On his literary journey through the Czech Republic for a TV documentary, Jaroslav Rudiš meets fellow writers and takes us to places associated with canonical names of Czech literature. The writers reveal stories they have found inscribed in the landscape, in the lives of local people, and in the history of the 20th century. Remembered lives in Czech mountains have been captured by Jarmila Glazarová and, in our own time, Kateřina Tučková with The Last Goddess and Alice Horáčková with A House Divided. Magical Prague is associated with Meyrink’s Golem and Franz Kafka’s mysterious Zürau. There are places associated with voices of rebellion, such as Božena Němcová’s. Some Czech authors have strong connections with Czech regions but write in German, such as Otfried Preußler and Adalbert Stifter. Jaroslav Rudiš returns these and other authors to the landscape of Czech literature, where they belong.

Krajinou literatury, directed by Petr Smělík, 52 minutes, © Czech Television 2026

Jaroslav Rudiš, Alice Horáčková. Moderation: Christina Frankenberg