68 Publishers

68 Publishers was a Canadian publishing house closely associated with Czechoslovak émigré culture. It was founded in Toronto in 1971 by the writer Josef Škvorecký and Zdena Salivarová. The press primarily issued Czech- and Slovak-language literary and intellectual works that faced censorship in Czechoslovakia or were written by authors living in exile. Its importance was cultural rather than mass-market: it provided a channel for preserving and circulating restricted works and served Czechoslovak communities abroad. The press formed part of the broader Cold War publishing network created by Central and Eastern European exiles. Available references generally place its main publishing activity from the 1970s to the early 1980s; it is no longer an operating publishing house.

68 Publishers was established in Toronto, Canada, in 1971 by the Czech writer Josef Škvorecký and his wife, the writer Zdena Salivarová. It emerged in the context of political censorship in Czechoslovakia and the exile of many writers and intellectuals. The press provided an overseas outlet for Czech- and Slovak-language works that could not be published normally at home. Its list focused chiefly on literature, while also including émigré writing and texts of broader cultural or intellectual significance. By printing in Toronto and distributing to Czechoslovak readers abroad, 68 Publishers became part of the wider Cold War publishing network of Eastern European exiles. Its main activity took place during the 1970s and the early 1980s, after which it ceased to operate as an ongoing publishing house. Because sources do not consistently document the exact closing date and catalogue boundaries, no definitive end year is recorded.

1. 1971

• Czech- and Slovak-language books

  The press primarily published Czech- and Slovak-language books, especially literary and cultural works censored in Czechoslovakia or written by authors living in exile.