LITERATURE
Contemporary Czech Literature and Film
AUTUMN LN164
Thursdays
Jana Fischerova
This course addresses works of Czech writers and filmmakers of the post-Communist era – 1990 to the present. The programme covers books and films authored by artists from the older generations who continued to create after the Velvet Revolution, as well as books and films by newly-emergent authors. How these writers and filmmakers reflect and define this new era in their country’s history will be among the topics discussed. When the Iron Curtain fell, there was hunger among Czech readers for accounts of life under Communism and works of previously prohibited writers were in great demand. These writers then for a number of years defined the literary scene. The situation in film was similar. As Czech society gradually moved away from its recent past, and worked its way through a period of political and cultural transition, new voices emerged. This course provides an opportunity to explore a very interesting period in Czech cultural history – one that follows, among other things, half a century of oppression and censorship (first by the Nazis, then by the Communists). Authors discussed will include the surrealist writer Bohumil Hrabal and the Oscar-winning director Jan Svěrák.
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BELFIELD |
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10 Thursdays |
Sep 27, Oct 4, 11, 18, 25, Nov 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 |
7.30pm - 9.30pm |
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FEE €100
The fee for this course is subsidised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Czech Republic
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Print Open Learning Application Form 2012.13 or ring (01) 716-7123 for Laser/credit card payment |
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Tutor Details:
Dr Jana Fischerova received her doctoral degree from UCD, where she wrote a comparative thesis on literary censorship in Ireland and Czechoslovakia. Her main research interests include 20th- and 21st-century literature and culture, the relationship between literature and society, and censorship. She has studied in the Czech Republic, England and Ireland. She has been teaching at UCD for the past several years, and has also taught at Trinity College, Dublin.
Provisional list of key topics to be covered:
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- legacy of Communism as reflected in Czech literature and film
- the present day as reflected in Czech literature and film
- themes that preoccupied writers and filmmakers in the first few years after the fall of Communism, and themes that preoccupy them now
- contemporary Czech readers’/viewers’ preferences
Who is the course for?
Anybody interested in contemporary literature and cinematography, Czech culture, and/or Central European culture. The course will cater both for those who have a special interest in Czech literature and film, and those with no prior knowledge of Czech culture.
Reading List:
Following is the proposed reading list for this course.
Ivan Klíma – My Golden Trades (1992*)
Bohumil Hrabal – The Little Town Where Time Stood Still (1993*)
Josef Škvorecký – When Eve Was Naked (2003)
Petra Hůlová – All This Belongs to Me (2009*)
Miloš Urban – The Seven Churches (2010*)
Jáchym Topol – Gargling with Tar (2010*)
*year of translation
