Contemporary fiction has performed a significant shift away from the traditional image of the countryside as an essentially harmonious, even idyllic space. Rural or country environments are often viewed and depicted critically, as places of decline, isolation and hidden conflict. The countryside is becoming a host of depression and existential unrest, a place where the natural world is often reflected in characters’ emotions. Perhaps now is the time for us to speak of a new, darker ruralism in contemporary Czech literature.

Anna Bolavá, Jiří Hájíček, Petra Klabouchová. Moderation: Zuzana Jürgens