The Book of Prague; A City in Short Fiction

Event took place on TUE 16 APR 2024 at the Czech Centre, Czech Embassy Cinema, London.   Czech Centre's Women in Focus series continues with a talk by Kamila Kopřivová, the first Czech female rabbi. She will share the story of her journey to the rabbinate moving through Berlin, Jerusalem and London and how she became one of the rabbis of the synagogue that exactly 60 years ago became the home of more than 1500 Torah scrolls from the Czech Republic. What are the challenges of modern clergy and how is it to be a woman in this position?   ABOUT KAMILA KOPŘIVOVÁ Kamila Kopřivová was ordained in September 2023 and has since served as a rabbi at the Westminster Synagogue at the Kent House in London. She became interested in religion as a child, although she had intended to pursue a career as a scientist.  In her teens, a teacher gave her Martin Buber’s Tales of the Hasidim and this sparked her desire to know more about Judaism. She earned her PhD in Jewish Theology at Charles University, Prague, and went on to study at Abraham Geiger Kolleg in Potsdam, and the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Journalism has also been part of her development. She worked as a Science writer and social media manager while at Charles University and she has lectured both there and at the Faculty of Arts, Potsdam University, on the ‘Challenges of twenty-first century Judaism’ and on Biblical Hebrew. While studying in Jerusalem, she met Rabbi Benji Stanley, the Rabbi of Westminster Synagogue, which she knew was a a place very closely connected to Czech Jewish heritage. Then, still while continuing her training at Leo Baeck College, she came to be the Westminster Synagogue's student rabbi.   Kamila Kopřivová will be in conversation with Jasmyn de Vien. Jasmyn de Vien was raised by her Viennese grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, on a small island in Western Canada. She studied in Belgium, completed her teacher training in Prague and now works for the High Commission of Canada.   https://london.czechcentres.cz/en/program/women-in-focus-kamila-koprivova   #womeninfocus #rabbi #westminstersynagogue

Join us to celebrate the bicentenary of Bedřich Smetana, the Czech composer whose melodies have echoed through generations and whose music includes the enchanting cycle of symphonic poems My Country and the popular opera The Bartered Bride. Delve into Smetana's fascinating journey with us as we explore his tumultuous life, his unwavering nationalist spirit, and his enduring impact on the Czech musical heritage. From the heartrending strains of his orchestral works to the poignant tales woven into his operas, Smetana's oeuvre captures the essence of Czech identity and resilience. Our distinguished panel of experts, including Jan Smaczny, emeritus professor at Queen's University Belfast, Dr. Thomas Jaermann, composer and musicologist, and Sandra Bergmannová, Director of the Bedřich Smetana Museum, will reveal the mysteries behind Smetana's life and work. Tomáš Hanus, Music Director of Welsh National Opera will discuss (via ZOOM from Brno) the latest production of Smetana's opera Dalibor, directed by Sir David Pountney in Brno which he conducted. Chaired by John Allison, Editor of Opera magazine. Part of the Year of Czech Music and Smetana 2024. In collaboration with the Czech Tourism. SPEAKERS: Sandra Bergmannová Sandra Bergmannová is the Head of the Bedřich Smetana Museum – National Museum in Prague. She is one of the main authors of the exhibition Famous Czech Composers (2020-2022) and the books of the same name in Czech and English. In the research on the life and work of Bedřich Smetana she specializes on creating of the online catalogue of works and is head of the project of the critical edition of the 3rd volume of Smetana’s correspondence (1875-1879). Previously she worked as a musicologist at the Bohuslav Martinů Institute in Prague, where she stood at the beginning of the crucial projects, such as: digitisation of Bohuslav Martinů’s works, Martinů database online, and Bohuslav Martinů Complete Critical Edition. Tomáš Hanus Tomáš Hanus, Music Director of the Welsh National Opera, is recognised as one of the Czech Republic’s most exciting and important conductors. He has conducted at major European opera houses including the Wiener Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, Royal Danish Opera, Oslo Opera House, Teatro Real Madrid and the Teatro alla Scala. In demand as a conductor of symphonic music, he has conducted many prestigious orchestras including the LSO, SWR Symphonieorchester Baden-Baden, Czech Philharmonic, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. He opened the 