We will seek radical hope at the 17th International Joseph Conrad Literature Festival in Kraków, taking place between October 20 and 26. Guests include such authors as Kamel Daoud, Vincenzo Latronico and Emily St. John Mandel. The event also hosts the cultural analyst and strategist Sem Devillart.
Wednesday, 22.10
22 October, 8:30 p.m.
Spaces of Freedom. Presentation of contemporary literary works from South EastEurope
Venue: Spółdzielnia Ogniwo
Spaces of Freedom: The presentation of contemporary literary works from South East Europeis a festival-like event conceived and realised by the Belgrade-based KROKODIL Association. Its aim is to showcase the current literary scene in this corner of Europe.
The dynamic and lively evening programme will showcase four authors: Rumena Bužarovskafrom North Macedonia, Radmila Petrović from Serbia, Faruk Šehić from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ivana Bodrožić from Croatia. Their work will be presented through live readings in the original languages, supported by Polish and English interpretation, and short stage talks. A break in the middle of the programme will be filled by a mini-concert by Ana Ćurčin, a Serbian songwriter who combines music, text and video into new performative forms - creating her distinctive and authentic style. The programme will be hosted by Mima Simić, an acclaimed author and translator, as well as the charismatic and much-loved host of the KROKODIL Festival in Belgrade.
The programme is co-financed by the European Union.
Friday, 24.10
24 October, 10:00 a.m.
CELA publishers' breakfast and translators' pitching
Venue: Potocki Palace
As part of the Book Congress industry steam, we are once again inviting representatives of publishing houses to a networking meeting at the Potocki Palace. After breakfast, there will be pitching sessions with translators participating in the Connecting Emerging Literary Artists (CELA) programme, who will present proposals for translations of works by young European authors participating in the initiative. The meeting will also be attended by translators selected by the Association of Literary Translators.
The event is closed, publishers should contact: kontakt@miastoliteratury.pl.
Partners: Connecting Emerging Literary Artists (CELA), Literary Translators Association
24 October, 12:00 p.m.
CELA - Speed Dating. Meeting with translators
Venue: Potocki Palace
During the event, translators participating in the CELA programme will present proposals for translations of works by European authors to publishers October, 7:00 p.m.
24 October, 7:00 p.m.
New voices from Europe. Meeting with CELA writers
Guests: Eliška Beranová, Pia Prezelj, Lieven Stoefs, Marta Talacha, Aleksandra Wójcik, Paulina Zając
Venue: Spółdzielnia Ogniwo
A shy and withdrawn Belgian boy looks down from the heights of the church choir to the crowds of girls gathered for the funeral of a schoolmate. Thoughts of residents of blocks of flats trapped in flooded homes like fish in an aquarium do not give peace of mind to a resident of an unnamed Czech town. An old woman recalls a childhood friend while tossing hay somewhere in the Slovenian countryside. The stories told in the prose debuts of young European writers - rooted in other languages, imaginaries and places, although seemingly they could happen anywhere - open us up to other worlds. The CELA (Connecting Emerging Literary Artists) programme selects the most interesting representatives of new European prose to present their work at international festivals thanks to translations crafted by talented translators. During the Conrad Festival, we will introduce three emerging artists: Eliška Beranova from the Czech Republic, Lieven Stoefs from Belgium and Pia Prezelj from Slovenia, whose stories were able to reach Polish readers thanks to translations by Paulina Zając, Marta Talacha and Aleksandra Wójcik. The authors will read excerpts from their texts and, together with their translators, talk about the experience of writing and translating, as well as the unique relationship between writer, translator and story.
Guests: Eliška Beranová, Pia Prezelj, Lieven Stoefs, Marta Talacha, Aleksandra Wójcik, Paulina Zając
The meeting was divided into two parts, the first in English and the second in Polish.
Saturday, 25.10
25 October, 4:00 p.m.
Europe in translation. Meeting with CELA translators
Guests: Patrycja Chajęcka, Zofia Kręc, Amina Niepsuj-Wood, Aleksander Podgórny, Marta Talacha, Justyna Sterna, Magdalena Ukrainets, Aleksandra Wójcik, Paulina Zając
Hosted by: Jerzy Jarniewicz
Venue: Potocki Palace
Is a European reading community possible thanks to translation? And if so, can translators act as ambassadors for new phenomena, previously unheard voices, and previously untold stories? What do we gain by opening ourselves up to other points of view by reading? Connecting Emerging Literary Artists (CELA) is an international initiative that aims to support the development of literary artists and translation between European languages. The current edition of the project involves ten young literary translators from Bulgarian, Czech, Spanish, Dutch, Romanian, Serbian, Slovenian, Ukrainian and Italian into Polish. During the meeting, they will talk about the challenges facing young translators and interpreters, about translation as a job, a passion and an art. The panel will be hosted by Jerzy Jarniewicz - known both as an eminent translator and as an undisputed authority in translation studies.