Flemish fiction in Prague and Warsaw

If you’ve ever witnessed the crowds at the book fairs in Frankfurt or London, it’s hard to imagine that some publishers might not be there. Yet, that’s very much the case! That’s why Yannick, grants manager for fiction and drama, visited several publishers in their home cities of Prague and Warsaw in June. Away from the hectic fair schedules, they could take more time to get acquainted, discuss fascinating fiction titles from Flanders, and dream of further collaborations.

Read Yannick's account below.

My journey in Prague began at the offices of publishing house Paseka, located in a beautiful apartment building. The publisher boasts an extensive Czech and international list, with authors such as Douglas Stuart, Édouard Louis, Salman Rushdie, and Benjamin Labatut. About twenty years ago, they also published The Rumours by Hugo Claus, and hopefully, the Flemish part of their list will soon continue to grow.

At Knihy Dobrovsky, something exciting is already in the pipeline. Wolf by Lara Taveirne will be published there. The next day, I met Blanka Konečná, the translator who will be working on the book. Blanka also translates theatre texts, so I absolutely showered her with reading recommendations.

The same applies to the other Czech translators I met: Jana Pellarová and Radka Smejkalová. It was particularly enlightening to hear their experiences with the Czech book trade and translation. It was also enjoyable to catch up and hatch plans to introduce Flemish authors to Czech publishers.

The Czech Republic has a rich literary culture, reflected in its many high-quality publishers. It was lovely to see how curious they are about Flemish fiction. I also spoke with publishers at Odeon (the publisher, among others, of Dimitri Verhulst and Jeroen Olyslaegers), Argo (which has previously published works by Tom Lanoye, Stefan Hertmans, and Chris De Stoop), and Labyrint (a fan-tas-tic, colourful list of illustrated books for both children and adults). I also became acquainted with BETA, the Czech publisher that publishes both Stephen King and Booker Prize winner Samantha Harvey.

But I was truly blown away at the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art. This centre for modern art, performance, cinema, and literature organises the annual FALL festival in the wooden Gulliver/zeppelin mounted on their roof. I can’t imagine a better place to dream away together with an author. At the last edition, Dimitri Verhulst attended the festival, and together with Helena Kovarikova from DOX, I hope that many other authors from Flanders will follow in his footsteps.

After Prague, I travelled by night train to Warsaw. There, I had a meeting with Anita Musiol from Pauza, among others. Her publishing house will release the Polish translation of Trophy by Gaea Schoeters (the 18th translation for this title!). At Pauza, Schoeters is in good company, alongside Otessa Moshfegh, Miranda July, and Valeria Luiselli.

I also spoke with Monika Snajderman from Czarne. In their bookshop, located in the same building as their office, the whole world’s literature passes by, including Margot Vanderstraeten (published in Polish by Czarne itself).

It was also a pleasure to meet Kamil Baliuk from publisher Agora and translators Alicja Oczko and Agnieszka Bienias. The latter welcomed me at the Dutch House or Dom Helenderski: a wonderful modernist building with plenty of light and space for art and literature from the Low Countries.

I hope that in the future, many more Flemish stories will find a second home in the Czech Republic and Poland.