2023 Prague Spring Festival with WNO Orchestra with Smetana’s Ma Vlast. In February 2024 Tomáš returned to the Brno Theatre with a new production of Dalibor. Dr Thomas Jaermann Originally from Zurich, Switzerland, Dr Thomas Jaermann obtained a PhD in musicology from the University of Zurich for his research on music and national identity. His postdoctoral research resulted in the award of the inaugural Recognition Prize from the G. A. Derungs Foundation for his compilation of a catalogue of the complete works by Swiss composer Gion A. Derungs. Since moving to the UK, Thomas has taught music and German at independent schools in the London and South East areas. His current research involves the life and work of composer Bedřich Smetana and his most recent invited paper on Smetana was presented as part of the 2023 international conference on Bedřich Smetana and European Opera in Litomyšl, and is due to be published in 2024. Thomas also composes music including piano, chamber music and orchestral film scores. Jan Smaczny Jan Smaczny is well known as an authority on many aspects of Czech music. His publications include books on Dvorak’s B-minor Cello Concerto, the repertoire of the Prague Provisional Theatre, many articles, chapters and major encyclopaedia entries on Czech music and culture as well as edited volumes on Irish Music and Bach’s B-minor Mass. Jan is a graduate of Oxford University and studied for two years at the Music Faculty of the Charles University, Prague. He is the Sir Hamilton Harty Professor of Music Emeritus at Queen’s University, Belfast. Chair: John Allison John Allison is Editor of Opera magazine and a music critic with a special interest in the culture of Central and Eastern Europe. He was born in South Africa and completed his PhD while playing the piano and working as assistant organist at Cape Town cathedral. Since moving to London in 1989 he has written for publications around the world, authored books and served on the juries of many international competitions. He co-founded the International Opera Awards in 2013.  The event took place on Tue 12th March 2024 at the Czech Embassy Cinema. More info about upcoming events: https://london.czechcentres.cz/en/program #smetana #yearofczechmusic #czechclassicalmusic

This February our Women in Focus series presents a very special speaker: Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines. During her talk, Lady Milena will share her life-long experiences including her recollection of WWII and Nicholas Winton's Kindertransport from Prague to London, her early days in a new country and her rich professional career that led her from business to education and charity work. Lady Milena will also discuss her first memorable encounter with Sir Nicholas Winton at BBC studios and how their relationships gradually evolved into a genuine friendship. ABOUT LADY MILENA GRENFELL-BAINES Born Milena Fleischmannová in Prague, young Milena grew up in the Chrudim district in a family with close ties to the Czech artistc scene. When she was three, Milena’s mother died in childbirth and her father soon remarried. In July of 1939, nine-year-old Milena and her three-year-old half sister left Prague on what became the last kinder transport train to the United Kingdom organised by Nicholas Winton. The girls stayed with a foster family in Ashton-under-Lyne and Milena attended a local school there before moving on to attend The Czechoslovak State School established by the Czech government in exile in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales. After the war, Milena trained as a children’s nurse and in 1954 married British architect and urban planner Sir George Grenfell-Baines. Following a brief holiday in France, Lady Milena’s career took a different turn when she was offered a role as a cookery interpreter, starting her long career in the cookery business. Known to many as ‘Lady Remoska’, Milena is credited for introducing the Czech cook pan Remoska to the British market. Another significant event in Lady Milena’s life was her meeting with Sir Nicholas Winton during the BBC Programme ‘That’s Life’. Disclosing Winton’s involvement in the saving of 669 children from Czechoslovakia before the outbreak of WW2, the programme arranged for many of those children to attend the live screening, Milena being one of them. Throughout her life, Lady Milena has been actively involved in Czech-British cultural and social relations and pursued her life-long interest in classical music. She has been awarded a number of honours both in Czechia and the UK, including the Jan Masaryk Gratias Agit and MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire). For the last 10 years, she has been giving talks at schools on behalf of the Holocaust Educational Trust. The Q&A was chaired by journalist Ivan Kytka.   Talk + Q&A took place on Tue 27th February 2024 at the Czech Embassy Cinema.   More information about up-coming events: https://london.czechcentres.cz/en/program   #womeninfocus #ladymilena #czechcentrelondon

