68 Publishers
68 Publishers, also Sixty-Eight Publishers, Sixty Eight Publishers or Czech Nakladatelství called 68, was founded in 1971 in Toronto by Josef Škvorecký and his wife Zdena Salivarová and directed by her authoritative publisher of exile Czechoslovak literature. The task of the publisher ended with the Velvet Revolution of 1989; It was dissolved in 1993. The literature appeared before translation into English and other languages in the original language, so that they could be smuggled back into Czechoslovakia. The number " 68 " refers to the Prague Spring in 1968.
Shifted literature
Škvorecký and Salivarová began their work first with the publisher written in Czech and translated into English books by Josef Škvorecký. The first book was in 1971 Tankový prapor ( The Republic of Whores ) in which it announced back in 1958 his first novel, " cowards " introduced narrator Daniel Smiřický (called " Danny" ), literary alter ego of the author, the representation a Czechoslovak military base under communist rule is absurd and similar conditions as in Catch -22 are caricatured with black humor. This was followed by Prima sezóna ( The Swell Season, dt A great season), Zbabělci (The Cowards, cowards dt ), Konec nylonového věku ( End of the Nylon Age). This was followed by the works of other exiled previous authors, who were not allowed to publish in this country and their publications for the Czech and Slovak emigrants scene in the United States and Canada were determined. From there they came in secret back in the communist- ruled homeland.
Among the best known authors include Bohumil Hrabal with three publications from the years 1986/87: Svatby v Dome, dt weddings in the house, Vita Nuova, dt Vita nuova, Proluky, dt I thought of the golden age; January Křesadlo, Alan Levy, Karel Pecka, Ludvik Vaculik, Jiří Gruša, Alexandr Kliment, Václav Havel and Erazim Kohák. 1979 published poems of Ivan almost lost Blatný: Stara bydlište, dt Old residences. In 1981, 68 Jaroslav Seifert Publishers Všecky krásy světa ( All the Beauties of the World, German All beauty of this world ) out. The Czech musician Karel Kryl could also publish recordings. Also Milan Kundera published in 2006 in the Czech Republic novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being 1985 had its first edition in Czech 68 Publishers, however, after the French edition of 1984. A total of 1971-1989 more than 220 literary works have been published.