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2009-Lecture on “Contemporary Czech Literature and Translations of Works by Czech Writers into Modern Greek“ at the National and Kapodistrian University in Athens

(This article expired 31.12.2020.)

On 25 May 2009 a lecture entitled “Contemporary Czech literature and Translations of Works by Czech Writers into Modern Greek“ took place at the National and Kapodistrian University in Athens. The lecture was organised by the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Greece in co-operation with the Department of Slavic Languages of the University for the new students of this Department.

In the academic year 2008/2009 a new department of Slavic Languages was opened at the Faculty of Art of the National and Kapodistrian University in Athens (UOA). In order to promote the Czech language, Czech literature and culture in Greece and its  inclusion in tuition programmes at university level, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Greece in co-operation with the Department of Slavic Languages of the UOA organised a lecture thematically oriented on the Czech literature. 

The event took place on 25 May 2009 in the newly reconstructed hall “Neo Amphitheatro“ in the central building of the UOA. The lecture was given in Greek by the Czech journalist and translator Dr. Soňa Dorňáková-Stamou, who has been translating works of Czech and Greek literature for many years. From Czech into Greek she has translated i.a. nouvelle by Květa Legátová “Jozova hanule“ (Želary) and the novels by Pavel Kohout “Sněžím“ (I Am Snowing) and “Katyně“ (The Hangwoman).

Dr. Dorňáková-Stamou in her interesting lecture presented to the audience a synopsis of the modern Czech literature from the middle of the 19th century (i.a Karel Hynek Mácha, Božena Němcová, Jan Neruda) until the present day (i.a. Pavel Kohout, Ivan Klíma, Michal Viewegh). The lecture was suitably completed by several passages from works by the distinguished Czech writers which were translated by Dr. Dorňáková-Stamou into Greek. A discussion followed.  

As well as students from the Department of Slavic Languages and their professors, who the lecture was primarily aimed at, other guests present included members of the Czech-Greek community living in Athens who deal with tuition of the Czech language in Greece and translations between the two languages on a long-term basis. Among the guests of the lecture was also one of the most important Greek contemporary writers, Mr. Pavlos Matesis, whose novel “A Dog´s Mother“ was translated by Dr. Dorňáková-Stamou into Czech.