Zdena Salivarova: A Czech Publisher and Writer Who Kept Her Country's Literature Alive

Strategic Insights -

Zdena Salivarova, a Czech publisher and writer who played a crucial role in keeping her country's literature alive during the communist regime, died on August 25 in Toronto, Canada. She was 91 years old. Salivarova, who established the publishing house 68 Publishers with her husband, novelist Josef Skvorecky, in 1971, dedicated her life to publishing the works of exiled and underground writers.

Key Takeaways:

  • Zdena Salivarova was a Czech publisher and writer who died on August 25 in Toronto, Canada, at the age of 91.
  • She established the publishing house 68 Publishers with her husband, novelist Josef Skvorecky, in 1971, to publish the works of exiled and underground writers.
  • Salivarova played a crucial role in keeping her country's literature alive during the communist regime, publishing over 227 books by dozens of writers and inspiring a mailing list of over 12,000 people.
  • Her novel "Honzlova" (1973) received good reviews and went through four editions at 68 Publishers, but was banned in Prague like her husband's work.
  • Salivarova's legacy as a publisher and writer has been celebrated by experts, including Derek Sayer, an expert on Czech literature, who described 68 Publishers as "far and away the most important of the émigré publishing houses."
  • Salivarova's life was marked by restlessness and a desire to pursue her own promising literary career, which she put aside to sustain the publishing operation.
  • She was born on October 21, 1933, in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and grew up in a poor family that struggled under Nazi and communist rule.
  • Salivarova studied scriptwriting and worked under prominent Czech literature figures, including Milan Kundera, but clashed with his misogynistic treatment of women characters.

Statistics:

  • Over 227 books were published by 68 Publishers, including works by dozens of exiled and underground writers.
  • The mailing list for 68 Publishers reached over 12,000 people.
  • The publishing house operated from 1971 to 1993, when the Velvet Revolution in Prague made the couple's work superfluous.
  • Zdena Salivarova's novel "Honzlova" (1973) received four editions at 68 Publishers.

Sources:

  • The New York Times, "Josef Skvorecky, Author of 18 Novels, Dies at 76"
  • Czech News Agency, "Czech writer Zdena Salivarova dies in Toronto"
  • "The Achievement of Josef Skvorecky" (1994) by Sam Solecki
  • "Postcards From Absurdistan: Prague at the End of History" (2022) by Derek Sayer