Literature
Visegrad Literary Residences – autumn 2015
On September 1, scholarship stays as part of the next edition of the international project “Visegrad Literary Residencies” began in Budapest, Bratislava, Krakow and Prague. Four authors came to Krakow to spend 3 months here and implement their projects, participate in meetings with authors and literary events. During the autumn edition of the Villa Decius project, we will host Éva Cserháti – a Hungarian writer, translator and editor, Ondřej Horák – a Czech editor, journalist and reviewer, Peter Michalik – a Slovak editor, cultural project manager and moderator, as well as Alejandro Genes – an Argentine playwright of Polish origin, director and screenwriter.
Éva Cserháti (1975)
Hungarian freelance writer, literary translator, editor, teacher. She graduated in gender studies at the Central European University, Hungarian studies and Hungarian literature, and Iberian studies and Spanish literature at the University of Lorand Eötvös in Budapest. In 2007, she founded and still edits an online literary magazine dedicated to Hungarian literature in Spanish and Catalan, www.lho.es. She obtained, among others: the following scholarships: José Ortega y Gasset Foundation (1995), ELTE Peregrinatio II Foundation (1995), Washington University in Saint Louis – Missouri, USA (2001-2002), MAE-AECI – Research Scholarship – Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (2005-2006), ministerial distinction for exceptional contribution as a literary translator, editor and promoter of Hungarian literary and cultural values in Spanish and Catalan (2009), Hungarian Book Foundation (2008, 2009, 2011), Hungarian Translator’s House Foundation (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015). So far, she has translated over 30 books from Hungarian into Spanish and from Spanish and English into Hungarian. As part of the “Visegrad Literary Residencies” project from the International Visegrad Fund, she creates a network and exchanges ideas as a literary translator, literary journalist, cultural promoter, feminist activist and writer.
Ondřej Horák (1976)
Czech freelance editor, journalist, author and book reviewer. He cooperates with, among others: with the daily “Hospodářské nowiny”, the daily “Lidové nowiny”, the literary magazine “Tvar”. In 2012-2014, member of the jury responsible for awarding the Czech State Prize in Literature (Státní cena za literaturu) and member of the Commission of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic for supporting literary magazines and events. Co-author of four biographies of famous Czech figures from the fields of sports, gastronomy and brewing. He is a great admirer of the tradition of “Prague irony” represented by writers such as Jaroslav Hašek and Bohumil Hrabal. As part of the “Visegrad Literary Residencies” he is working on his sixth book – a collection of 69 mini-stories titled “Great reading devoted to world-famous writers: James Joyce, Robert Musil, Marcel Proust, Franz Kafka, Witold Gombrowicz, Samuel Beckett, William Faulkner, etc. …”
Peter Michalik (1985)
Slovak editor, manager of cultural projects, moderator. He graduated in philosophy and English philology and obtained a doctorate at the Faculty of Philosophy and History of Philosophy at Comenius University in Bratislava. Since 2013, he has been organizing the Bratislava Book Festival (BRaK) and is its program director. The aim of the festival is to present the most inspiring book projects and their authors (writers, publishers, graphic designers, illustrators) from Central Europe. He also works as a cultural editor, author, moderator at Radio Slovakia and editor-in-chief of the recently founded BRAK publishing house associated with the festival. As part of a scholarship in Krakow, he continues to work on his latest novel, as well as on a series of texts about “cities of my Central Europe”.
Alejandro Genes (1983)
Argentinian playwright of Polish origin, director, screenwriter. He graduated in dramatic arts from the National University of Arts (UNA) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His directorial and dramatic credits in recent years include: “La Primera Vez” (2014), “El Pájaro De Fuego” (2014), “Muero De Ti” (2013, 2012, 2011 and 2010), “Scarlett” (“Mecanismo de amor”, 2013). As a screenwriter and director, he also made two feature-length films. He received, among others: second prize in the “Osvaldo Soriano” competition (2009, Argentina) as a finalist of the “IX Ricardo López Aranda” Theater Award (2011, Spain), first prize in the 3rd International Theater Competition “Carlos Aguilera” (2012, Uruguay), first prize in the 3rd International Theater Competition 2015 “Armenian Genocide” (Argentina). In 2013, he was the first Argentine playwright to receive a dramaturgical scholarship with a stay at the Royal Spanish Academy in Rome. In addition, he used, among others, with a scholarship from the Zarandajas Theater (2006), a PNBU scholarship (2008-2009), a dramaturgy scholarship with Alejandro Tantanian (2010-2011), funding from the National Theater Institute in the field of “Theater of Objects and Marionettes” (2012) or a scholarship from the Royal Spanish Academy (2013) . Currently, as part of the “Visegrad Literary Residencies” scholarship program, he is working in Krakow on a project called “The German Who Lives in Me”.
The “Visegrad Literary Residencies” program
is an initiative of the International Visegrad Fund and its coordinator is the Villa Decius Association.