in Prague and throughout the whole country we will end our celebration with a simple event in Macha's landscape, a pilgrimage to Litoměřice on 20th November and we hope that you might be interested in joining us in our walk into the heart of his and our country.
One of the greatest contemporary Czech poets, Viola Fischerová, died on 4.11. and we will be remembering her throughout the festival. Her loss is great.