11 October 2012 The literary controversies of Michael Viewegh
Michal Viewegh, a guest of this year’s Conrad Festival, is about to publish a new book. Entitled Mráz přichází z Hradu, the book is meant as a sequel to Mafie v Praze, and its characters include Prime Minister Petr Nečas, Jana Nagyová, the head of his cabinet, and President Vaclav Klaus. The writer assures that his latest book is written in such a way that even those unfamiliar with the plot of Mafie v Praze should be able to understand it. Let us recall that the meeting with Michal Viewegh will be held on Friday (the 26th of October) at the Czuły Barbarzyńca café (ul. Powiśle 11), and hosted by Szymon Kloska. Viewegh will be accompanied by Jaroslav Rudiš, a Czech prose writer, journalist, screenwriter, and comic book artist.
Michal Viewegh – born in 1962 in Prague, the most popular contemporary Czech writer, editor of the Czech literary magazine Český spisovatel. He has written over a dozen books, nine of which have been published in English: The Sightseers, The Blissful Years of Lousy Living, Women’s Novel, Bringing up Girls in Bohemia, Short Stories about Marriage and Sex, Wonderful Years with Klaus, Lesson of Creative Writing, Wonderful Year, and Men’s Novel. His novels are set against the backdrop of the present-day Czech Republic, depicted with a tinge of irony and humour. Prague has hosted two editions of a festival dedicated exclusively to Michal Viewegh’s work, and his novels have been adapted for the stage. The film adaptation of one of his books, From Subway with Love, was also shown in Poland.
