Article: Czech Centres-Storytelling with the Stars
The Night of Literature readings paired great books with celebrated actors.
May’s Night of Literature belonged to the fanfare surrounding the country’s ascendancy to European Union leadership, a six-month initiative toward a “Europe without Barriers” — a theme that came wonderfully alive at this third annual series of readings in Prague. The event, put together by the Czech Centres, an organization that promotes Czech culture abroad, took the shape of a five-hour literary marathon celebrating contemporary writers from across the continent.
Book excerpts were read by well-known stars of Czech theater, television and music at twelve venues throughout the city, some traditional (The Maisel Synagogue, The Municipal Library) and others just plain unusual (a high-street shoe store, the police station). These performances gave book lovers the chance to mingle with Czech actors in settings both casual and historical.
The evening’s choice voices — velvet-throated Taťjana Medvecká and young Czech “it”actor Jíří Mádl — appealed to a wide demographic, and drew an audience of vastly differing age groups and nationalities, proof positive of literature’s amazing power as great leveling factor and unifier of cultural divides.
The evening showcased not only the best in European literature but also allowed attendees into Prague’s hidden architectural gems, many of them usually closed to the public. Clam-Gallas Palais, currently the seat of the Town Archive of Prague, and one of the city’s most prominent examples of Viennese Baroque played host to a reading by actor Ivan Řezáč. The Maisel Synagogue, erected between 1590 and 1592 by then mayor of the Jewish Town Moderchai Maisel, added poignancy to Norman Manea’s memoir The Hooligan’s Return. Manea, a Romanian intellectual of Jewish origin, was deported from fascist Romania in 1941 at the tender age of five.
The Prague 1 Metropolitan Police Station may seem an unconventional choice for a reading, but lent a whole new dimension to Austrian author Martin Prinz’s acclaimed debut novel The Robber. Czech actor Alois Švehlík voiced I’ll Steal You Away, a coming-of-age novel by the Italian author Niccolo Ammaniti, in the beautifully restored Trauttmandorf Palace in Mariánské Square to an audience of hundreds, making it one of the evening’s most popular readings. Spectators also packed into the tiny Rotunda of the Holy Cross, the oldest Roman rotunda in Prague, to hear actress and National Theatre treasure Taťjana Medvecká, interpret the work of José Luis Peixoto.
The beautiful surroundings and familiar faces constituted just half of the evening’s appeal. The pleasure of being read to transported many audience members back to the golden days of their youth-times of being read to by a loved one or listening to adaptations of literature on the radio. For many it conjured up memories of story-time security and comfort. One man in his forties recalled, “This is how I remember many of my Sunday afternoons.”
The event literally spilled across borders into other European cities as well. Berlin was just one of many capitals throughout Europe to hold its own Night of Literature. The readings here, taking place in the attic of the Czech Centre, attracted literature lovers to a reading from Shade Cathedral by Miloš Urban. The format of the London event encouraged audience participation as more of an open discussion about the future of European literature and the importance of translation and multilingualism. The Czech Centre in Paris added post-reading lectures to its literary agenda. This evening turned into a salon of sorts in the grand literary tradition of Getrude Stein, with vivid discussions fueled by coffee, tea and Czech beer. Bratislava, Stockholm, Moscow, Warsaw, Vienna, Dresden, Košice, Munich and Sofia — all hosted an evening of readings from European books, with a general emphasis on Czech writers.
In our fast-paced, digitally enhanced society, quiet time with a good book is a rare thing. Perhaps this is one of many reasons the Night of Literature remains such a tremendous success. The evening certainly carried out the Czech Centre’s mission of promoting culture in a way that’s accessible and human. Sometimes it pays to do things by the book.
