This year marks 30 years since the Velvet Revolution of Slovakia, and 26 since it gained independence. In the UK, much of Slovakia's rich and fascinating culture remains untapped, and we agree that this needs changing. Having published Uršuľa Kovalyk’s brilliant collection The Night Circus and other stories earlier this year, we are thrilled to take part in a UK-wide events programme celebrating Slovak arts and literature.
Organised by translator Julia Sherwood, in association with supporters such as Arts Council England, The Slovak Embassy, London, and Slovak Arts Council, Raising the Velvet Curtain will present a new generation of contemporary Slovak writers, artists and performers, as well as launching the exciting new website SlovakLiterature.com – dedicated to bringing Slovak literature to English-language readers.
As part of the programme, which spans from 22 October to 29 November, Uršuľa Kovalyk will be taking part in a writer’s tour (22-25 October) along with award-winning author and translator Ivana Dobrakovová and the hugely popular contemporary author Balla. The tour will begin in Manchester, with an event presented by Julia Sherwood and bestselling Parthian author Glen James Brown (Ironopolis, 2018), before going on to Oxford, Cambridge and finally London:
Writers’ Tour: Balla, Ivana Dobrakovová and Uršuľa Kovalyk
22 Oct. 7:00 pm Blackwells, Manchester
23 Oct. 5:00 pm St Antony’s College, Oxford, Russian and Eurasian Studies Centre Library
24 Oct. 6:30 pm Heffers, Cambridge
25 Oct. 7:15pm British Library, London
Parthian have for a long time been firm believers in the sharing of literature across borders and cultures. We’re delighted to see such an event take place, and to see where Slovak literature’s place in the UK will go from here. To see the schedule of events for Raising the Velvet Curtain, book tickets, and learn more, visit the new online portal: www.SlovakLiterature.com.