Czech Centre's Women in Focus series continues with a talk by CNN journalist Ivana Kottasová. Ivana will speak about her work as a reporter and her experience covering the conflict in Ukraine. She will discuss the professional and personal challenges — and rewards — of being a journalist and talk about her career journey to one of the biggest newsrooms in the world.   ABOUT IVANA Ivana Kottasová is a journalist covering international news, conflict and human rights.  As a senior producer at CNN International in London, she focuses on breaking news across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Most recently, she traveled to Israel and the West Bank to report on the October 7 terror attack by Hamas, and the subsequent ground invasion by Israel Defence forces in Gaza. In 2022, she covered the build-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the battle for Kyiv and she continues to report regularly on the war and the human impacts of the ongoing conflict. She was part of CNN reporting teams awarded, among others, a duPont-Columbia Award, a Foreign Press Association Award and an Emmy. Ivana Kottasová began her career in the Czech Republic, working for various Czech newspapers and magazines, and the Czech Radio.   Talk and Q&A took place on THU 25 JAN 2024 19:00 at the Czech Centre at the Czech Embassy Cinema.   More information about upcoming events: https://london.czechcentres.cz/en/program      

The winner of two Magnesia Litera Awards Marek Šindelka, the book´s co-editor Jan Zikmund and writer Veronika Bendová launched an anthology of short stories by the ten of city´s most famous writers, including the illustrious Bohumil Hrabal, that present Prague in a completely new light. Away from the Old Town Square, these stories take us into less-visited corners of Prague: from the steep streets of the proudly edgy Žižkov neighbourhood, to the flood-ravished suburb of Karlín, from the tensions experienced by the city’s Romani community to the dehumanising post-war redevelopment of areas like Libeň proving that there are always sides to a city’s character you would never have imagined. A discussion chaired by Ra Page, editor in chief of Comma Press. The Book of Prague A City in Short Fiction Edited by Ivana Myšková & Jan Zikmund Published by: Comma Press The book was published through the instigation and support of the Czech Literary Centre   Featuring: Bohumil Hrabal , Michal Ajvaz, Irena Dousková  , Simona Bohatá , Jan Zábrana , Petr Borkovec , Marek Šindelka, Patrik Banga , Veronika Bendová & Marie Stryjová Format: Paperback Book type: Anthology ISBN-13: 9781912697786 Published: 05 Oct 2023 https://commapress.co.uk/books/the-book-of-prague About our guests Veronika Bendová (1974) was born in Prague and has spent her whole life there. She studied film screenwriting and dramaturgy at the FAMU film academy in the city and has devoted most of her adult life to raising her five children. She made her literary debut in 2012 with the novel Nonstop Eufrat, which has been translated into Spanish. She followed this in 2019 with Vytěženej kraj (A Depleted Land), which was shortlisted for the prose category of the Magnesia Litera Award. She also occasionally publishes short stories. She currently works as an editor at the Twentieth Century Memorial Museum, an institution documenting and preserving the memory of regimes and events in the former Czechoslovakia. Marek Šindelka (1984) studied Cultural Studies at Charles University in Prague and screenwriting at the FAMU film academy. His debut poetry collection, Strychnin a jiné básně (Strychnine and Other Poems, 2005), won the Jiří Orten Award for writers under thirty. His novels and short story collections have been translated into several languages, including English, French and Dutch, and have won two Magnesia Litera awards. The short story “Realities” featured in this book comes from his collection of interlinked short stories Mapa Anny (A Map of Anna, 2014). Paul Kaye (1969) was born in Bolton in the UK, and after studying biology and French at university, moved to Bratislava, Slovakia, shortly after the break-up of Czechoslovakia. While teaching English he began picking up the local languages, later moving into radio journalism and translation. He then worked for a decade as an environment policy journalist in Brussels, where he lives and now works as a translator for the European