CPH:LITT 2011 will present a range of renowned world and Danish authors. On the opening night, Thursday 12 May 2011 at 11 pm., you can look forward to the concert of the legend of Czech underground alternative rock music Psí vojáci (in translation Dog Soldiers). The frontman of the band Filip Topol debuted at age 12 at the performance of another underground music legend Plastic People of the Universe, in front of the novelist and future president Václav Havel. As a writer, he will participate in an improvised discussion with one of the most original Danish poets NielsLyngsø on Saturday 14 May 2011 at 5 pm. The same day at 8 pm., the rising literary star Tomáš Zmeškal will participate in a discussion with the popular Danish poet Eva Tind Kristensen at 8 pm. All the above-mentioned events have free entrance and will take place at Musikcaféen at Huset in Copenhagen.

Filip Topol and the band Psí vojáci

Filip Topol, a singer, piano player, composer, song writer and frontman of the band Psí vojáci. This legendary Prague underground band celebrated 30 years of existence in 2009. Filip Topol founded the band together with his classmates – the drummer David Skála and bass guitar player Jan Hazuka. He made his public debut at age of 12 at the performance of the legendary underground band Plastic People of the Universe at the private cottage of Václav Havel. He performed a couple of songs with texts by his brother Jáchym. Their first public performance at Prague Jazz Days in 1979 (most of the musicians were 13 years old!) got immediate interest of the State Security Police and the public concerts were forbidden. The group performed only at private underground concerts and opened for Plastic People of the Universe at various illegal shows. Since mid-1980´s the band performed under a cover name P.V.O. (Psí vojáci osobně/ Dogs Soldiers in Person). After 1989, the popularity of Psí vojáci boosted as they performed at a range of festivals, club scenes and arranged a number of tours in Europe. The name of the band was inspired by one of the military societies of the Cheyenne Indians in Thomas Berger’s novel Little Big Man.

www.psivojaci.cz

Tomáš Zmeškal

Writer Tomáš Zmeškal studied English language and literature and worked as an interpreter, translator and professor, he currently teaches at a grammar school. His debut novel Love letter in Cuneiform Script (Milostný dopis klínovým písmem, Torst, 2008) was an immediate success and he was awarded the prestigious Josef Škvorecký Award. The book is an unusual love story with a broad historical sweep, covering the post-war and Communist period to the 1990s. His second book – The Biography of the Black and White Lamb (Životopis černobílého jehněte, Torst, 2009) deals with the life of mixed race twins, growing up in Czechoslovakia under the Communist era. It is the first book in Czech language, which deals with the personal experience of black people in the times of Communism in Eastern Europe.

www.tomaszmeskal.cz