#thecontinentalliterarymag

Fiction
The Red Light by Maciej Jakubowiak

Polish writer Maciej Jakubowiak reflects on his grandmother’s absolute faith in a red blinking light, in this essay translated by Mark Ordon.

Non-Fiction
Finely Tuned by Árpád Tőzsér

Reflecting on his own poem, Hungarian writer Árpád Tőzsér asks whether we can believe in a Cosmic Orchestra without a conductor?

Non-Fiction
Praise of God in Solitude: A Pianist’s Faith in Life and Death by Jack Kohl

Jack Kohl’s literary essay begins with a simple paradox posed by the pianist’s craft that soon transcends music into mortal and spiritual matters.

Poetry
“On the seventh day of direct observations” by Kateryna Kalytko

In this poem by Kateryna Kalytko, at a time of destruction, the Ukrainian poet marvels at the simplicity and the nobility of language.

Poetry
“Child, hold your doll, hold your teddy bear, hold your kitty.” by Marjana Savka

In this poem, on a train winding through a burnt world towards longed-for shelter, an adult pleads to a desperate child to hold their teddy, to not cry.

Fiction
The Bureaucrat’s Day by Balla

While buying some “superb” illegally produced sausages, a bureaucrat tries to come to terms with the thing that lives in his office.

Poetry
Then Without the Body by Béla Markó

“collapse, rejection, resurrection, / this is what we all longed for, / this broken bread”—Béla Markó, in Anna Bentley’s translation.

Non-Fiction
On the Problem of Faith by Daphne Merkin

“Looking for a road back to a world view that allows for sacred moments,” essayist and novelist Daphne Merkin examines her own faithlessness.

Fiction
The Eye of the Storm by Viktor Horváth

Father Viktor struggles to contain his rage against Prime Minister Ferenc Ács, until one day he receives a visit from men in suits.