Union. Jan Zikmund (1992) works for the Czech Literary Centre where he is primarily responsible for the promotion of Czech literature in English-speaking countries. He is also an editor of the English-language literary magazine B O D Y. He is currently a member of the jury of the Magnesia Litera Award for Poetry, the most prestigious Czech literary award. Ra Page (1972) is the CEO and Founder of Comma Press. He has edited over 20 anthologies, including The City Life Book of Manchester Short Stories (Penguin, 1999), The New Uncanny (winner of the Shirley Jackson Award, 2008), and most recently Resist: Stories of Uprising (2019). He has coordinated a number of publisher development initiatives, including Literature Northwest (2004-2013), and the Northern Fiction Alliance (2016-present). He is a former journalist and has also worked as a producer and director on a number of short films. He read Physics at Balliol College, Oxford and has an MA in English from the University of Manchester. Ra has been recognised by the h100 Awards for the last two years running (2019/2020) for his contribution to the Publishing & Writing industry in the UK, and was included in The Bookseller 150 list in 2020, their annual guide to the book trade's most influential figures. Organised in collaboration with the Czech Literary Centre More info about upcoming events:  https://london.czechcentres.cz/en/program    

The event took place on TUE 26 SEP 2023 19:00, Czech Centre at the Czech Embassy Cinema   Our popular Women in Focus series is set to continue after the summer with a talk by the world-renowned, Czech-born architect Eva Jiřičná. During the talk Ms Jiřičná, who is best known for her shop interiors and residential projects, will discuss her signature glass staircases and the limits of structural engineering as well as her most recent projects and the need for sustainable architecture. Furthermore, the talk will touch on the topics such as the importance of public spaces, green living and regeneration of city suburbs. Using her 50+ years experience in the field, Ms Jiřičná will compare how various challenges are approached in different parts of the world and she will give a brief overview of the changing tasks architects have faced in the last 40-50 years.  The final part of the evening will allow enough time for questions from the audience to open a lively discussion on architecture, urbanism, and beyond.  The event was chaired by Deyan Sudjic, writer and broadcaster specialising in design and architecture and  former director of the Design Museum, London.    About Eva Jiřičná Eva Jiřičná, a Czech born architect based in London since 1968, completed her architectural education at The Technical University in Prague where she qualified with a title of an Engineer-Architect and later on at The Academy of Fine Arts where she completed her Masters degree. After the Russian Invasion she remained in England - she worked on the Brighton Marina project and on Lloyd’s Building and started her own practice in 1982.  Eva became well known for the interiors of shops and residential projects and mainly glass staircases but also for her work at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Canada Water Bus Station, Leicester Library, Orangery at Prague’s Castle and many others. She opened with a Czech partner Petr Vágner another practice AI DESIGN in Prague in 1999, and completed many projects there including hotels, University buildings, Multipurpose Auditorium amongst others.  Eva has been appointed Professor and has a long teaching experience. She is a member of Royal Academy of Arts, Royal Designer for Industry, and an honorary member of the Royal Society of Arts. She has been awarded by CBE and received 11 honorary doctorates. Recently she has been awarded the Ambassador of the Czech Republic by the Czech Top 100 and Lifetime Achievement Medal by the London Design Festival.   More information about Czech Centre London events: https://london.czechcentres.cz/en/program

The Soviet Union, the Polish People's Republic, the People's Republic of Bulgaria, and the Hungarian People's Republic jointly invaded the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic on August 20 and 21, 1968. The invasion ended Alexander Dubek's Prague Spring liberalization initiatives and reinforced the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia's authoritarian side. In July this year we screened Reconstruction of Occupation, a masterful cinematic adventure of a truly forensic nature that uses newly-discovered footage to provide a unique perspective on the 1968 military invasion of Czechoslovakia and its aftermath.  