Radka Denemarková

Radka Denemarková reads from her new novel "Chocolate Blood" (Hoffmann und Campe; translated by Eva Profousová).

Who knows the author behind the fairy tale "Three Nuts for Cinderella"? This summer brings several novels devoted to Božena Němcová. In her 600-page temporal panorama, Denemarková approaches the author of "Babička", considered a milestone of Czech literature - and interweaves three life stories: the unconventional George Sand, who wrote and loved boldly; John D. Rockefeller's oil empire overseas; and the brief yet extraordinarily productive life of Němcová. In rhythmic, poetic prose, she casts a feminist light on three figures who shaped the 19th century and embodied cultural and industrial progress.

Radka Denemarková is an author, playwright, screenwriter, essayist, and translator of German literature. In 2023, she was admitted to the German Academy for Language and Poetry. This autumn she is particularly in demand: the Czech Republic is the guest country of the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Moderation: Carsten Hueck. With the kind support of the Hamburg Department of Culture and Media.