Ecology: Marek Šindelka on literature, nature, and climate
In 2019 Marek Šindelka was a writer-in-residence at Passa Porta. Following the release of his latest novel, translated into Dutch as Klimaatverdriet, on which he was working at the time, the multitalented Czech writer talks to Nicky Aerts about literature and ecology.
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Langue
The face of a generation
Marek Šindelka (b. 1984), the face of a new literary generation in the Czech Republic, has not only written novels but also poetry collections and a graphic novel. He also won the hearts of many readers in Belgium and Holland with two experimental novels, translated into Dutch as Anna in kaart gebracht (‘The Mapping of Anna’) and Materiaalmoeheid (‘Material Fatigue’). Šindelka lives in Prague but during his residency at Passa Porta in 2019, he worked on a remake of his very first novel, Chyba.
A new disease
The Dutch translation of that reworked novel was published in 2020 by Das Mag as Klimaatverdriet (‘Climate Sorrow’). It is an ingenious and intriguing novel with thriller elements, set in a Europe of the near future which is suffering from prolonged heatwaves and has to contend with floods, economic malaise and a new disease: climate sorrow.
Sindelka rust niet graag op zijn lauweren, met elk nieuw boek daagt hij zichzelf en de lezer uit. Dat maakt hem één van de interessantste jonge schrijvers in Europa.
Form and content
At the Passa Porta Festival, Šindelka will talk to Nicky Aerts about ecology but also about his literary approach, which is characterized by assiduous research, formal experimentation and stylistic bravura. French readers may now also enjoy Šindelka previous novel La Fatigue du matériau (éd. des Syrtes, 2020, trad. Christine Laferrière) and the graphic novel L’Etrange cas de Barbora Š (éd. Denoël, 2020, trad. Benoit Meunier).
Passa Porta, Das Mag, Tsjechisch Centrum, Beursschouwburg