We hope you'll enjoy this short reminder of consequences and historical insight by Czech Centre London director Přemysl Pela and Dr Thomas Lorman as they introduced screening of the documentary Reconstruction of Occupation on 17th July 2023 at the Czech Embassy Cinema, London.  Thomas Lorman is a lecturer (teaching) in central european history at UCL’s School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES) where he has been teaching and researching since 2010. His most recent publications are The Making of the Slovak People’s Party. Religion, Nationalism and the Culture War in Early 20th-Century Europe (Bloomsbury, 2020) and A History of the Hungarian Constitution: Law, Government and Political Culture in Central Europe (Bloomsbury, 2020) which he co-edited with Ferenc Hörcher. He also serves as editor of the journal Central Europe.   More information about Czech Centre London events: https://london.czechcentres.cz/en/program

The event took place on THU 25 MAY 2023 at the Czech Centre, Czech Embassy Cinema, Notting Hill, London Kateřina Svitková, attacking midfielder playing for Chelsea FC, the top English FA WSL club, has made a remarkable international football career. She started at Slavia Prague, where she scored an impressive 188 goals in 177 appearances. She was top scorer in the Czech First Division in both the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons and has been named Czech Footballer of the Year a remarkable four times. As a 17 years old teenager, Kateřina made her senior debut for the Czech Republic national team and since then she has scored more than 40 goals in various competitions and qualifiers. In 2020 she moved to the Women's Super League when she signed for West Ham and then two years later for Chelsea. Kateřina will discuss the peaks of her amazing football career, how to deal with pressure in sport, and give aspiring footballers lots of tips and inspiration. Followed by a Q&A session with the audience. ABOUT KATEŘINA Although Kateřina’s dog Buffon has not yet got used to the new place, Kateřina Svitková is very happy. She’s playing for Chelsea FC. The legendary club she's been a fan of since she was a little girl. In the realm of the European champions, where women's football is at its peak. When Kateřina joined West Ham she performed a song by the famous Czech singer Marek Ztracený to introduce herself and to greet her new teammates. In Chelsea, she chose the everlasting anthem Wonderwall by Oasis. She wanted her teammates to join in and start with good vibes before the first training day. The Czech Republic international joined the Blues in July 2022 and scored her first goal for the club during their 8-0 win over Vllaznia in the Champions League group stages in October.  The discussion will be chaired by Miroslava Fousková Miroslava Fousková is a professional football agent working under Sport Invest, the biggest agency in the Czech Republic. She held the role of team manager for seven years at SK Slavia Praha women and one year at the women's A team. Additionally, she has seven years of experience with the men's A team of SK Slavia Praha, and a single year as general secretary of the FK Jablonec men's team.   "Kateřina has developed really well over the past two years at West Ham. We've been watching her for some time and knew she'd offer the team a lot of quality in midfield and also wing-back too. She's really versatile and extremely driven and has a real love for Chelsea.’’ Emma Hayes (manager Chelsea F.C. Women) "I am living my dream! I have wanted to play for this club my whole life having supported the team since childhood and I really appreciate this exciting opportunity.‘‘ Kateřina Svitková about Chelsea F.C. Women

The event took place on MON 22 MAY 2023 19:00 at Czech Centre at the Czech Embassy Cinema, Notting Hill, London W8 Kateřina Tučková, leading Czech writer and 2022 winner of The State Award for Literature, discusses with scholar Dr Rajendra Chitnis The Last Goddess, her award-winning novel and most successful book to date with more than 100,000 copies sold in the Czech Republic alone, which has finally been published in English. Based on extensive historical research and powerful storytelling, the novel traces a community of ‘ goddesses’, female healers in the White Carpathians, pursued by both Nazis and Communists. Masterfully weaving together fact, folklore, and fiction and oscillating between past and present while exploring the extraordinary history of goddesses, Tučková incisively and with great panache comments on Czech society throughout the 20th century.   