Slovak Literature
Since 1989

Registration is now open for the one-day conference at UCL SSEES, London, on November 5th, 2019.

Andreea Scridon's review of Big Love and The Night Circus and Other Stories in

Interview with Ivana Dobrakovová

Featured as Author of the Week on BookBlast Diary

Two translations and five Riveting Reviews

Three Slovak authors
featured in

Uršuľa Kovalyk, Dušan Mitana, and Richard Pupala
in the Central European Short Story Issue

Asymptote: A report
from Slovakia

An overview of what's new in Slovak literature.

Raising the Velvet Curtain
in words, sounds and pictures

Looking back at the season of Slovak literature and arts in the UK in October and November 2019.

in memoriam

On February 10th, 2020, Pavel Vilikovský,
one of Slovakia’s most prominent writers,
passed away at the age of 78.

Bellevue nominated for prize

Ivana Dobrakovová’s book has been longlisted for the EBRD Literature Prize 2020.

Eternal Traffic book release

Congratulations to Mila Haugová and her translator,
James Sutherland-Smith, on their latest collection
of poetry in English, released by Arc Publications.

New podcast

Julia Sherwood now hosting a biweekly podcast of conversations about Slovak literature

Asymptote: Literary News
from Slovakia

Book of the Year, Slovakia's take on European Literature Night, and more

Balla “On the Pandemic”
in Asymptote

In This Together: Writers From Around the World Respond to the COVID-19 Outbreak

LIC now in English

The Centre for Information on Literature has a new website in English called Books from Slovakia

Congratulations to Mila Haugová

Slovak poet Mila Haugová is this year’s winner of the Vilenica Prize for Central European Literature.

Pavel Vilikovský featured
in Asymptote

"A Sentimental Education in March" by Pavel Vilikovský, translated and with an introduction by Charles Sabatos.

LitCast with Jonathan Gresty

In Lit_cast Slovakia #6, translator Jonathan Gresty talks about going native in Slovakia, and much more.

Corine Tachtiris reviews Bellevue

Read the latest review of Ivana Dobrakovová’s award-winning novel in World Literature Today.

Tomáš Forró’s Donbas
in Asymptote

Read an excerpt from Forro’s account of the Ukrainian conflict, translated by Magdalena Mullek.

“Slovak writers struggle to find path to Anglophone readers”

An article in The Slovak Spectator.

LitCast with Katarína Gephardt

In Lit_cast Slovakia #7, literature scholar Katarína Gephardt discusses her plans for a Companion to Contemporary Slovak Literature.s

Contemporary Slovak poetry featured in

Translations of 5 Slovak poets, and an interview with writer and translator Lucia Duero.

LitCast with Michael Stein

In Lit_cast Slovakia #8, writer and journalist
Michael Stein talks about the Central European
literary sensibility.

LitCast with Nataša Ďurovičová

In Lit_cast Slovakia #9, Nataša Ďurovičová talks about exile as the point of no return.

Sarah Hinlicky Wilson
reviews Big Love

“Slovakia is clinically depressed.”
Find out why in this review of Balla's Big Love.

LitCast
with James Sutherland-Smith

In Lit_cast Slovakia #10, James Sutherland-Smith talks about why translating prose is more difficult than translating poetry.

Mimi & Líza: A Slovak kid lit sensation

Julia Sherwood talks about a children’s book that teaches children to understand disability and accept otherness.

Announcing:

In 2021/2022 Seagull Books will kick off its Slovak List
with books by Monika Kompaníková, Jana Bodnárová, Irena Brežná, and Zuzana Cigánová.

LitCast with Mária Ferenčuhová

In Lit_cast Slovakia #11, Slovak poet and translator Mária Ferenčuhová talks about cooperative translation
of poetry.

European Literary London:
An Interactive Map

featuring excerpts from works by Gejza Vámoš, Pavel Vilikovský, and Zuska Kepplová.

LitCast with Sarah Hinlicky Wilson

In Lit_cast Slovakia #12, Sarah Hinlicky Wilson talks about the forgotten gems of Slovak literature.

LitCast with Marie-Theres Cermann

In Lit_cast Slovakia #13, Marie-Theres Cermann talks about why she believes the plight of refugees remains relevant even during the pandemic.

