The Power of Words: Discussion with Radka Denemarková
14.02.2025 / 22:03
Have we learned from the 20th century?
Meet the acclaimed Czech woman of the pen Radka Denemarková and get familiar with her work that deals with deep subject matters. You get an opportunity to hear the excerpts of her two bestselling books: Money from Hitler and Hours of Lead.
Delve into her thoughts about the contemporary European literary scene and the power mechanisms of modern society in connection with the anniversary of the end of World War II, through a discussion moderated by prof. Robert Austin.
"Literature has only one task: not to be afraid and not to lie. For me, literature is a part of life, for me it is the sum of all forms of courage, art, friendship and thinking that allow a person not to be a slave. The purest form of love for life." Radka Denemarková
Radka Denemarková is a unique phenomenon on the Czech literary scene. She is considered by many to be the most important contemporary Czech author and one of the most sought-after political voices in the country. A true polymath, she has written essays, plays, screenplays, short and long novels, a double novel that can be read from both ends, and she is also an accomplished translator of German literature. She studied German and Czech literature at Charles University in Prague and received her doctorate in 1997.
Photo of Radka Denemarková by Karel Cudlín
Her works of fiction are attempts to uncover – in narrative prose marked by a distinctively poetic style – the key nodes of power in human relationships, intimate as well as political. In all her literary activities she consistently takes a stand, interweaving fiction and fact to create compelling portraits of society and deals with current issues as well as with some of the dark and suppressed sides of European history. She rebels against all totalitarianisms and patriarchal structures and gives victims a voice. Her books have been translated into twenty languages to date.
She is the only four-time winner of the prestigious Czech literary prize, Magnesia Litera, and what is particularly significant, in four different categories: the Best Prose of the Year for Money from Hitler in 2007, the Best Book in Journalism for The Story of Petr Lébl in 2008, the Best Translation of the Year for Herta Müller´s prose Atemschaukel in 2011 and the Book of the Year 2019 for Hours of Lead. This 800-page critically acclaimed novel set in contemporary China was also awarded in Germany and Austria. The author was punished with a lifetime ban from entering China. In 2024, Dr. Denemarková received the State Medal of Merit of the President of the Czech Republic, the Austrian Franz Kafka Prize and the European Tolerance Award.