Brenda Flanagan and Hana Waisserova, the co-authors of Women’s Artistic Dissent: Repelling Totalitarianism in Pre-1989 Czechoslovakia, will discuss their book and pay tribute to creative Czech women dissidents, including Eva Svankmajerova, ‘mother of Czech surrealism,’ and Eda Kriseova, journalist, fiction writer, essayist, and activist who served in President Vaclav Havel’s first Cabinet.
To survive totalitarianism during the years when Czechoslovakia ached under Soviet rule and to retain their humanity, Czech women writers went underground to write, paint, sculpt, and create supportive communities.
Moderated by Christopher Harwood.
Free and open to the public. Suggested donation $15. Seats are limited, on first-come first-served basis. RSVP online through Eventbrite.
About
DR. BRENDA FLANAGAN is a professor of creative writing and Caribbean and African-American literature. She has received numerous awards, including three Hopwood Awards, three NEH Fellowships, and a Michener Fellowship. A cultural ambassador for the U.S. Department of State, she has traveled extensively, particularly in Central Asia and the Middle East, often as the first American writer sent to certain regions in decades. She fell in love with the Czech Republic, which she has regularly visited for many years. She has become an honorary member of the Prague Surrealist group and formed strong friendships with Eva and Jan Svankmajer. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in various journals, and her published works include a novel, a short story collection, and a play. Recent activities include representing the U.S. at international book fairs and lecturing at universities globally.
DR. HANA WAISSEROVA is an associate professor of practice of Czech and Central European Studies and an affiliate of the Harris Centre for Judaic Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She studied at Spelman College, GA, and earned a Ph.D. in Anglophone transnational literature from Palacky University, CR, and a Gender Graduate Certificate from TAMU, TX. She has published articles concerning South Asian and Central European women's transnational literature, women's totalitarian experiences, women dissidents and their activism, medieval Czech literature, and Czech-American culture in Nebraska. Before working in academia, she lived in India and traveled widely in Europe, Asia, and East Africa, where she worked as an outdoor guide and a publicist.
This event is organized by the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences (SVU), New York Chapter, with the support of BBLA and in collaboration with the Vaclav Havel Center.