Istros Conversations

The History and Present State of Albanian Literature in Kosovo and Albania. Leading Albanologist Robert Elsie gives an overview of evolution of creative writing in Albania and Kossovo since its beginnings. A lecture given at the British Library on the occasion of Balkan Day II: A Rich Heritage of Stories, 24th June 2016.

John Hodgson, translator of Ismail Kadare and Fatos Lubonja, talks about his work as a translator and interpreter from Albanian to English. John is one of only two literary translators working from Albanian today. 'The False Apocalypse' by Fatos Lubonja, was published by Istros in 2014 and focuses on the financial and social breakdown of society in post-communist Albania, in 1997. #Albania #transl...

Writer and translator, Christopher Moncrieff, talks about his work on the up-coming title, 'Diary of a Short-Sighted Adolescent': a lost novel by Mircea Eliade now in English for the very first time. #MirceaElaide #Romania #Literature #translation

Translator from Slovene, Rawley Grau, talks to poet Stephen Watts about his experience of working on the novel, Dry Season. The book won the EU Prize for Literature for its author, Gabriela Babnik, and is a fascinating, intricate exploration of a love affair between a European woman and an African man.

Author and film-maker Goran Vojnović speaks about his new novel, 'Yugoslavia, My Fatherland', which follows the story of a young man determined to find his missing father and discover the truth about his involvement in the wars of the 1990s.

Author, journalist and activist, Andrej Nikolaidis talks to Rosie Goldsmith about his new novel, Till Kingdom Come. #Transaltions #Montenegro #Balkans

Macedonian writer Aleksandar Prokopiev spoke with translator Nathan Jeffers about his new book 'Homonculus', out now at Istros Books. This conversation was held over Skype, so any sounds in the background are the authentic murmurings of Skopje in the early evening.

In April this year, Danilo Kiš became the first writer from south-east Europe to have his work published as a Penguin Modern Classic. 'The Encyclopedia of the Dead' is Kiš's last published book, and has been revised and introduced by Mark Thompson, whose biography of Kiš - Birth Cerfificate - was published by Cornell University Press in 2013. Thompson gives us an introduction to the life and caree...

Vladislav Bajac talks with translator Nathan Jeffers about his publishing house, Geopoetika, and its role in spreading Serbian literature abroad and publishing international classics in Serbia.

Evald Flisar talks to translator Nathan Jeffers about writing, travelling, and his relationship with language and identity.

Roger James Elsgood from Art and Adventure speaks to author Aleksandar Gatalica about the translation of his epic best-selling novel, 'The Great War', as well as the art of translation in general, working with Ancient Greek texts and how literature can cross cultural and geographical borders. #WW1 #translation #literature #Serbia #EasternFront

Deputy Director of Communications, Larry Sherwin in conversation with Serbian author Aleksandar Gatalica at the EBRD, London. A Remembrance Day book launch for a unique and accomplished novel which provides a new perspective on the First World War; peopled with a colourful array of characters both real and fictional from the Eastern as well as the Western Front.

A British Library seminar with Sir Hew Strachan and Aleksandar Gatalica

Book launch event of 'What Does Europe Want? The Union and its Discontents' By Slavoj Žižek and Srećko Horvat (with an introduction by Alexis Tsipras) Publication Date: 31st October, 2013 £12.00 ISBN: 9781908236166 Despite the fact that the European Union faces the biggest crisis since its foundation, on July 1st, 2013, a new state joined the club. For the foreseeable future, Croatia will probably...

In celebration of a successful three days at the London Book Fair, the embassy of Croatia hosts a two-part discussion on contemporary Croatian Literature and translation at Europe House, Smith Square, London. Speakers included Dasa Drndic (pictured), whose book 'Trieste' is short-listed for the Independent Foreign Fiction #iffp Prize, and Josip Novakovich - one of this year's nominees for the #Man...

Daša Drndić, Josip Novakovich and Marinko Koščec discuss their recent books and their reception in the UK and US. Chaired by the former UK Ambassador in Croatia, Nicholas Jarrold. #KeatsHouse in #Hampstead #Croatian #Literature

Guest at Monocle 24 radio show ‘The Review’, Susan Curtis-Kojakovic, director of Istros Books discusses the preparations for the upcoming Croatian book stand at the London Book Fair 2013 (April 15-17), as well as some intriguing new translated literature. Coming from Turkey - Ayfer Tunc’s ‘The Aziz Bey Incident’ and from Romania – Cecilia Stefanescu’s ‘Sun Alley’.

Listen to the world premiere of Hedgehog's Home Children's Opera - live at the Conway Hall on Sunday, 11th November. On the anniversary of its first English edition, Hedgehog's Home by Branko Copic has been successfully launched as a new children's opera, with an original score by Emily Leather, and staging by Creative Director, Elinor Moran. The show stared: Dario Dugandzic as Hedgemeond the Hunt...

The charming A. M. Bakalar at Waterstones, Hampstead, in conversation with Montenegrin author, Ognjen Spahic and Hungarian author Noemi Szecsi about their recently published novels (2012). While Spahic's cult classic, 'Hansen's Children' takes place in the last European leprosarium in revolutionary Romania; Noemi also tells a Romanian tale of blood lust through an unusual relationship between a gr...