Flash in Translation: Uncanny Objects
On November 6, 2025, the ENSFR and PesText – International Literary and Cultural Festival hosted an online workshop on “Flash in Translation: Uncanny Objects”. The event was jointly organised by Robert Smid, Paul Knowles, Ines Gstrein and Ildikó Hepp. Eleven writers from four countries – Hungary, Austria, the United Kingdom and France – were invited to produce a piece of flash fiction between 250 and 500 words and to comment on their peers’ work. The event brought student authors together with more experienced writers. The following authors participated in the event: Gwyneth Jones, Alida György, Sarah Bower, Jonas Oberparleiter, Oscar Scott Shiel, Lucie Breau, Ezekiel Rockson, Amadea Tanner, Ildikó Szilágyi-Nagy, Ilka Papp-Zakor and Niklas Exenberger.
In the first part of the workshop, authors worked in pairs or groups of three to read and discuss their flash fiction. They enjoyed a lively exchange on writing. The second part of the workshop combined live author readings with ample opportunity for Q&A. Writers and audience members engaged in a stimulating conversation on the various literary responses to the event’s topic. The pieces of flash fiction revolved around uncanny objects as diverse as mirrors, crayons, cards, smartphones, typewriters, pebbles, balloons, shirts, memories and drawers. Given that the PesText writers employ different languages, all participants were invited to reflect on how working in the first or second language affects one’s writing.
The November edition of “Flash in Translation” was the second online workshop facilitated by the ENSFR and PesText. The organisers plan to continue the successful workshop series in the future. The possibility of compiling an online anthology of PesText writers was considered.
(Ines Gstrein)