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Final Stop on Young Czech Poets’ UK and Ireland Tour

Two rising stars of contemporary Czech poetry, Ondřej Hrabal and Šimon Leitgeb, concluded their tour of the British Isles in Leeds on 17 July. The tour was supported by the Czech Literary Centre, as well as the Czech Consulate General in Manchester and the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Dublin.

The final event took place in the atmospheric setting of Chapel FM Arts Centre, home to the community radio station of the same name. Joining the Czech poets on the live broadcast was Scottish poet Colin McGuire. The evening was hosted by writer and musician Peter Spafford, who introduced English-speaking audiences to Jiří Orten Prize laureate Šimon Leitgeb and Czech national slam poetry champion Ondřej Hrabal.

The two Czech poets performed English translations of selected works from their collections while also giving the audience the opportunity to hear poems in their original Czech. Through excerpts from his award-winning collection Cement Beach, Šimon Leitgeb took listeners on a journey into the inner world of a young man coming of age. Ondřej Hrabal read both previously unpublished poems inspired by his time living in the United Kingdom and selections from his recent publications, including playful children’s poems from his collection Tasemnice hledá byt (Tapeworm Looking for a Flat).

The trio of authors had also performed the previous evening in Newcastle upon Tyne, where they were joined by Barbora Řiháková, known on the Czech slam poetry scene simply as Barbora.

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Finále turné mladých českých básníků - Leeds