When Lithuania, Poland, and the Czech Republic broke free of totalitarian rule in the late 80’s and early 90’s, poetic manifestoes blossomed and independent publishers proliferated. Hundreds of small presses sold almost 25 million books after Lithuanian Independence in 1991, up from a fraction of that put out by the six state-owned publishers previously. A…Continue Reading
Iraqi Exile in Denmark, Czech Band Beats Persecution, Chinese Memoir Smuggled to France Defining the immigrant experience is about as easy as finding the proverbial needle in a haystack, yet a former Iraqi citizen now living in Denmark has penned her contribution to this genre with a “quiet, sad and nevertheless unsentimental portrayal of [her]…Continue Reading
She’s Got Game Gablé’s Bold Move in Germany, Forest Fling in Holland, And Spain’s Answer to Umberto Eco Move over, Monopoly. Board game junkies worldwide are in for a surprise this month as author and former university lecturer in Medieval Studies Rebecca Gablé’s quirky novel The Settlers of Catan hits stores and the German bestseller…Continue Reading
As Publishing Trends rolls out its bestseller lists for the Czech and Slovak Republics, we herewith offer a brief survey of this modest but dynamic literary landscape, as sales rise in Wal-Mart-esque chains, and pivot sharply toward nonfiction. Though Czech readers have long lapped up the likes of Stephen King, Danielle Steel, and Tom Clancy,…Continue Reading
