Five books from Central Europe to read during quarantine
Strasbourg, France – Like nearly half of the world’s population, I’m now in quarantine, forced to stay at home and,Continue Reading
Tag: Louise Ostermann Twardowski
Attila József, a Hungarian tragedy
Every year, Poetry Day – költészet napja – takes place in Hungary on April 11. This date has been chosenContinue Reading
The path of an exiled writer: Joseph Conrad and Poland
A lot of Polish celebrities and historical figures, known all around the world, share a strange similarity: their names doContinue Reading
Henryk Sienkiewicz, the literary soul of an embattled Polish nation
Olga Tokarczuk’s recognition in October put the spotlight on Polish literature— and especially its former Nobel Prize laureates. If PolandContinue Reading
Olga Tokarczuk’s Nobel Prize, and what Central Europe has to say to the world
For the first time since 1943, no Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded in 2018 due to a scandal ofContinue Reading
Sandor Marai and the memory of exile
2019 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the death of Sandor Marai. The Hungarian writer, arguably the most famous and popularContinue Reading
Gyorgy Dragoman, a contemporary voice of Transylvania’s tragic past
Throughout the 20th century, Transylvania became an ethnic and ideological battlefield; disputed from one country to the other, by RomaniaContinue Reading
Laszlo Krasznahorkai and Hungarian literature’s fear of isolation
Although Central and Eastern European literature and authors are not as widely known as their French, English, German or evenContinue Reading
The Good Soldier Svejk, jolly symbol of Czech panache and resistance
If you wander through the numerous gift and souvenir shops scattered around Prague’s Old Town you’ll find, alongside the traditionalContinue Reading
A land without a country: Literary myths of rural Poland
Polish identity has long been shaped by its relation to its lands, and nature has always been a key aspectContinue Reading
Milan Kundera: an ongoing struggle with Prague, forgetfulness and Central Europe’s uniqueness
On April 1, Milan Kundera celebrated his 90th birthday. This anniversary month seems like the perfect opportunity to evoke hisContinue Reading