European Poets Night:
November 9, 2020

Listen to Slovak poet Mária Ferenčuhová read her poetry in this virtual event.

Asymptote:
Literary News from Slovakia

BraK festival, Novotvar festival, and other events.

LitCast with Ľudmila Pánisová

In Lit_cast Slovakia #14, Ľudmila Pánisová talks about the need to treat the source text with respect.

“Epic Sweep Without Epic Length”

Michael Stein reviews Pavol Rankov's soon-to-be-published novel, It Happened on the First of September (or Some Other Time), translated by Magdalena Mullek, in Versopolis Review.

How the Slovak List Came to Be

Julia Sherwood talks with LIC about the four books selected for Seagull Books’ Slovak List.

LitCast with John Minahane

In Lit_cast Slovakia #15, translator John Minahane reads from his translations of Slovak writers.

LitCast with Lucia Duero

In Lit_cast Slovakia #16, writer and translator Lucia Duero talks about navigating the cultural differences between Slovakia and Mexico.

LitCast with Mária Modrovich

In Lit_cast Slovakia #17, writer and editor Mária Modrovich talks about navigating Slovak literature through the website Books from Slovakia.

New in English

Pavol Rankov’s It Happened on the First of September (or Some Other Time), translated by Magdalena Mullek, now available from Slavica Publishers.

New Author Page

Pavol Rankov now on SlovakLiterature.com

Pavol Rankov wins Prix du livre européen 2020

for his novel It Happened on the First of September (or Some Other Time).

LitCast with Ivana Taranenková

In Lit_cast Slovakia #18, literature scholar Ivana Taranenková introduces a forthcoming English-language guide to contemporary Slovak literature.

It Happened on the First
of September in

Read an excerpt from the recently published English translation by Magdalena Mullek.

Michal Hvorecký
in Windows to Europe

Read the short story “Intimate Distance” translated by Julia and Peter Sherwood.

LitCast with Peter F. 'Rius Jílek

In Lit_cast Slovakia #19, literary critic Peter F. 'Rius Jílek shares his experience of being on the jury of Anasoft Litera.

Sarah Hinlicky Wilson reviews

“Rich in detail, subtle in execution, compelling and
page-turning…”

LitCast with Katarzyna Dudzic-Grabińska

In Lit_cast Slovakia #20, Polish translator and theater director Kasia Dudzic-Grabińska talks about how she combines literary translation with theater work.

LitCast with Irena Brežná

In Lit_cast Slovakia #21, award-winning writer and journalist Irena Brežná talks about rebelling against the dogma of writing in her native language.

LitCast with Éva Karádi

In Lit_cast Slovakia #22, Hungarian literary organizer Éva Karádi talks about championing Slovak literature.

Absurdist Fiction from Slovakia

Review of Jana Beňová’s Seeing People Off by Tabatha Leggett.

Asymptote: Literary News
from Slovakia

Remembering Ladislav Grossman, Pavol Rankov wins the European Book Prize 2020, publisher Koloman Kertész Bagala, and more.

LitCast with Ivana Hostová

In Lit_cast Slovakia #23, literature scholar Ivana Hostová talks about why publishing poetry in translation is challenging even in a translation-dominated culture such as Slovakia.

Ivana Dobrakovová on

Listen to a bilingual excerpt from Mothers and Truckers, and much more.

Julia Sherwood on World Kid Lit

(YouTube video opens in a separate tab.)

A discussion of Central European Literature for young readers.

Gwen Willems reviews

“Into the Spotlight: New Writing from Slovakia offers an interesting and efficient way to sample some of the best contemporary Slovak writers.”

LitCast with David Short

In the 25th episode of Lit_cast Slovakia, scholar and translator David Short talks about some of the staggering number of books he has translated.

Seagull Books
Announces Their Fall Catalogue

Featuring Boat Number Five by Monika Kompaníková and Necklace/Choker by Jana Bodnárová.

LitCast with Tünde Mészáros

In Lit_cast Slovakia #26, translator Tünde Mészáros talks about the importance of musicality in translation.

LitCast with Monika Kompaníková

In Lit_cast Slovakia #27, writer Monika Kompaníková talks about the universal appeal of her novel Boat Number Five.