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Večer s běloruským spisovatelem a novinářem Sašou Filipenkem
An evening with Belarusian writer and journalist Saša Filipenko
Event by: 1. prezidentská knihovna, Nakladatelství Odeon
Location: Václav Havel Library, Ostrovní 129/13, Praha 1
Discussions and lectures
About event
We invite you to a meeting with Belarusian writer and journalist Saša Filipenko. We will talk about the new book Slon, his other work and life in exile, and what it's like when your home country announces a search for you.
The evening will be hosted by Nadia Hauryliuk, operations director of the Euromedia Group publishing house.
In Saša Filipenka's new satirical allegory Slon, one day an elephant will appear in every household, in every yard, in every housing estate. Huge, tangible, silent. Nobody knows why. No one knows from where. And most prefer not to see him. The novel Elephant is an allegorical satire set in a society that one day experiences an absurd and symbolic trauma - the sudden and inexplicable appearance of live elephants in homes across the country. The author works with a metaphor that originates from Anglo-Saxon culture (the elephant in the room) and denotes a big, obvious problem or topic that everyone perceives, but no one wants to talk about, usually because it is unpleasant, taboo or conflicting.
Saša Filipenko (1984) is a writer, dramaturg and publicist. He was born in Belarus and currently lives in Switzerland. He graduated from the Faculty of Philology at the University of Saint Petersburg and worked for the independent TV station Dožď. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages, and plays based on his works have been performed in a number of European cities. In 2021, PEN International declared him a victim of censorship. Filipenko lives in Switzerland because it is dangerous for him to return to Belarus. Three of his novels have so far been published in Czech, the last Kremulator was published in 2024 by the Odeon publishing house, and the audio version of which won the Audio Book of the Year 2026 prize
The event will be held in Russian with simultaneous translation into Czech.
The evening will be hosted by Nadia Hauryliuk, operations director of the Euromedia Group publishing house.
In Saša Filipenka's new satirical allegory Slon, one day an elephant will appear in every household, in every yard, in every housing estate. Huge, tangible, silent. Nobody knows why. No one knows from where. And most prefer not to see him. The novel Elephant is an allegorical satire set in a society that one day experiences an absurd and symbolic trauma - the sudden and inexplicable appearance of live elephants in homes across the country. The author works with a metaphor that originates from Anglo-Saxon culture (the elephant in the room) and denotes a big, obvious problem or topic that everyone perceives, but no one wants to talk about, usually because it is unpleasant, taboo or conflicting.
Saša Filipenko (1984) is a writer, dramaturg and publicist. He was born in Belarus and currently lives in Switzerland. He graduated from the Faculty of Philology at the University of Saint Petersburg and worked for the independent TV station Dožď. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages, and plays based on his works have been performed in a number of European cities. In 2021, PEN International declared him a victim of censorship. Filipenko lives in Switzerland because it is dangerous for him to return to Belarus. Three of his novels have so far been published in Czech, the last Kremulator was published in 2024 by the Odeon publishing house, and the audio version of which won the Audio Book of the Year 2026 prize
The event will be held in Russian with simultaneous translation into Czech.