Missouri Williams: On the Ruins of the World

Prague-based British writer Missouri Williams has captivated the literary world with her gothic-tinged debut The Doloriad, set in a post-apocalyptic Prague neighborhood of Vinohrady. Her second novel The Vivisectors (2026) - a satirical story of a graduate caught up in a university conspiracy in a decaying city overgrown with vegetation - made the longlist for the Booker Prize 2026. The event is moderated by Czech poet and prose writer Marek Torčík.

Missouri Williams is a British writer, playwright, and editor. Her debut The Doloriad (2022) won the Republic of Consciousness Prize 2023 and was shortlisted for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. She publishes in outlets including The Nation, The Baffler, The Believer, Granta, and The Drift.

Marek Torčík is a Czech poet and prose writer. His debut novel Rozložíš paměť (2024) - about a queer boy's coming of age in a provincial town, family history, and memory - resonated with readers and critics, winning the Ortena Prize and the Magnesia Litera Prize for prose. In 2025, his short story collection Šedá podél cest was published.

The programme lasts 60 minutes and is conducted in English.