Join us for a book launch party for “Letters to Kafka” by Christine Estima

Join us at the launch party for “Letters to Kafka”, the debut novel by writer Christine Estima. Christine is a beloved & longtime member of our book club. This will be a celebration with the author, who has graciously invited our readers to attend.

Full of gourmet food and refreshments (come hungry!), books galore, door prizes, a chat about the book, a book signing, and lots and lots of laughs!! The author will be in conversation with writer Saeed Teebi (Her First Palestinian, House of Anansi Press). Admission is free, but you may RSVP via email to christine@christineestima.com

ABOUT THE BOOK
A sweeping, tragic romance and feminist adventure about translator and resistance fighter Milena Jesenská's torrid love affair with Franz Kafka.

Milena Jesenská is trapped in an unhappy marriage to literary critic Ernst Pollak. Since Pollak is unable to support the pair in Vienna's post-war economy, Jesenská must supplement their income by working as a translator. Having previously met her compatriot Franz Kafka in the literary salons of Prague, she writes to him to ask for permission to translate his story "The Stoker" from German to Czech. The letter launches an intense and increasingly passionate correspondence. Jesenská is captivated by Kafka's energy, intensity, and burning ambition to write. Kafka is fascinated by Jesenská's wit, rebellious spirit, and intelligence.

In her remarkable debut novel, Christine Estima weaves little-known facts and fiction into a rich tapestry, powerfully portraying the struggles of a woman forced to choose between the roles of wife, lover, and intellectual.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CHRISTINE ESTIMA is an Arab woman of mixed ethnicity (Lebanese, Syrian, and Portuguese) and the author of the short story collection The Syrian Ladies Benevolent Society, which the CBC called one of the Best Fiction Books of 2023. She has written for The New York Times, The Walrus, VICE, The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Maisonneuve, the Toronto Star, and the CBC. Her story "Your Hands Are Blessed" was included in Best Canadian Stories 2023. She was a finalist for the 2023 Lee Smith Novel Prize and was shortlisted for the 2018 Allan Slaight Prize for Journalism. Christine has a master's degree in interdisciplinary studies from York University and lives in Toronto.