Slovak Books in English
Single-author Books
Anthologies
Our lists, compiled from a variety of sources, are probably the most comprehensive database of Slovak books in English translation from 1899 to date. We are updating it continuously and welcome information on any titles we may have missed.
Slovak Drama in Translation, maintained by The Theatre Institute Bratislava
Background Reading and Recommendations
Home and the World in Slovak Writing: A Small Nation’s Literature in Context
Edited by Katarina Gephardt, Charles Sabatos, and Ivana Taranenková.
A groundbreaking publication introducing English-speaking readers to major figures and works of Slovak literature over the past 80 years.
Video recording of the book launch at the Slovak Embassy in London, March 2025
“From Tatras to Text. Exploring Slovak Literature in English Translation.”
Video recording of Ivana Hostová’s presentation given as part of the Expert Lecture Series Organized by Department of English and CLS, Saurashtra, India, March 2025
“From Obscurity to a Place on the Map of World Literature. Julia Sherwood on Slovak Literature in English Translation.”
An article in New Welsh Review #137, Spring 2025.
“The Steady Rise of Women in Translation.”
An article by Chad Post in Publishers Weekly, October 20, 2023.
“The Slovak List”
An article about how Seagull Books’ Slovak List came to be, November 2020.
“Slovak writers struggle to find path to Anglophone readers”
An article by Peter Dlhopolec in The Slovak Spectator, July 2020.
Translating Literatures of Smaller European Nations
Edited by Rajendra Chitnis, Jakob Stougaard-Nielsen, Rhian Atkin, and Zoran Milutinovic. Liverpool University Press, 2019.
“Crossing Borders through Translation. On Reception of Slovak Literature in English-Speaking Countries.”
An article by Ľudmila Pánisová in Scientia et Eruditio, 2019.
“10 Slovak Women Writers We’d Love to Read in English”
Recommendations compiled by translators and scholars of Slovak literature on Literary Hub, March 2017.
Since this list first appeared, many of the books have been published in English, but some are still looking for a publisher.
“Contemporary Women’s Writing in Slovakia”
A special feature in Words Withour Borders, February 2015, with samples of works by Jaroslava Blažková, Uršuľa Kovalyk, Monika Kompaníková, and Svetlana Žuchová.
Institutional Support
Slovenské Literárne Centrum (SLC)/Slovak Literary Centre
Based in Bratislava, this is the official agency for promoting Slovak literature abroad which administers the SLOLIA grant scheme for supporting publishers planning to publish translations from the Slovak, as well as the Trojica Air residency program for translators. The SLC website features a comprehensive database of authors, has regular news of literary events, and maintains pdf collections of back issues of Books from Slovakia and Slovak Literary Review, which offer foreign-language publishers and academics a glimpse into Slovak literary releases. SLC also maintains a list of publishers within Slovakia, with an overview of focus and contact information for each.
Fond na Podporu Umenia (FPU)/Slovak Arts Council
Official Slovak grant agency that provides grants to individuals (including translators) and organizations (including publishers based in Slovakia).