European Literature Night Returns to New York on November 22, 2021
On November 22, the Czech Center New York hosted European Literature Night. Returning to New York after a two-year break, the 2021 edition presented an exciting selection of fiction, poetry, and short stories. Authors, translators, and actors representing ten EU countries read from new releases and beloved classics and participated in a panel discussion. In this REBROADCAST episode, translator Megan Thomas presents The Career of Nicodemus Dyzma by Tadeusz Dołęga-Mostowicz, and translator Sean Bye presents The King of Warsaw by Szczepan Twardoch (Poland); Basque author Kirmen Uribe discusses his novel, Bilbao-New York-Bilbao (Spain), and composer Bálint Varga presents poetry by Sándor Halmosi (Hungary).
Select books will be available for purchase.
VENUE AND TICKETS:
Free and open to the public with registration.
Masks and proof of vaccination are required to enter the venue. Photo ID will be checked. More information can be found on Czech Center website.
Bohemian National Hall, 321 Eeast 73rd Street, New York, NY 10021
For those who can’t make it in person, an edited presentation of the evening will be available on Trafika Europe Radio www.trafikaeurope.org.
Presenting some of the brightest literary talents from ten EU countries to New York audiences, event celebrates the cultural diversity of Europe
Czech Center New York will host European Literature Night (ELN) on Monday, November 22, 2021. Returning to New York after a two-year break, the 2021 edition will take place from 6 PM to 11 PM at the Bohemian National Hall presenting an exciting selection of fiction, poetry, and short stories. Authors, translators, and actors representing ten EU countries will read from new releases and beloved classics and participate in a panel discussion.
A decade-old tradition in many European countries where readings and the exchange of ideas have often happened in communal spaces, such as pubs and coffee shops, ELN brings to New York the spirit of European café culture. Launched in New York in 2017, ELN’s concept is based in the spirit of unity and the belief that literature is a unique and creative medium that can help strengthen the dialogue between individual voices and cultures and break down communication barriers. The 2021 lineup represents a diverse and varied Europe with participants from Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain.
Participants and featured books include: Edoardo Ballerini (Italy), Sean Gasper Bye (Poland), Véronique Firkusny and Elena Sokol (Czech Republic), Sándor Halmosi (Hungary), Alta Ifland (Romania), Stefan Kutzenberger (Austria), Alek Popov (Bulgaria), Hugo dos Santos (Portugal),
Megan Thomas (Poland), Kirmen Uribe (Spain), and Katarina Vizina (Slovakia). The evening will be moderated by Andrew Singer, Director and Editor in Chief of Trafika Europe, Europe’s literary radio station.
“We are honored and excited to have the European Literature Night back live at the Bohemian National Hall in Manhattan,” says Miroslav Konvalina, Director of the Czech Center New York and Vice President of EUNIC New York Cluster. “The historic Ballroom will serve as a venue for great readings by authors, translators, and presenters as well as discussions about the current state of literary translation in different parts of Europe. I am happy to see so many of us coming together to celebrate our shared love of books.”
PROGRAM FOR NOVEMBER 22, 2021:
6 PM – Opening remarks
6:10 PM – 7:50 PM: Live readings, questions and conversations featuring:
- Edoardo Ballerini (Italy): Those Who from Afar Look Like Flies: An Anthology of Italian Poetry from Pasolini to the Present
- Stefan Kutzenberger (Austria): Jokerman
- Megan Thomas (Poland): The Career of Nicodemus Dyzma by Tadeusz Dołęga-Mostowicz
- Sean Gasper Bye (Poland): The King of Warsaw by Szczepan Twardoch
- Véronique Firkusny and Elena Sokol (Czech Republic): City of Torment by Daniela Hodrová
- Sándor Halmosi (Hungary): Decameron57, Everness80, The Dual Nature of Silence, Apocrypha, Meltdown.
8 PM – 9 PM: Panel discussion “European Regions: Progress in Literary Culture” moderated by Andrew Singer
9:15 PM- 11 PM: Live readings, questions and conversations featuring:
- Alek Popov (Bulgaria): Mission Turan
- Kirmen Uribe (Spain): Bilbao-New York-Bilbao
- Katarina Vizina (Slovakia): The Bloody Sonnets by Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav
- Alta Ifland (Romania): The Wife Who Wasn’t
- Hugo dos Santos (Portugal): A Child in Ruins by José Luís Peixoto.
This special evening is free and open to the public, hosted by the Czech Center New York with the collaboration of partnering cultural institutions and consulates: Austrian Cultural Forum New York, Camōes Institute, Liszt Institute-Hungarian Cultural Center New York, Italian Cultural Institute New York, Consulate General of Slovakia in New York,Elizabeth Kostova Foundation, Consulate General of Spain in New York, Polish Cultural Institute in New York, Romanian Cultural Institute, Consulate General of Portugal in New York, and the support of the European Union Delegation to the United Nations.
Megan Thomas lives in Ann Arbor and is, with Ewa Malachowska-Pasek, the translator of Zofia Nalkowska’s The Romance of Teresa Hennert and Tadeusz Dolega-Mostowicz’s The Career of Nicodemus Dyzma. She is a specialist in public elementary education in high-poverty communities. The Career of Nicodemus Dyzma A Novel by Tadeusz Dolega-Mostowicz, translated by Megan Thomas.
Sean Gasper Bye is a translator of Polish literature based in Philadelphia. He has been a winner of the EBRD Literary Prize and the Aymptote Close Approximations Prize, as well as a National Endowment for the Arts Translation Fellow. He is currently Translator-in-Residence at Princeton University. The King of Warsaw by Szczepan Twardoch, translated by Sean Gasper Bye.
About Czech Center
The Czech Center’s mission is to actively promote the Czech Republic by showcasing Czech culture, innovations and creativity in the US. Its program covers visual and performing arts, film, literature, music, architecture, design and fashion, science and social innovations. As well as hosting its own events, the Czech Center offers support for other groups organizing interculture initiatives among Czech and US partners.
About EUNIC New York
EUNIC – European Union National Institutes for Culture – is the European network of organizations working in 90 countries worldwide through a network of 125 clusters and acting as a platform for promoting European values, sharing knowledge, building capacity amongst its members and partners, and engaging local partners in dialogue and common cultural projects. Created in 2007, the New York cluster of EUNIC, bringing together around 40 cultural missions from the European Union, is working in partnership to strengthen the transatlantic dialogue and cultural cooperation and showcase European values and creativity.