A book launch and conversation with Kateřina Tučková and Dr Rajendra Chitnis Kateřina Tučková is a leading Czech writer, playwright, art historian and curator. She has written four books published in twenty two languages. More than 300,000 copies of her books have been sold in the Czech Republic alone. Her novel Gerta / Vyhnání Gerty Schnirch  won the Magnesia Litera Readers' award and was shortlisted for the Jiří Orten Prize and the Josef Škvorecký Prize in 2010. The Last Goddess / Žítkovské bohyně won the Josef Škvorecký Award and the Czech Bestseller Prize in 2012 and the Magnesia Litera Readers‘ Award and the Czech Book Prize Readers‘ Award in 2013. In 2017, she was given the Freedom, Democracy and Human Rights Award by the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes and received the Premio Salerno Libro d’Europa. In 2022 Katerina Tučkova was awarded The State Prize for Literature for the novel Bílá Voda (The White Water). www.katerina-tuckova.cz  Rajendra Chitnis is associate professor of Czech at the University of Oxford. Alongside the books Literature in Post-Communist Russia and Eastern Europe, Vladislav Vančura: The Heart of the Czech Avant-garde and the edited volume Translating the Literatures of Small European Nations, he has published numerous studies about twentieth- and twenty-first-century Czech literature and contributed afterwords to English translations of novels by Antonín Bajaja, Jaroslav Durych, Viktor Dyk, Ladislav Fuks, Daniela Hodrová, Josef Jedlička and others. Kateřina Tučková: The Last Goddess Translated by Andrew Oakland Published by Amazon Crossing, 2022 The book has been adapted for the stage by the Zlín City Theatre, the Brno City Theatre, and the Divadlo pod Palmovkou Theatre Translated into twenty languages Once upon a time, a group of women with extraordinary abilities lived high in the hills of the White Carpathians. They knew how to heal people and help them in misery, they knew how to cope with trouble, and they could see the future. The so-called Žítková goddesses passed down their abilities from generation to generation. Dora Idesová is the last member of their family. She did not learn their art, but studied ethnography and decided to write an extensive scientific study about them. In the late 1990s, she discovered an operative file on an “internal enemy of the state” – her aunt, goddess Surmena. The file was created by the StB (the State Security), and kept in the archives of the Ministry of the Interior. Dora discovers the fate of the women from the village of Žítková and is surprised to find out that although she did not become a goddess herself, she is also an integral part of the secret traditions. “In The Last Goddess, Kateřina Tučková (…) shows her narrative skills, and we can only take off our hats to her skills. Not only did she choose an original topic, but she managed to combine fiction and reality in a clever, thrilling and believable way, to build rich characters, and to lead the complex saga with s twists all the way through to the end.” Jana Machalická / Lidové noviny

The event took place on Tue 25th April 2023 Czech Centre at the Czech Embassy Cinema, London W8 Our series Women in Focus continues with none other than Daria Klimentová, a photographer, ballet teacher and world-renowned Prima Ballerina. Having spent most of her career as a lead principal dancer at English National Ballet, Daria will discuss her successful professional journey from her ballet beginnings in Communist Czechoslovakia through her peak time as a dancer to her retirement and change of career direction. She will share what it takes to get to the top (and remain there), reveal the backstage struggles of a ballerina, and whether it is possible to combine a busy career with a family life. Followed by a Q&A session with the audience. About the speaker: Following her graduation from Prague State Conservatorie of Music and Dance in 1989, Daria Klimentová joined National Theatre Ballet in Prague as a soloist, and was promoted to principal dancer a year later. In 1992, she joined Cape Town City Ballet in South Africa as principal. The following year, she joined the Scottish Ballet as a principal dancer. In 1996, Klimentová joined the English National Ballet at the invitation of then-artistic director Derek Deane. Since 2003 Daria has been the founder and Director of the Prague International Ballet Masterclasses held at the magnificent studios of the National Theatre Company in Prague. In March 2013 Daria published her autobiography titled Daria Klimentova – Agony and Ecstasy: My Life in Dance. In 2014 she finished training as a teacher at The Royal Ballet School and joined the teaching staff there in September 2014 following her retirement as a ballet dancer.   More information about upcoming events: https://london.czechcentres.cz/en/program   #dariaklimentova #primaballerina #womeninfocus