Syllabus
1. Egon Hostovský and the theme of WWII and Nazi occupation.
2. Egon Hostovský and the theme of Czechoslovak emigration in the USA.
3. Josef Jedlička as a collaborator of Radio Free Europe and author of novels.
4. Milan Kundera and the Czech and French phases of his novelistic work.
5. Jáchym Topol and Central European themes.
6. Jáchym Topol and the Václav Havel Library.
7. Jiří Kratochvil and the theme of communist totalitarianism.
8. Lenka Lagronová as a playwright focusing on issues of femininity.
9. Lenka Lagronová as a playwright focusing on issues of national identity and faith.
10. Contemporary paths of Czech literature to the world book markets and the stage.
Annotation
The course focuses on several of the key Czech writers and playwrights of the 20th and 21st centuries - Egon Hostovský, Milan Kundera, Josef Jedlička, Jáchym Topol, Jiří Kratochvil, and Lenka Lagronová - through the reading and discussion of English translations of their works. The aim is to analyze selected dramatic and prose texts, develop critical thinking, and explore the transnational influence of Czech literature.