We cordially invite you to a unique meeting with a Slovenian writer and translator, a man who introduced Slovenians to the most famous young magician of all time and later not only walked the longest hiking trail in the world but also translated the experience into a magnificent travel novel.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: JAKOB J. KENDA is best known to the public for his translations, especially Harry Potter. He is also often called upon when a cultural institution needs a crisis manager. For example, he put a rural cinema or the central Slovenian youth library back on its feet. In the meantime, he earned a doctorate in literary sciences. He wrote about literature and film for many newspapers and magazines. He lectured and taught. Above all, he set off on several famous hiking trails. The Appalachian Trail, which he walked as the first Slovenian, made such a strong impression on him that he decided to write a novel about his experience.
ABOUT THE TRAIL: The APPALACHIAN TRAIL runs through the mountain range of the same name, across 14 American states along the Atlantic coast. It is just over 3,500 kilometers long and all the climbs along it total 144 kilometers. In total, the hiker makes as much climb as if he were to climb from sea level to the top of Everest sixteen times. The trail is also different from European hiking trails. It is a wilderness trail, on which the hiker is occasionally more than a week away from the first settlement, immersed deep in the rich nature of the American forests. But at the same time, he can find the company of other hikers, through whom he gets to know both the surprising American hiking culture and the real America in general.
ABOUT THE BOOK: A TRAVEL NOVEL The Appalachian Trail is dedicated to the title trail, its origin, and the first or otherwise most legendary hikers. Through these, he also reveals the American wilderness type of hiking, which is so different from the traditional European alpine and pilgrimage. But the trail is illuminated even more by the stories of the people with whom the author shares the path for short periods or for long weeks. These fellow travelers are also his starting point for discovering the general American reality. Through his traveling companions, the towns along the way, and the people he meets in them, he reveals the so-called real America layer by layer. And above all, the trail is a humorous but honest record of the personal experience of this long, wilderness trail, which answers many private questions. How is it possible for your wife to let you go on such an adventure for six months? What happens to a hiker if he is alone and deep in nature for so long? What if he is accompanied for a long time by a young and bright companion?