Three Martinů Studies Featured in Cross-Cultural Dialogues

A new collective volume, Cross-Cultural Dialogues: Essays in Honour of Michael Beckerman, has recently been published by Artefactum and Karolinum. Edited by Aleš Březina, Anja Bunzel, and Lorraine Byrne Bodley, the book brings together thirty-nine contributions by scholars and artists from a wide range of disciplines, exploring Czech, Central European, and Anglo-American music, literature, film, philosophy, and visual culture from the sixteenth to the twenty-first century.

Of particular interest to Martinů scholars and enthusiasts are three studies dedicated to the life and work of Bohuslav Martinů. In On Martinů’s Puppets: Wonderful Ways of Inspiration, Jiří Kopecký examines the sources of inspiration behind the piano cycle Puppets. Judith Mabary, in Martinů’s Contemplation of Friendship, Loss, and Mortality in The Epic of Gilgamesh, explores the composer’s treatment of friendship, loss, and human mortality in his late masterpiece The Epic of Gilgamesh. Finally, Aleš Březina presents newly discovered documents concerning the friendship between Bohuslav Martinů and Vladimír Vaněk in his chapter New Documents of Bohuslav Martinů’s Friendship with Vladimír Vaněk.

At 544 pages, Cross-Cultural Dialogues represents a significant contribution to the study of Czech and international culture while offering valuable new perspectives for Martinů research.

The publication can be ordered here: https://www.udu.cas.cz/cz/knihy/cross-cultural-dialogues