Literary Criticism Prize Debate

A discussion on contemporary Czech prose and poetry with young literary critics Barbora Vacková, Kryštof Mec, and Jan Musil. Moderated by Blanka Činátlová. The event is held in collaboration with the Literary Criticism Prize.

Kryštof Mec studied literature and intercultural communication at Masaryk University's Faculty of Arts and is now a doctoral student in the Theory and History of Czech Literature at Ostrava University, focusing on Poetist prose. He participates in organizing events for the student association Bohemistický střelník and runs a lecture series called Básnictvo o poezii. As a critic, he contributes to the journals Host and A2, specializing in contemporary Czech poetry and prose. In 2026, he published "Fifty Years of Autofiction in Czech Literature" with Zuzana Foniokova at the Czech Literary Center.

Jan Musil studied Czech studies, English, and comparative literature at Charles University's Faculty of Arts and completed his doctorate. He has completed scholarship stays and research internships in Leipzig, Vienna, Cambridge, and London. He translates from English and German, is an editor of the monthly journal Plav dedicated to world literature, and contributes to Czech and international literary and academic journals. He is the author of poetry collections "The Last Life: A Bildungspoem of Past and Future" (2025) and "Mami" (2026).

Barbora Vacková studies comparative literature and interpreting at Charles University's Faculty of Arts. Her research focuses on encounters with supernatural beings in contemporary Francophone queer literature of the Maghreb region, drawing on decolonial, feminist, and queer studies approaches and literary-sociological theories. She completed a study stay at Bordeaux Montaigne University and regularly contributes to cultural and literary journals (A2, Plav, re:vize, and others). She is a member of the prose jury of the Literary Criticism Prize.