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Ambassador Jaroslav Olsa Jr. (left) and Korean Culture Minister of Culture Choe Kwang-sik view the Czech book stand at COEX Seoul International Book Fair last week. (Czech Embassy) |
The Czech Embassy has held an event to show that there is more to the European nation’s literary riches than Franz Kafka and Milan Kundera.
The reading at the COEX Seoul International Book Fair on Thursday focused on three authors whose books have been translated into Korean.
Excerpts from books by Jan Neruda, Karel Capek and Martin Harnicek were read at the event at Seoul’s COEX center.
Neruda is a narrator of tales of 19th century gothic Prague as yet unknown to Korean public. Excerpts from his book “Mala Strana” (Little Quarter) were read, while parts of “The Insect Play” by Capek were also read. Capek is the creator of the word “robot.” Czech dissident writer Harnicek, who became famous for his raw horror stories, was represented with a reading from his work “Flesh.”
Ambassador Jaroslav Olsa Jr. gave an introduction to modern and contemporary Czech literature and Czech-Korean literary contacts with the help of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Czech-language experts.
The Czech book stand was also visited by Korean Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sports Choe Kwang-sik.
