Edited and Translated by Alexandra Büchler
A book of poems by Kateřina Rudčenková selected from her four poetry books, translated by the editor/translator Alexandra Büchler, who will also write an introduction.
Kateřina Rudčenková’s fourth collection was awarded the Magnesia Litera prize for 2014 in the category of poetry.
On her fourth collection, Walking on Dunes (Fra, 2013):
‘The imagery with which Rudčenková escapes the prose of everyday life, has the power of a magic formula. Her word is full of colours, it comes alive in the excited flesh, restlessly spills like the sea. Among returns to the roots, to the material of her own childhood, and fleeting anticipations of what could happen in the future, the presence pulsates – insecure, temporary, mortal, yet, the only one that is up for grabs. A mix of romanticism, existentialism, absurd drama. Simply great poetry.’ — Radim Kopáč, Týdeník Rozhlas
On her debut work, the collection Ludwig (Klokočí, 1999):
‘every word emanates cranked-up destruction, and at the same time it is as if this motion slowly shifts whole images into other places and other bodies.’ — Marie Langerová, Lidové noviny
Born in Prague in 1976, Kateřina Rudčenková is a poet, prose writer and author of stage plays. Winner of the German Hubert Burda prize (2003) and the Magnesia Litera (2014), she secured second place in the drama competition the Alfréd Radok Awards (2006). Her poems and plays have been published in German, English and Slovene. Rudčenková is also the author of four stage plays; for Niekur she was awarded 2nd place in the Alfréd Radok Awards, and it was staged by the Prague theatre Divadlo Ungelt.
(image copyright: Adam Hlavac)