Taiwan Across Cities: 2 Lectures

Event One (18:00-19:00)
Kaori Lai x Radka Denemarková

Histories Not Yet Closed: Writing Across Time

Wars, colonialism, authoritarianism and totalitarianism may belong to the past, but the fear, silence, trauma and memories they left behind continue to shape our lives. How can literature approach a past that remains unresolved? Can encountering the experiences of others help us understand ourselves more deeply?

Czech writer Radka Denemarková has long engaged with the legacy of totalitarianism, the history of Central Europe and German literature. Taiwanese writer Kaori Lai explores Taiwanese literature, the cultural world during Japanese colonial rule, and more recently the history of former East Germany from a Taiwanese perspective. Their conversation draws on the interconnected histories of Taiwan, Japan, the Czech Republic and Germany, focusing on how literature bears witness to historical trauma, collective memory and cross-cultural encounters.

Kaori Lai is a renowned Taiwanese writer living in Berlin. With lyrical precision, she captures the fates of individuals in changing times. Her latest work, Portraits in White, is available in English.

Radka Denemarková is among the most significant contemporary Czech writers. In her novels and essays, she explores power, totalitarianism, historical memory and suppressed aspects of European history. She is also a playwright, screenwriter, literary historian and translator of German-language literature. As the only Czech author, she has won the Magnesia Litera award in four different categories. Her best-known works include Money from Hitler and Hours of Lead.

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Event Two (19:30-20:30)
Hilda Hoy x Pavlína Krámská

Between Mother Tongues: Memory, Translation and Taiwanese Literature

A writer and translator approach Taiwan each in their own way - one captures it through personal writing and reportage, the other brings Taiwanese literature into Czech. Their conversation explores