Roma literature has long been overlooked within the Czech literary scene. A significant turning point came with Patrik Banga's autobiographical book The True Way Out (Skutečná cesta ven), which won the Magnesia Litera Award for Discovery of the Year in 2023 and has since been published in translation in a number of countries, including Germany (Anthea Verlag). Alongside Banga, other authors of Roma fiction for adults and children have also captured the attention of Czech readers and critics. A further milestone is this year's publication of Velvet Blues, the first English-language anthology of Czech Roma short stories (Kher Publishing & Karolinum Press, translated by Alex Zucker), presenting texts by fifteen authors. The current state of Roma literature — and in particular its significance and the perspectives it opens — will be discussed by writers Patrik Banga and Kateřina Tučková, Roma studies scholar Karolína Ryvolová, and journalist David Vaughan. A discussion about the peripheries moving into focus.

Kateřina Tučková, Patrik Banga, Karolína Ryvolová. Moderation: David Vaughan