Abstracts for Host 3/2007

Jan Stanek
Forgotten murder

Thanks to his book Europeana, and also other works, Patrik Ouredník is one today’s most translated Czech authors. Jan Stanek finds in his latest work, the detective novel Ad acta, interesting connections with the French literary group Oulipo, especially with the work of Raymond Queneau.

Theme: Josef Safarík

Although Josef Safarík spent most of his life in seclusion and could only scarcely publish his works, he had a considerable influence on the progress of Czech philosophy of the twentieth century, but also on the life and work of many important figures of Czech culture, such as Václav Havel, Jirí Kubena, Josef Topol, and Antonín Pridal. In February, we remembered the hundredth anniversary of his birhtday. Host commemorates this jubilee with a block of texts viewing Safarík’s life and work from different viewpoints.