BOHUMIL HRABAL, 1914-1997

THE EXHIBITION WILL REMAIN CLOSED DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST

To celebrate the centenary of the birth of the Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal (1914 - 1997), the Casa del Lector reader's lab and the Czech Centre in Madrid, with the collaboration of the National Museum of Literature of the Czech Republic and Prague City Tourist Office, have organised an exhibition on the Czech author, which his compatriot Milan Kundera defined as "the incarnation of magic Prague, a union of earthly humour and Baroque imagination”.
The exhibition, coordinated by Monika Zgustova, reviews the life and work of Hrabal in eight sections where you can see photos, personal documents, first editions of his work and film posters.   The exhibition is divided into five bridges dedicated to the different stages of his life and the works written in each of them, through the important moments of European history in the 20th century: the period between wars, World War II, totalitarian communism, Prague Spring, the fall of communism and the transition to democracy. The adaptation of his books to film, produced by the Czech film director Jirí Menzel, will be another of the sections in the exhibition, made up of 30 original film posters.

  The eight sections that make up the exhibition are:

• Hrabal's Prague.
• Youth: the apprentice story-teller. 1914 – 1949.
• Beautiful collages of the capital. 1950 – 1969.
• Prague Spring. 1968.
• Living in darkness. 1970 – 1989.
• Euphoria and weariness. 1990 - 1997.
• Bohumil Hrabal in Spain. 1993 and 1995. Andreu Teixidor, Hrabal's first publisher in Spain, has lent the Casa del Lector reader's lab several photographs from his personal files, where you can see Hrabal in Spain.
• Bohumil Hrabal and film. 30 original posters of the films by Jiri Menzel, adapted from Hrabal's works.
• Jiri Kolar. His friend Jiri Kolar creates a series of collages that illustrate several of his books.

  A film season will complete the programming dedicated to Bohumil Hrabal over these months. Jiri Menzel, a film director and friend of Hrabal since the 60s, has directed more than a dozen films based on the director's works. The film season will be formed by three of his most famous films, Trenes rigurosamente vigilados (Closely watched trains), Alondras en el alambre (Larks on a string) and Yo serví al rey de Inglaterra (I served the King of England).   The exhibition catalogue is the book recently published by Galaxia Gutenberg “Los frutos amargos del jardín de las delicias” (The bitter fruits of the garden of delights), written by Monika Zgustova. It is the first and most published biography on Bohumil Hrabal who narrated his life to the author in conversations held over a period of four years. The volume includes a short photographic album, bibliography and an extensive chronology. The author and exhibition coordinator, born in Prague and resident in Barcelona, aptly reflects the personality of the writer and the experiences that marked him most. It also sketches an analysis of his literary work.
  Furthermore, Galaxia Gutenberg has just published the novel Tierno Bárbaro (The Gentle Barbarian) and there are other published works by Hrabal in its catalogue, such as:  Yo serví al rey de Inglaterra (I served the King of England), Una soledad demasiado ruidosa (Too loud a solitude) and La pequeña ciudad donde se detuvo el tiempo (The little town where time stood still).