The Jim Greenhalf Czech Poetry Tour: May 8 to May 11, 2007.
European Renaissance sponsors journalist, writer and poet Jim Greenhalf's visit to Prague.
Between Tuesday, May 8 and Friday, May 11 2007, Jim Greenhalf read and sang his work at The Globe Bookshop with the celebrated Vladimir Merta; Jan Drda's Library, Pribram, with Josef Janda and Jazzika (Alice Bauer's blues-jazz band); at Shakespeare & Sons, with Alice Bauer accompanied by bass and keyboard players; and at The Literary Cafe with famed dissident folk singer Jaroslav Hutka.
In addition Jim wrote and delivered a lecture on journalism to media studies students at Charles University on the Thursday afternoon, 10 May. Dagmar Stepankova in Prague and Jacqui Peters in West Yorkshire booked the artists and provided promotional material and travel arrangements.
This cultural liaison reflects the intention of the promoting company, European Renaissance, to bring together artists from the Czech Republic and the U.K., and in so doing to establish a greater appreciation of common ground for the future.
Shows in Czech and English
Only Alice Bauer sang in English. The other shows were in English and Czech. They proved that artists from different generations, cultures and countries can work very well together. Merta, for example, improvised a couple of variations of two of Jim Greenhalf's poems one of which, Autobahn, Greenhalf used himself in a subsequent reading.
Improvisation, which the Czechs liked, was the keynote of all the concerts with Greenhalf changing his planned schedule of poems at each venue and sometimes after the shows had started. Again, this proved very successful and was appreciated by the other artists. Dagmar Stepankova read out Czech translations of two poems after Greenhalf had delivered them in English, thereby engaging further the audience and the other performers.
Appreciative audiences
During the reading at Shakespeare & Co several members of the audience - young Czech women, gratifyingly - asked Jim Greenhalf where they could buy his books in Prague. As these are not immediately available he gave them his own copies. Alice Bauer also so enjoyed his poem Snow that he gave her a copy of the book.
A Canadian teacher at the event also thanked Jim for the reading, saying how much he had enjoyed it. After the reading at The Literary Cafe a professor of French Literature at Charles University asked for permission to translate into French two poems: Frederick the Great and Voltaire Debate Truth and Beauty, and The Difference Between Poetry and Everything Else.
Future performances in the pipeline
Both Vladimir Merta and Jaroslav Hutka expressed interest in performing again with Jim Greenhalf.
Commenting on the tour, David Scougall said: "The atmosphere at Shakespeare and The Literary Cafe was electric. The artists performing together provided something that was world class; it would have done justice to the Royal Albert Hall in London. It is our ambition now to develop a programme of events that build on this excellent start."
