Rising star on the Slovak and Central European literary scene Nicol Hochholzerová, is coming over to the UK to celebrate the English language publication of her debut novel This Room Is Impossible To Eat. Masterfully translated from Slovak by Julia and Peter Sherwood, this poetic novella is a brutal and psychologically penetrating account of abuse and its consequences. Full book tour details below.
With literary events from Crickhowell to Oxford, Hochholczerová’s debut is an unmissable addition to an international canon of women’s literature turning under the light some of the most controversial and painful issues of our era.
This Room Is Impossible To Eat is out on May 5th, with its official launch event the next day at the School of Slavonic & East European Studies, UCL.
Tuesday May 6th, 6pm Book Talk at UCL School of Slavonic & East European Studies, London.
Wednesday May 7th, 5pm Queen's College, University of Oxford.
The Queen’s Translation Exchange and Czech and Slovak Studies at Oxford are delighted to host the award-winning author Nicol Hochholczerová, along with her translators Julia and Peter Sherwood. Joining Oxford students Mary Orsak and Georgie Fooks in conversation discussing the novel and the contemporary Slovak literary scene.
Thursday May 8th, 12.30pm St. Anne’s College, University of Oxford
Join the Queen's Translation Exchange (QTE) and Oxford Comparative Criticism and Translation (OCCT) for a Slovak translation workshop. During this workshop, participants will translate an extract from a short story by Hochholczerová which has not previously been translated into English. No knowledge of Slovak is required to take part in the workshop.
Friday May 9th, 7pm Book-ish, Crickhowell
Join us for an evening with author Nicol Hochholczerová and literary translator Emyr Humphreys to explore what can be found or lost in translation. They will be in conversation with Richard Davies from Parthian Books who will be launching the Spring edition of the New Welsh Review Slovakia Blue with a special feature on translated literature.
Sunday May 11th, 3.30pm Book Space, Cardiff.
In conversation with fellow author Joshua Jones.
Tuesday May 13th, 7pm Gloucester Road Books
Joining the first edition of the Translated By, Bristol Festival Nicol Hochholczerová and Julia Sherwood will be in conversation with translator and writer Polly Barton.
Thursday May 15th, 6.30pm Hatchards, the Strand, London
Nicol will be in conversation with author, editor and Chair of the Authors’ Club at Hatchards, Piccadilly Lucy Popescu.
With thanks to bookseller Emily at Storysmith Books, Bristol for this wonderful review.
"This was a captivating first introduction to Slovakian writing for me, and it's easy to see why this book has received so much prestigious attention in its original language. Nicol Hochholzerova's debut is a masterclass in writing the uncomfortable. In this slight, poetic coming-of-age story, themes of power, abuse, body image and shame are boldly navigated. Spanning six years of adolescence, Tereza is groomed by her art teacher Ivan. As she navigates the obsessions of first love and her earliest sexual experiences, she is consistently let down by those closest to her, and her playful childish fantasies are gradually supplanted by adult emotions and feelings of misunderstanding. I found This Room is Impossible to Eat to be a really stark and affecting reading experience. Despite being firmly in the realm of 'impossible to recommend' due to contentious and difficult themes, Hochholczerova's is an exciting and important voice and I will be delicately placing it into people's hands."
Get your copy of This Room Is Impossible To Eat here.
With thanks to the Slovak Literary Centre for their financial support in the tour.
