Tereza Semotamová »Radikale Bedürfnisse«

Hana is a sculptor in her mid-thirties who, with her unfulfilled desires and repressed needs, has only just stumbled out of her inner ‘closet’ – the title of the author’s debut novel – and into the world. In search of a viable path through life, she moves between Prague’s intellectual bubble and a Moravian village, between the international art scene and the urban periphery. From these polar opposites emerges a torrential stream of thoughts, impressions and emotions.

With humour and bitter irony, Tereza Semotamová weaves together intimate confessions, interwoven with allusions to literature, pop culture and current socio-political debates. Set against the backdrop of the pandemic, the result is a precise portrait of a generation – and, at the same time, an encouragement to face one’s own needs, to allow oneself to be vulnerable and not to fear failure.

Tereza Semotamová talks to her German translator, Martina Lisa, about her second novel – a task which, as we all know, can be treacherous.

An event organised as part of the Czech Guest of Honour programme, CZECHIA 2026, at the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Year of Czech Culture

Tereza Semotamová »Radikale Bedürfnisse«, Voland & Quist 2026