Alongside the latest Hungarian literary and children’s books, recent Czech translations and literary panel discussions will also welcome visitors to this year’s Prague Book Fair on 23–26 May at the booth of the Petőfi Cultural Agency (PKÜ).

According to the PKÜ’s announcement on Wednesday, the 29th Svet Knihy, or Book World Prague International Book Fair and Literary Festival, will feature around 800 performers from 40 countries. The 2024 book fair’s motto is a Franz Kafka quote: ‘…a book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us.’ This motto aptly reflects how the fair and festival view literature and its significance in shaping our inner world. The literary impact of Franz Kafka, born in Prague and writing in German, will be the focus of several accompanying programmes at the fair. The main guests of the largest book fair in the Czech Republic this year will be Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, linking the event to the 100th anniversary of Kafka’s death.

The series of Hungarian-related programmes at the book fair will begin on Thursday with the presentation of the latest thematic issue of The Continental Literary Magazine titled Borders, published by the Petőfi Cultural Agency. The two invited guests, renowned Czech author Petra Hulová and Hungarian poet Zita Izsó, will share their insights on contemporary interpretations of borders, moderated by Czech literary critic and editor Jan M. Heller.

On Friday, the Hungarian organizers will host a V4 literary discussion about the impact of Franz Kafka’s works on Hungarian, Slovak, Czech, and Polish literature and culture.

The participants of the discussion will be current Prague fellows of the Visegrad Literary Residency Programme, announced by the Visegrad Fund since 2012, including poet and film director Szabolcs Sztercey from Gheorgheni.

Last year, the Prague Hungarian Cultural Centre celebrated its 70th anniversary by publishing a Hungarian literary anthology in collaboration with the Czech Malvern publishing house, titled Hungarian Literary Kaleidoscope, featuring translations from the past 70 years. The anthology was edited by Hungarologist, literary historian, translator, and university professor Jenő Gál, in his final major work. The book presentation will be held on Friday with the participation of translator Robert Svoboda and literary scholar Jan M. Heller.

The series of public programmes organised jointly by the Petőfi Cultural Agency and the Prague Liszt Institute will conclude on Saturday at with the presentation of the first part of Miklós Bánffy’s Transylvanian Trilogy by translator Robert Svoboda and historian Radek Ocelák.

In addition to public programmes, the Petőfi Cultural Agency will participate in the professional programmes of the Central and East European Book Market (CEEBM). The closed professional forum provides an opportunity for publishers, literary agents, and professionals in the book industry from Central and Eastern European countries to build relationships, exchange experiences, and conduct business discussions, according to the announcement.

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