TURNOVÝ HÁJ 11
is the eleventh book of columns that were broadcast last year on Český rozhlas Plus. I would like to raise funds to produce this book through the Donio platform.
At the same time, a collection of one hundred selected columns is being published in English under the title I'M DEAD, LEAVE A MESSAGE, which I translated together with Michael Kilburn.
TURNOVÝ HÁJ
is a literary project by Eva Turnová, former bass player of the band The Plastic People of the Universe, and author of columns that have been regularly published over the past twelve years in magazines such as Instinkt, Reflex, Reportér, and Deník under the titles Turnový háj and Turnádo.
These columns are also broadcast every Friday on the radio station ČRo Plus, and occasionally on Dvojka.
Turnový háj consists of short, dense stories – gentle, bittersweet reflections on contemporary life, laced with irony. The focus isn’t on delivering a specific opinion, but rather on playfully capturing the absurdity of various situations and experiences from everyday life.
The themes are universal – love, relationships, fear, forgiveness, suffering – and are also influenced by the author’s environment, including playing with the band, writing, wordplay, and pure fabrications.
For the past eleven years, these essays, enriched with the author’s illustrations, have been published under her label Eturnity. A selection from the first five volumes was also published by Argo under the title BE100F (Best of), as well as an audiobook titled Čtení z Turnových hájů (Readings from Turnový háj). From 2018 to 2021, the Husa na provázku theatre in Brno staged a dramatization of the series.
You can also contribute to the creation of the eleventh volume of Turnový háj, which is currently in progress.
I'M DEAD, LEAVE A MESSAGE
is the English translation of the book BE100F (Best of), which was published by Argo in 2016. It is a selection of one hundred columns from the first five volumes of Turnový háj. The English version takes its title, I'm Dead, Leave a Message, from one of the columns and was created in collaboration with Michael Kilburn, a an academic, lifelong amateur Bohemianist, and task rabbit, professor at Endicott College in Boston.
You can contribute to the creation of both books — Turnový háj 11 and the English selection titled I'm Dead, Leave a Message.
REVIEW
It seems she is interested in almost everything. She picks up whatever crosses her path.
Almost no selection or segregation. Everything is worth reflecting on and observing.
It’s like streetwork, a low-threshold field service.
She picks up everything: from the ground, from the floor, from banality.
She places it in context, gives it a punchline, and warmth.
Things I also see and encounter. After reading, they interest me, too.
Now I see them. In fact, I’m glad I live them.
A remarkable ability. And a remarkable woman, too.
— Jan Šikl, psychologist
https://youtu.be/ULWvlShslkk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-VfqMALHzQ
SUCCESSFUL PROJECT
The funds raised will be used for the printing and editing of both books, which will be launched on Wednesday, November 13th, 2024, at the Dejvické Theatre.
The books will be christened by Czech journalist Barbora Tachecí. In addition to an author reading, the program will feature a concert by the luftpunk duo Rozkoš, including Eva Turnová and the distinctive musician Vladivojna La Chia. The evening will be hosted by performer Johana Dobrá.
REWARDS
The selection of rewards is diverse, ranging from receiving the eleventh volume to any combination of previously published volumes, a reading in your kitchen, original artwork (illustrations from the book), and more.
Don’t forget to include your mailing address after selecting a reward and specify the volume numbers if you choose any of the previously published ones.