Czech novelist to discuss writing, book on April 4

Fond du Lac author Edita Birschbach will present “A Czech Novelist in America,” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 4, at the Fond du Lac Public Library. Birschbach, who recently published her e-book “Brilliant Nightmare,” will talk about how growing up in the Czech Republic influenced her writing of the suspense novel. The author will read from her novel and will discuss her experiences living in a Communist country.

“Brilliant Nightmare” is the story of Ruby, a geeky high school senior living in the Midwest who has a strangely vivid dream life. There she exists as Lucie, a Czech teen living under Nazi occupation. Are her horrible nightmares memories of a past life? And why can she speak perfect Czech? When a new girl and a handsome exchange student arrive at her high school, dream life and real life become entangled and more questions arise. 

Birschbach was born in Pardubice, a city in eastern Bohemia, famous for producing gingerbread and Semtex. She studied at Charles University in Prague and taught English at the University of Pardubice. She met her future husband, a dashing American and fellow English teacher, at a wild teacher party. They moved to Fond du Lac in 1999. Birschbach currently is working on a sequel to “Brilliant Nightmare.”

The program is free and open to the public. No registration required.

The Fond du Lac Public Library supports a high quality of life in Fond du Lac through reading, lifelong learning and community involvement. There are three locations: Main Library, 32 Sheboygan St.; FDLPL Express, near Festival Foods; and Journeys at St. Agnes, inside the hospital. For more information, visit www.fdlpl.org.