The author of more than 40 books, Ivan Klima—“a Czech genius” (Los Angeles Times Book Review)—is the recipient of some of literature’s greatest distinctions, including the Franz Kafka Prize and the Magnesia Litera Award. Born in Prague, Klima survived the Terezin concentration camp to emerge, aged 14, with a view of literature as a means to freedom: “Hope, guilt, the search for true close human contact—these are the themes to which Klima has been steadfast through a difficult lifetime” (New York Times). His novels include Waiting for the Dark, Waiting for the Light; No Saints or Angels; The Ultimate Intimacy; and Lovers for a Day—all New York Times Notable Books of the Year. My Crazy Century is a profound autobiography of a remarkable life. 

In conversation with Peter Steiner, Professor in the department of Slavic Languages and Literature, University of Pennsylvania.